St. Cloud Volleyball Players Earn Spot On USA D2 Team For Brazil

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Two St. Cloud State University volleyball players will be spending some time representing the USA.

Junior outside hitter Shelby Kimm and sophomore setter Braya LaPlant have been selected to the USA D-2 Volleyball Team for the Brazil Tour 2026. The duo was named to the Blue Team and will take part in the international event from May 11-20.

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The team will begin with orientation in Orlando, Florida, on May 11, before they depart for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In Rio, the teams will be a part of the “International Challenge” on Saturday, May 16th.

In 2025, Kimm had a breakout season on the court, earning her first all-America honors after being named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Second Team All-American.

In the classroom, Kimm has a 3.95 GPA as a Statistics and Accounting double major.

LaPlant flourished in 2025 after becoming the team’s full-time setter early in the season, earning the first national, regional, and conference awards of her career.  She became just the fifth player in program history to be named AVCA DII Player of the Week.

In the classroom, LaPlant is an Elementary/K-6 Education major with a 3.74 GPA.

Kimm and LaPlant are the only players from the NSIC to be selected to play in this event.

While in Rio, the team will be staying on the famous Copacabana Beach (location for the 2016 Rio Olympic Beach Volleyball) and touring the Christ the Redeemer Statue and Sugar Loaf Mountain, two of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.