USA RUGBY – Refreshed and refocused following the holiday break, the USA Women’s Sevens squad are back in action as they head to Perth (Australia) SVNS, the next stop on the 2024 HSBC SVNS. Competition kicks off Friday, January 26. All action will be available on RugbyPass TV, with semifinals and finals also live on Peacock. [Lead photo c/o USA Rugby]
Captain Naya Tapper leads the squad of 13 to Australia as they zone in on moving up the SVNS ranks and improving on a fourth-place finish in Cape Town. Co-captain Lauren Doyle will remain in Chula Vista for the Perth event due to an injury sustained during training.
“We are really looking forward to getting back into competition following the holiday reset,” USA Women’s 7s Team Head Coach Emilie Bydwell said. “Dubai and Cape Town gave off a great picture of the challenges coming our way this season. We’ve taken that opportunity to look at not only how we respond but what adjustments we need to make, and what standards we prioritize in order to ensure that we are able to play the ‘USA way’ to empower the players to express themselves.”
Having sat out Dubai and Cape Town due to injury, Kristi Kirshe hits the pitch for the first time this season. Summer Harris-Jones steps in for the first time this season, following a stint with the Women’s Eagles in the PAC4 and WXV 2 tournaments. Steph Rovetti and Sarah Levy also join the series roster for the first time this season. Levy last played on the series in Australia last season.
“The competition within the training environment continues to demand that players consistently take action and put their best foot forward and we are excited at how Sarah, Summer, and Steph have performed over the last block to earn selection for this competition. As we know, this season is all about how we build and take the opportunities to be at our best together. Our pool in Perth will challenge us in different ways. We will go one game at a time as we work to refine our process and ignite our strengths.”
Perth is the third stop on the HSBC SVNS series, and the USA is competing in Pool C against Ireland, Japan and New Zealand. The next leg occurs in North America, with Vancouver (Feb. 23-25) and then Los Angeles (March 1-3).
USA Women’s Sevens Roster | 2024 Perth SVNS
| Name | Position | HSBC Tourneys |
|---|---|---|
| 2. Ilona Maher | Center | 24 |
| 3. Kayla Canett | Flyhalf | 23 |
| 4. Nicole Heavirland | Hooker/Scrumhalf | 36 |
| 5. Alev Kelter | Center | 41 |
| 6. Alena Olsen | Scrumhalf | 18 |
| 7. Naya Tapper (C) | Wing | 35 |
| 10. Steph Rovetti | Flyhalf/Wing | 10 |
| 12. Kristi Kirshe | Prop/Hooker | 20 |
| 13. Sarah Levy | Wing | 5 |
| 17. Spiff Sedrick | Center | 11 |
| 22. Sammy Sullivan | Prop/Wing | 8 |
| 27. Summer Harris-Jones | Prop/Hooker | 3 |
| 99. Jaz Gray | Wing | 11 |
USA Women’s Sevens Traveling Staff | 2024 Perth SVNS
Head Coach | Emilie Bydwell
Assistant Coach | Zack Test
Strength & Conditioning | Trey Ford
Athletic Trainer | Nicole Titmas
Sports Psychologist | Peter Haberl
USA Women Schedule | 2024 Perth SVNS
Friday, January 26
v Ireland | 12:32 am ET
v Japan | 4:33 am ET
v New Zealand | 10:06 pm ET
Saturday, January 27
Knockouts begin at 1:42 am ET (Friday night)
Sunday, January 28
Knockouts continue