A refreshed Volleyroos side will continue their journey towards the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games under Italian head coach Roberto Santilli, who replaced veteran Argentine coach Jon Uriarte in February 2015. In last year's World League they were bottom of Group 2's Pool C but defeated France in five sets in the Group 2 final in Sydney. That secured them a spot in the Group 1 Finals but they were defeated by United States and Italy. This time they face a sterner test, coming up against Brazil, Italy and Serbia in Group 1. They represented Asia at the 2014 World Championship, finishing joint-15th after reaching the second round in Poland.
The Australian Volleyball Federation was founded in 1963 and the sport has rapidly increased in popularity since, particularly in schools and recreation centres. The national team has been supported by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) since 1990 and based in Canberra since 1997. At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games the team came eighth, beating Spain in the process and taking a set from then world champions Italy. There has been steady improvement including an appearance at London 2012 and victory in the Asian Championship in 2007.