USA Volleyball has selected its 14-athlete U.S. Women's U21 National Team for the 2026 NORCECA Women's U21 Pan American Cup, and Gophers opposite Carly Gilk made the cut. Minnesota middle blocker Jordan Taylor was named an alternate, per Gopher Sports.
Gilk, a Brooklyn Park, Minn. native listed at 6-2, is one of 12 returners on the roster who have previous USA Volleyball age-group national team experience, alongside names like Ayden Ames, Lily Hayes and Abby Vander Wal. The 14 were trimmed from a group of 20 who spent the past week training together in Colorado Springs.
"The amazing talent in this group of athletes made roster decisions incredibly difficult," head coach Tama Miyashiro said, per Gopher Sports. "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."
The tournament runs July 7-12 at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio, with the U.S. grouped alongside Canada, Mexico and Venezuela in pool play. Team USA opened against Venezuela on Tuesday, July 7, at 6 p.m. CST, with matches against Mexico and Canada following on July 8 and July 9 before the bracket shifts to quarterfinals, semifinals and medal matches through July 12.
Houston, Texas native Taylor, a 6-5 middle blocker, didn't crack the final 14 but landed among the alternates listed for the roster. Having two Gophers in the mix is a nod to the program's standing within the U.S. volleyball pipeline, even with the Pan American Cup already underway by the time the announcement circulated.