Minnesota Forge roster: the 13 players announced for 2027
The first roster snapshot blends four Volleyball Nations League athletes with three former Gophers. Here is the verified position-by-position list as of August 13, 2026.
Part of the Sports and the games collection.
The first player in Forge history heard from Pedro Mendes by text while she was playing in Japan. He wanted Stephanie Samedy to come home to Minnesota and become the franchise's first signing. Surprise gave way to an announcement on May 5, 2026. By August 13, the roster around her had grown to 13 announced players, including two setters, two liberos and enough former Gophers for a very cheerful group chat.
The announced 13, by position
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Opposite | Stephanie Samedy |
| Outside hitter | Airi Miyabe, Payton Caffrey, Courtney Schwan, Jenna Wenaas |
| Setter | Quinn Pelland, Emery Herman |
| Middle blocker | Marie Schölzel, Kayla Haneline, Hattie Bray, Alicia Andrew |
| Libero | Patricia Llabrés, Maddy May |
Three Gophers take the familiar exit
Samedy, Airi Miyabe and Jenna Wenaas all played for the University of Minnesota. Their routes back are different. Samedy became a five-time All-American before building a professional career overseas. Miyabe played for Japan at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Wenaas later transferred to Texas, where she was part of the Longhorns' 2023 national championship team. Forge gets local recognition without asking any of them to stand still in the past.
There is an extra small-world turn on the bench. Assistant coach CC McGraw was a Gophers teammate of Samedy's, and head coach and general manager Mendes previously coached at Minnesota. A franchise can spend years trying to manufacture a sense of place. This one can simply schedule a reunion dinner.
Four national-team passports in one June update
Major League Volleyball identified four Minnesota signees in 2026 Volleyball Nations League action: Samedy for the United States, Miyabe for Japan, Quinn Pelland for Canada and Marie Schölzel for Germany. That quartet puts international experience at opposite, outside hitter, setter and middle blocker. It also gives curious fans four national-team trails to follow before the Forge season begins.
How the position groups took shape
The club filled its outside-hitter group across four announcements, adding Miyabe in May, then Payton Caffrey, Courtney Schwan and Wenaas in June. Pelland arrived as the first setter, followed by Emery Herman on July 6. The middle group grew from Schölzel to Kayla Haneline, then Hattie Bray and Alicia Andrew. Patricia Llabrés and Maddy May were announced together as liberos on June 19.
Those releases establish who had signed, not who will start. No official source reviewed for this snapshot assigns a first unit, captain or rotation. That suspense can stay where it belongs, with Mendes and a gym full of volleyballs. The happy certainty is simpler: a text sent to Japan now sits at the center of a roster with Minnesota history and four national-team connections. First serve is scheduled for January 2027 at Grand Casino Arena.
Sources
Every factual claim above traces to one of these. Links open in a new tab.
- 'Volleyball here is just a dream' for Stephanie Samedy
- MLV Minnesota Signs Former University of Minnesota Standout Stephanie Samedy
- MLV Minnesota Signs Former Gopher Airi Miyabe to Contract
- MLV Minnesota Signs Marie Schölzel
- MLV Minnesota Signs Quinn Pelland
- Four MLV Minnesota Players Set to Compete in Volleyball Nations League
- MLV Minnesota Signs Outside Hitter Payton Caffrey
- MLV Minnesota Signs Outside Hitter Courtney Schwan
- MLV Minnesota Signs Outside Hitter Jenna Wenaas
- MLV Minnesota Signs Liberos Patricia Llabrés and Maddy May
- MLV Minnesota Signs Middle Blocker Kayla Haneline
- MLV Minnesota Signs Middle Blockers Hattie Bray and Alicia Andrew
- MLV Minnesota Signs Setter Emery Herman
- Twin Cities' new professional women's volleyball team unveils official name: Minnesota Forge
- USA Volleyball Announces 2026 Women's VNL Roster
