No Maher in USA Women's Eagles squad for SVNS Series

NEWS: The most followed player on the planet, Ilona Maher, was the surprise absentee from the USA Women’s Eagles team that was announced for the HSBC SVNS Series.

Head Coach Emilie Bydwell announced his squad for the series and included four Olympians while six new recruits will make their debuts.

The Olympian-turned-pop-culture-sensation gained a new level of stardom thanks to her presence online.

Showing she could flex her funny muscles along with her medal-winning ones, she amassed millions of followers thanks to her trendy, humorous posts and her advocacy for women in sports.

But sadly Maher will not be on show this time around as she is set to take a hiatus from Sevens to focus on securing a spot in the 15s squad for the World Cup next year.

The six newbies – Autumn LoCicero, Su Adegoke, Sariah Ibarra, Hann Humphreys, Alyssa Porter, and Nia Toliver – are the fresh talent looking to exhibit a new generation of post-Paris athletes who want to make their mark.

Veterans Kristi Kirshe and Spiff Sedrick will rejoin the competition in the new year after an extended off-season.

Kayla Canett and Alena Olsen will step up as co-captains, joined by Sarah Levy and Ariana Ramsey as the Paris 2024 representatives. Canett will earn her 30th HSBC SVNS selection since first debuting in 2016, only the eighth USA Women’s Eagle to meet the mark.

“We just completed a six-week preseason at our training base in Chula Vista, which saw us usher in the next generation of USA Women’s Sevens,” the coach said.

“Preseason has emphasized the development of physical capacity, tolerance, and developing the technical skills required to play the way that we want to.

“Beyond that, we have been working on how to help our new residents understand how to thrive in a professional, full-time environment and instill the culture and values of our program.”