Creighton University Athletics
Ames Makes USA Volleyball's U21 Roster For Pan American Cup
7/4/2026 7:00:00 PM | Volleyball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Creighton's Ayden Ames is one of 14 athletes selected by USA Volleyball to be part of the U.S. Women's U21 National Team that will compete at the 2026 NORCECA Women's U21 Pan American Cup, July 7-12, at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The 14 athletes were chosen from an initial group of 62 that tried out in Colorado Springs in February, then was narrowed down to 20 who just finished a training block in Columbus. The roster includes a dozen athletes who have been part of previous USA Volleyball age-group national teams: Ayden Ames, Henley Anderson, Suli Davis, Campbell Flynn, Carly Gilk, Genevieve Harris, Taylor Harvey, Lily Hayes, Manaia Ogbechie, Abby Vander Wal, Devyn Wiest and Keoni Williams. Payton Petersen and Rachel Van Gorp are part of an age-group national team for the first time.
"The amazing talent in this group of athletes made roster decisions incredibly difficult," said head coach Tama Miyashiro. "Everyone brings unique strengths to the court, and seeing how they've worked hard together over the past week has been fun to watch. We're excited about this team and are ready to make the U.S. proud at the Pan American Cup."
Ames is a 6-foot-4 middle hitter from Prosper, Texas, who has spent the previous two seasons at the University of Texas before transferring to Creighton and enrolling in January. She led the Longhorns' Elite Eight team with 109 blocks in 2025, when she averaged 1.52 kills and 1.11 blocks per set on .368 hitting in 98 sets. That came after she averaged 1.56 kills and 0.92 blocks per set on .359 hitting in 96 sets as a true freshman for the two-time defending national champions in 2024 to earn AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year recognition. Ames was a member of 2023 USA U19 team that won the FIVB U19 World Championship.
Ames is the latest in a long line of Bluejays to play with USA Volleyball. Last summer both Ava Martin and Norah Sis played for the 2025 Women's U23 National Team at the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, helping the American side win the Gold medal. Other Creighton women to play internationally with USA Volleyball in recent seasons, include Brittany Witt (Thailand), Jaali Winters (Croatia) and Taryn Kloth (China, France). Kloth went on to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics in beach volleyball.
The U.S. is in a pool with Canada, Mexico and Venezuela, and their first match is Tuesday, July 7, at 6 p.m. Central against Venezuela. The matches will be streamed on USA Volleyball's YouTube channel.
2026 Women's U21 National Team Roster for the Pan Am Cup
Name, Position, Height, Hometown, Current School, USAV Region
2 Ayden Ames, MB, 6-4, Prosper, Texas, Creighton University, North Texas
5 Lily Hayes, L, 5-9, Tampa, Fla., University of Florida, Florida
6 Suli Davis, OH, 6-2, Euless, Texas, SMU, North Texas
7 Manaia Ogbechie, MB, 6-3, Santa Rosa Valley, Calif., University of Nebraska, Southern California Southern Nevada
9 Keoni Williams, MB, 6-4, Fort Worth, Texas, University of Nebraska, Lone Star
10 Taylor Harvey, MB, 6-3, Salt Lake City, Utah, University of Texas, Lone Star
11 Campbell Flynn, S, 6-3, Rochester Hills, Mich., University of Nebraska, Lakeshore
12 Genevieve Harris, S, 5-11, Raleigh, N.C., University of Texas, Carolina
13 Rachel Van Gorp, L, 5-9, Olathe, Kan., Iowa State University, Heart of America
15 Payton Petersen, OH, 6-0, Dike, Iowa, University of Louisville, Iowa
16C Abby Vander Wal, OH, 6-3, Elmhurst, Ill., University of Texas, Great Lakes
17 Carly Gilk, OPP, 6-2, Minneapolis, Minn., University of Minnesota, North Country
19 Henley Anderson, OPP/OH, 6-3, Dripping Springs, Texas, University of Texas, Lone Star
20 Devyn Wiest, OH, 6-3, Peoria, Ariz., University of Utah, Arizona
Alternates
1 Reese Messer, S, 5-11, Olathe, Kan., University of Kansas, Gateway
3 Jordan Taylor, MB, 6-5, Houston, Texas, University of Minnesota, Lone Star
4 Kalyssa Blackshear, OPP, 6-5, Lomita, Calif., University of Louisville, Southern California Southern Nevada
8 Ayanna Watson, OH, 6-2, Las Vegas, Nev., University of Pittsburgh, Southern California Southern Nevada
14 Abbey Emch, MB, 6-4, New Waterford, Ohio, University of Pittsburgh, Ohio Valley
18 Spencer Etzler, L, 5-7, Coldwater, Ohio, Stanford University, Ohio Valley
Coaches
Head Coach: Tama Miyashiro (LOVB)
Assistant Coach: Alfee Reft (LOVB)
Assistant Coach: Alisha Childress (MLV)
Performance Analyst: Will McDonald (LOVB)
ATC: Misao Tanioka (LOVB)
Team Lead: Kyle Thompson (NTDP)
Schedule (Streamed live on USA Volleyball YouTube)
July 7: USA vs. Venezuela, 6 p.m. Central
July 8: USA vs. Mexico, 6 p.m. Central
July 9: USA vs. Canada, 6 p.m. Central
July 10: Quarterfinals
July 11: Semifinals and classification matches
July 12: Medal and classification matches
