EDMONTON, B.C. – Alena Olsen replaces Nia Toliver as the USA Women’s Sevens compete in Fast Four Edmonton, a four-team invitational held alongside the men’s HSBC Canada Sevens. Competition runs Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 24-25 at Commonwealth Stadium.
Toliver scored five tries during last weekend’s Vancouver tournament. In the semifinal against Canada, Emma Chown chased down Toliver at the try line, and the collision inflicted a lower-body injury that saw the American escorted off of the pitch. Alena Olsen has competed in three HSBC World Sevens Series events and brings good experience to the halfback positions.
EDMONTON FAST FOUR ROSTER
Jersey Number. Player (No. HSBC World Series Events)
- Sui A’au (0)
- Lauren Thunen (1)
- Salote Tausinga (0)
- Summer Harris-Jones (0)
- Alena Olsen (3)
- Sarah Levy (0)
- Stephanie Rovetti (6)
- Jazamine Gray (0)
- Nana Fa’avesi (18)
- Kayla Canett (10)
- Rachel Strasdas (0)
- Spiff Sedrick (0)
- Emily Fulbrook (0)
USA Women’s Sevens Traveling Staff
Director of Women’s High Performance | Emilie Bydwell
Strength & Conditioning | Joshua Schnell
Athletic Trainer | Hilary Stepansky
Vancouver Fast Four Recap
The USA Women finished second in Vancouver after a 3-2 run saw them lose to only Great Britain. Five players made their first appearance with the senior national team in a series of physical and exciting matches.
In two tight encounters with hosts Canada, the United States dominated with great connectivity in attack, powerful runs and strong defensive foundations. Mexico struggled to keep up with the energy of the group while Great Britain posed the greatest threat having brought a number of their stand out Olympic athletes. Despite the disappointment of falling to GB, the Eagles Sevens have now had a week to build on their cohesion and polish their execution as the weekend approaches.
“We are really excited to turn around and have another opportunity to develop and compete this weekend,” Director of Women’s High Performance Emilie Bydwell commented. “After reviewing the weekend, we have identified some areas where we can be more dominant and assert ourselves in order for the players to express themselves and play to their strengths. We will take this tournament game by game, and leverage each opportunity to build our connection, refine our game plan and learn how to manage and control momentum.”
Edmonton Schedule
(Local Times, MDT)
9 a.m. vs. Canada
12:11 p.m. vs. Mexico
3:44 p.m. vs. Great Britain
Where to Watch: Peacock TV