USA Women's 7s team Head Coach Emilie Bydwell can look at her squad for this weekend's Vancouver 7s and see eight players who have played in four or fewer tournaments.
It is an inexperienced team, but there is something familiar about it, too. The cultural buy-in of the new players, said Bydwell, has been outstanding.
"It's such a new and exciting group, and during the Series so far we have so many firsts—a player's first tournament, a first try, a first turnover. We've been defining our own version of street ball. We kept the Highwomen identity to provide a connection but the new players have really taken on those values. It's been pretty incredible."
The USA team will be without Kaylen Thomas, who is done for the season, unfortunately, with the injury she picked up earlier. They add Tessa Hann, the Sorensen Award finalist from Central Washington who is capped at 15s and is a high-engine powerhouse and potential turnover machine.Hann and Autumn Czaplicki, who has just the one tournament under her belt, will be asked to set the physical tone on a squad that is more shifty and evasive than the 2024 version of this team.
Captaining the squad are Kristi Kirshe and, back after some time off, Spiff Sedrick. Kirshe is a season veteran, and so is Sedrick, but she is also a breakout star.
Sedrick brings a good perspective for players who are pushing for minutes. That was her not too long ago. Then she was an impact sub. Then she was a crucial piece and often a starter.
"My view was always, if I go on for 15 seconds it was like 'hell yeah, I got on the field!'" Sedrick said. "I learned that I don't have to play 14 minutes to be impactful. If it's 30 seconds, I will make an impact in 30 seconds."
What players itching for time need to do, added Bydwell, is trust the process. We will see them.
