Jan. 16, 2008

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

Complete Jan. 14 USA Volleyball Release in PDF Format | USA Volleyball Tryout Gallery

California volleyball senior outside hitter Angie Pressey and junior outside hitter/middle hitter Morgan Beck were just two of 13 players invited to an invitation-only tryout held from Jan. 7-12 by the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team. Tryouts were held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Matt McShane, an assistant coach for the Golden Bears is assisting in the invitational tryout evaluation. Evaluations performed at these tryouts will be used to identify potential candidates for participation in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Among the other individuals who competed in the tryout were Stanford's Bryn Kehoe (Setter, North Bend, Ohio) and Alix Klineman (Outside Hitter, Manhattan Beach, Calif.); Texas' Juliann Faucette (Outside Hitter, San Diego, Calif.), Destinee Hooker (Outside Hitter, San Antonio, Texas) and Lauren Paolini (Middle Blocker, Ann Arbor, Mich.); UCLA's Nana Meriwether (Middle Blocker, Potomac, Md.), Nellie Spicer (Setter, Barrington, Ill.) and Rachell Johnson (Opposite, San Diego, Calif.); Cal Poly's Kylie Atherstone (Opposite, Chico, Calif.); Long Beach State's Alexis Crimes (Middle Blocker, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Loyola Marymount's Heather Hughes (Opposite, Fallbrook, Calif.).

Tryout participants played alongside the U.S. Women's National Training Team, and were put through a rigorous week of drills and conditioning culminating with morning six-on-six scrimmages on Jan. 11 and Jan. 12. The coaching staff evaluated the talent upon completion of the tryout period and asked several players to return to Colorado Springs and train full-time this spring with the U.S. Women's National Training Team. The list announcing the players who have accepted the offer will be published later this month.

The USA qualified for the Beijing Olympics by placing third at the World Cup this past November. The 2008 Olympic Games indoor volleyball competition begins on Aug. 9 and will alternate days between men's and women's competition in two venues - Capital Indoor Stadium and Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium. The quarterfinals are set for Aug. 19, followed by the semifinals on Aug. 21 and championship on Aug. 23. For more information on the World Cup, visit www.fivb.org. For complete and up-to-date information on the USA Volleyball teams, visit www.usavolleyball.org