Family Power at VNL 2024

Set to start in just two days, the Volleyball Nations League 2024 will look very much like a family affair to many of the 960 players entered to take part in this year’s edition of the tournament as at least 13 sets of siblings are set to share the experience of going around the world representing their coutries.

While some of these duos will get to actually be together on the court, as they represent national teams of the same gender, others are made of brothers and sisters, who will need to balance their time between playing and cheering on their siblings.

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Here are some of the most popular sibling duos to appear in the VNL 2024:

Julia & Lukas Bergmann (Brazil)

Outside hitters Julia, 23, and Lukas, 20, will get to represent Brazil at the VNL on a same season for the first time in their careers as he earned a spot in the country’s men’s national team after helping his club SESI triumph in the Brazilian Superliga a couple of weeks ago. Julia, who has first appeared with Brazil back in 2019, is also coming from a special club season, in which she got to play overseas professionally for the first time, having featured for Türk Hava Yollari in the Turkish League.

Alan & Darlan Souza (Brazil)

Alan, 30, and Darlan, 21, will not only be together with Brazil in the VNL 2024, but will also fight for a spot in the team’s starting lineup as both play as opposites. That’s nothing new for the two, however, who have been teammates on the national team since 2022. The two Souza brothers have already come up big for the South Americans, with Alan guiding the team to victory at the 2019 FIVB World Cup and taking home the MVP award and Darlan being critical for Brazil’s success at last year’s Volleyball Olympic Qualifier.

Hilary & Jackson Howe (Canada)

The 25-year-old twins Hilary and Jackson will share the VNL experience together for Canada for a third straight year. An outside hitter, Hilary, who recently changed her last name to Johnson after getting married, found her way to the country’s national team earlier, in 2019, and will try to help them qualify for the Paris Olympics during the VNL. Brother Jackson, who’s been a middle blocker in the country’s men’s team since 2021, will certainly be hoping for that as his teammates and him already booked a spot to the Games at last year’s Volleyball Olympic Qualifier.

Brayelin & Jineiry Martinez (Dominican Republic)

Dominicans Brayelin and Jineiry not only play together but have been an integral part of the Dominican national team for a long time. The older of the two, the 27-year-old Brayelin, who can play as an opposite or outside hitter, was first called up back in 2011, while the 26-year-old Jineiry, who’s a middle blocker, joined a few years later, in 2014. Together, the two were U20 world champions in 2015, with Brayelin earning the MVP award, and represented their country at the Tokyo Olympics, in 2021.

Hilir & Mathis Henno (France)

Hilir and Mathis will be part of the French squad at the VNL in the same season for the first time in 2024. The 20-year-old Hilir, who currently plays in the American collegiate system with UC Irvine, was called up for the first time last year, but appeared in just one match of the team's campaign. Mathis, 19, is set to make his senior national team debut this season after leading France to victory at the 2023 U19 World Championship, where he was awarded as the MVP. The two, who both play as outside hitters, are the sons of historic French libero Hubert Henno and Alketa Doci-Henno, an Albanian player who spent the majority of her career in France.

Sylvia & Linda Nwakalor (Italy)

Sisters Sylvia and Linda are among the most exciting prospects to recently emerge in Italian volleyball. Aged 24, Sylvia, who’s an opposite, is a little bit more established at the international level than her sister and has been playing with Italy since 2018, having won medals at the VNL, the World Championship and the European Championship. A U20 world champion in 2021, Linda, 21, has recently started appearing among the country’s top middle blockers, having earned her first senior call-up last season and following up on it with a solid club season with Savino Del Bene Scandicci.

Paolo & Luca Porro (Italy)

Paolo and Luca form another sibling duo of Italian rising stars. A setter, the 22-year-old Paolo is a U19 and U21 world champion and has been with the country's national team since 2022, having also helped his team Allianz Milano finish third in the Italian League this season. Luca, who recently turned 20 and is an outside hitter, is a U19 and U21 European champion and earned his first call-up to the senior team at this year's VNL. The two have a younger brother in the pipeline, 17-year-old Simone, who last year secured the U17 European title.

Yuki & Mayu Ishikawa (Japan)

Japanese volleyball heavily relies on Yuki and Mayu, who are outside hitters, as both are key players in the country’s men’s and women’s national teams. Yuki, 28, is Japan’s captain and has been their most important player for a few years now, having guided the team to its historic bronze medal at the VNL 2023 – he first made it to the national team back in 2014. Mayu, who will turn 24 one day before Japan’s debut, on May 14, was the MVP in the country’s U20 world title in 2019, and is determined to take the Asians to what would be her second Olympic appearance in Paris after shining in the Italian League with Il Bisonte Firenze.

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Celeste & Fabian Plak (The Netherlands)

Celeste and Fabian have been sharing the pride of representing the Netherlands at the international level since 2016. Capable of playing as an opposite or an outside hitter, the 28-year-old Celeste was first called up in 2013, has been the team’s main scorer in some events and was part of the squads that finished fourth at the Rio 2016 Olympics and took silver at the 2015 and 2017 European Championships. Fabian, 26, will try to qualify the country for Paris 2024 to become another Olympian in the family.

Marrit & Hester Jasper (The Netherlands)

Marrit and Hester will be back together at the Dutch squad in the VNL again in 2024 after the former missed last year’s edition. The 28-year-old Marrit was the first of them to make it to the country’s national team, getting her first call-up in 2017, when the team took silver at the European Championship. Hester, 23, joined one year later, in 2018, and since then the two have been playing together, but also competing for time on the court, as they’re both outside hitters.

Adis & Mirza Lagumdzija (Türkiye)

Brothers Adis and Mirza are set to make history together, being in the first Turkish squad to compete in the VNL this season. An opposite, the 25-year-old Adis is the most accomplished of the two, having played in four of the biggest clubs in the Italian League and taking home MVP and Best Scorer awards in the European Golden League. Mirza, 22, has emerged as one of the most promising outside hitters in his country and seems poised to follow in his brother’s footsteps. The two have played together at Arkas Spor in two seasons and have been teammates at the Turkish national team since 2021, having won last year’s Challenger Cup and two Golden Leagues.

Elif & Saliha Sahin (Türkiye)

Elif and Saliha Sahin were together last year, when Türkiye had an extraordinary season, winning the VNL, the European Championship and securing a spot at the Paris Olympics. A 25-year-old outside hitter, Saliha is the older of the two and has won three VNL medals (silver in 2018, bronze in 2021 and gold in 2023) after joining the country’s national team – she’s also a U23 world champion, having won the title in 2017. Elif, 23, was first called up in 2022 and is already one of the team’s primary options at setter.

Avery & Madisen Skinner (USA)

Sisters Avery and Madisen will be two of the many options the USA will have at outside hitter in the VNL. The event will also mark their first time wearing the country’s national team jersey together as the 22-year-old Madisen just earned her first call-up after winning three titles in the American collegiate system - the first of which having her older sister as a teammate. Avery, 25, has been playing professionally since 2022 and appeared in the VNL 2023, having also helped the team succeed at last year’s Volleyball Olympic Qualifier.

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