Update on Ilona Maher as USA name six debutants in SVNS Series squad

Six debutants have been named in the USA Women’s Sevens’ new-look roster for the opening two legs of the HSBC SVNS Series. Kayla Canett and Alena Olsen will co-captain the 13-player squad when the season gets underway with enthralling events in Dubai and Cape Town.

Autumn LoCicero, Su Adegoke, Sariah Ibarra, Hann Humphreys, Alyssa Porter and Nia Toliver have all been named for their first SVNS tournament, and they aren’t the only relatively inexperienced players ushering “in the next generation.”

Rachel Strasdas and Jess Lu have both been named for what will be their second SVNS events, while Kaylen Thomas is set to earn her third cap in Dubai. Sarah Levy and Ariana Ramsey are the other members of this USA Women’s side for the first two legs of the new season.

Veterans Kristi Kirshe and Alex ‘Spiff’ Sedrick will join the team in 2025 after an extended off-season, which is well deserved after helping Team USA claim Olympic bronze in Paris. Sedrick scored the score-levelling try against Australia before slotting the match-winning conversion.

Rugby’s most followed athlete, Ilona Maher, will take a hiatus from sevens during the 2024/25 season with the intent of representing the USA Women’s Eagles at next year’s 15s Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.

With a new feel to the squad, the season-opening event at Dubai’s The Sevens Stadium from November 30 to December 1 is an intriguing leg for the Americans. After a gruelling pre-season, head coach Emilie Bydwell is looking forward to what’s to come.

“We just completed a six week pre-season at our training base in Chula Vista, which saw us usher in the next generation of USA Women’s Sevens,” head coach Emilie Bydwell said in a statement.

“We see this first yar of the squad being focused around building the foundation required to build through the next four years. Pre-season has emphasised the development of physical capacity, tolerance, and the developing the technical skills required to play the way we want to.

“Beyond that, we have been working on how to help our new residents understand how to thrive in a professional, full-time environment and instil the culture and values of our program.”

The USA showed signs of promise and performance during the SVNS Series in 2023/24 but they couldn’t make their mark in terms of silverware. They only made one Cup Final during that campaign, but it was a highly-prestigious one at the world-famous Hong Kong Sevens.

Following a disappointing end to the season in Madrid, the Americans bounced back on the biggest sporting stage of all at Paris’ Stade de France. To the surprise of many, they ended up taking their place on the Olympic podium after stunning Australia in the battle for bronze.

But with some greats of the game stepping away, the USA have turned to some fresh faces to steer them towards the Los Angeles Olympics in four years’ time. They played at the Premier Rugby Sevens All-Star Tournament earlier this month but the Series is where it all counts.

“We are very thankful that we were able to compete with Premier Rugby Sevens prior to getting on the plane to compete in the first SVNS competition in Dubai,” Bydwell added.

“We have a young group selected for Dubai, filled with players that have worked their way through the pathway and the collegiate system.

“As a team we are looking to play a fast, dynamic and dictative game; and the group has all the attributes required to do that.

“It will take time for us to gel and adapt to the level that the SVNS offers up, so we will focus on continuing to take a brick-by-brick approach, fortifying our foundations and emphasising the opportunities for our players to express their unique strengths.

“While it’s always tempting to think about the outcome, as a group we understand that at this stage the process is more important and how we show up with the intent and attention to grow with every success and challenge is critical – that is what we will look to do across the first two tournaments of the season.”

The Dubai Sevens is from November 30 to December 1, while Cape Town’s DHL Stadium will host the second leg of the season the following week from December 7 to 8 – all live on RugbyPass, which is free to sign up for.

Perth, Vancouver, Hong Kong China and Singapore are the other four destinations during the 2024/25 SVNS Series season, while Los Angeles will host the World Championship event at DHL Stadium which is not to be missed.

USA Women’s Sevens roster

Ariana Ramsey, Kayla Canett (c), Alena Olsen (c), Sarah Levy, Rachel Strasdas, Jess Lu, Kaylen Thomas, Autumn LoCicero*, Su Adegoke*, Sariah Ibarra*, Hann Humphreys*, Alyssa Porter*, Nia Toliver*

*Denotes HSBC SVNS debut