Seventeen-year-old Gabrielle Rodriguez is in rare company. The USA libero at the FIVB Women’s U21 World Championship is refining her game under two of the best to ever play the position for the United States, Olympians Tamara Miyashiro and Stacy Sykora.
“So blessed,” Rodriguez said. “I came into this thinking I just need to soak up all the information I can from them. What a blessing. They’re two USA volleyball legends, and I want to be just like them. This is just a perfect opportunity and I’m so thankful.”
The libero role demands precision, consistency and a deep understanding of defense. Rodriguez says she is getting a complete education from her coaches, whose contrasting personalities give her a broader perspective. Coach Miyashiro’s calm, measured approach is balanced by assistant coach Sykora’s high-energy presence.
“They feed off of each other every single day,” she said. “I’ve learned a million things from both of them. It’s good to have two different types of personalities and just take things from them, put it in my toolbox. They’re best friends and I just love them so much on and off the court.”
Gabrielle Rodriguez poses with assistant coach Stacy Sykora and head coach Tamara Miyashiro.
Miyashiro said the focus with this group is on building together over the course of the tournament. With one of the youngest squads in the field, she wants to see the players grow with every match.
“Our goal is to keep improving. We have a team that’s a little younger than the age group but not as an excuse, that’s just the reality. We’re putting a lot of focus on ourselves more than the opponent, but at some point, you do have to pay attention to the opponent. We’re trying to find a healthy balance and see how good we can get, how fast we can get. We’ve had limited time together, so we’re putting some systems in place as we go.”
Part of that growth comes from understanding what the game demands, especially in the defensive phase.
“As we train with this team and coach them, we’re helping them understand what the game demands and what we need to be successful, adding to their skill set along the way,” Miyashiro said. “We have a tall group and are fortunate to have a big group at such a young age. The U.S. has such a deep talent pool, which is amazing. We’re getting a little lucky there. It just so happens the really good ones are also tall.”
USA libero Gabrielle Rodriguez rallies her teammates during their FIVB Women’s U21 World Championship match against Mexico.
The Americans have opened the tournament with three wins, and Rodriguez is focused on keeping the momentum going.
“We want to win the World Championship,” she said. “All of us are younger going into this tournament but just keep on taking it one game at a time, going for the dub every single time. End goal is to win.”
For Miyashiro, developing a top-level libero means paying attention to the smallest details.
“For a libero that wants to play at the highest level, there are a lot of smaller and detailed things they need to learn how to do,” she said. “A lot of these girls are really good for their age group, and so playing up kind of exposes some inefficiencies. We just try to teach her some of those details of the position and what it takes to be elite and keep pushing her to get better.”
Rodriguez enjoys a light moment on court with coaches Sykora and Miyashiro.
Sykora believes Rodriguez already has the right qualities to excel, starting with her character.
“I love her. For me, a very important aspect of being a volleyball player, but also a libero, is you have to be a good person. You have to put yourself second, you have to put the team first, and you always have everyone’s back. She does that. It’s a good role for her,” she said.
Her evaluation extends to Rodriguez’s passing and defensive skills, but she makes it clear there is always room to improve.
“When you talk technical like passing and defense, she’s a great passer, great defender. But I don’t ever want her to settle. She can always be better, and I will always let her know she’s good, but I also let her know she still could be better. There are things we work on every day. I really love what she gets to experience. Man, I love it.”
Assistant coach Stacy Sykora reviews match details with Rodriguez on the USA bench.
For Sykora, the conversation about defense begins with serve receive, which she considers the foundation of winning volleyball.
“I’ve learned from all my wonderful coaches that the serve-and-pass wins games. Serve reception and serving wins games. And I think defense, for me, is about blocking defense, not just defense,” she said.
“USA always has a great block, and I always tell everyone I was good at defense and we were good at defense because of the block I had in front of me. Defense is great, but it starts with serve-receive.”
Now in a full-time coaching role, Sykora enjoys being at an age where her experience is respected and relatable to the players.
“I call myself an elder now, and I love being the old has-been, old player. I love it because I feel like it’s better at this age group to not compare myself to them, not to be that close to them in age where they feel like I’m better than them. I want them to think that I’m an elder and I’m teaching,” she said. “There’s a fine line between the age group, so I feel comfortable that they can trust me with my knowledge. I love this age group. They’re sponges. They really want to learn.”
USA libero Gabrielle Rodriguez talks with her coaches, Tamara Miyashiro and Stacy Sykora – two of the greatest to ever play the role.
The team-first nature of volleyball, she added, is one of the sport’s greatest qualities.
“It’s amazing. Volleyball is an amazing sport and I love that it’s such a team sport. Even if you have one stud, she can’t pass, set, hit. You have to depend on at least one other person. I love that and I love where the sport’s going,” she said.
Rodriguez carries those lessons with her, from the finer points of the position to the mindset needed to excel.
“From Tama (Miyashiro), just to learn and be yourself through it all. And same for Stacy, actually, be yourself. It’s volleyball at the end of the day, and you get to express yourself through this sport. They both really preach a lot to just be yourself and represent the position.”
2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship: full schedule
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