Hawai’i alumna and 2022 Big West Player of the Year Amber Igiede is one of the 30 players selected for the U.S. Women’s National Team as it prepares for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), the world’s premier annual international tournament.
The middle blocker from Baton Rouge, La., is one of just three players on the roster from a non-Power 4 school. Igiede was a four-time first-team All-Big West performer and two-time All-American selection for the Rainbow Wahine, making the NCAA Championship field every season.
Igiede made her debut with Team USA in 2024 helping the team to silver in the Pan American Cup. This spring, Igiede played for semifinalist Houston in the inaugural season of the LOVB and was honored as a 2025 LOVB Icon in the public voting process. Since graduation, Igiede he has also spent time on the pro circuit in Italy, competing with Aeroitalia SMI Roma Volley.
Also sporting Big West ties is second assistant coach Tayyiba Haneef-Park, who competed at Long Beach State from 1998-01, guiding the Beach to a runner-up finish at the 2001 NCAA Championship. The multi-sport All-American athlete (volleyball, track & field) is a LBSU Athletic Hall of Fame member, three-time Olympian with Team USA volleyball and currently serves as the head coach of the San Diego Mojo in the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF).
The VNL brings together the world’s top 18 teams for three action-packed weeks of preliminary play, with each team competing in four matches per week. Only the top eight teams will earn a spot in the Final Round, where a VNL title will be on the line.
From the 30-player long list, U.S. coaches will select 14 athletes to compete at each of the three preliminary round stops: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (June 4-8), Belgrade, Serbia (June 18-22), and a highly anticipated home appearance in Arlington, Texas (July 9-13). The Final Round is set for July 23-27 in Lódz, Poland.
Week 1’s competition begins on June 4 against Olympic champion Italy with additional matches set against Brazil, Czechia and Korea. The U.S. Women are the reigning Olympic silver medalists and ranked No. 3 in the world. They have won the VNL three times (2018, ’19, ’21) since its inception in 2018. In 2024, Team USA lost in the quarterfinals to the Italian side, VNL victors and Olympic gold medalists last summer.