USA Volleyball Invites Two Cardinals to Train with National Team

April 19, 2005

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Two University of Louisville volleyball Cardinals are among the thirty-three athletes who have been invited to come to the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., next month to train in the USA Women's National Team program under new head coach "Jenny" Lang Ping. Jennifer Hoffman and Sarah Drury will report to Colorado Springs next month to begin training.

Included in the group are seven Olympians from last year's team that finished tied for fifth at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece: setter Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (Hawai'i); middle blocker Elisabeth Bachman (UCLA); setter Lindsey Berg (Minnesota); opposite Tayyiba Haneef (Long Beach State); opposite Nancy Metcalf (Nebraska); outside hitter Ogonna Nnamani (Stanford) and middle blocker Danielle Scott (Long Beach State).

Nnamani, the 2004 AVCA Women's Division I Co-National Player of the Year, was named the Most Valuable Player of last year's NCAA Tournament after guiding Stanford to the national championship.

Five players from the 2004 Olympic Team will not return for the 2005 season. Veteran outside hitters Tara Cross-Battle and Keba Phipps have retired from the sport, outside hitter Logan Tom and libero Stacy Sykora are going to give beach volleyball a try and middle blocker Heather Bown is taking some time off but is expected to return in the future.

The beginning of the summer figures to be especially busy for the athletes. Team USA will enter a pair of teams in the women's open division of the USA Open Volleyball Championships in Denver from May 28-June 4. The teams competing at the Open will be comprised of collegiate players.

The women will also have teams competing at the Montreux Volley Masters in Switzerland, the Pan American Cup in the Dominican Republic and the month-long World Grand Prix in Asia.

The final rosters for the various events will be determined based on the athlete's training performance.


2005 USA Women's National Training Team
Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Hawaii, Setter
Foluke Akinradewo, St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fla.), Middle Blocker
Jennifer Andrew, Texas, Setter
Patrice Arrington, Oklahoma, Outside Hitter
Elisabeth Bachman, UCLA, Middle Blocker
Cynthia Barboza, Woodrow Wilson Classical High School (Calif.), OutsideHitter
Lindsey Berg, Minnesota, Setter
Shonda Cole, South Carolina, Outside Hitter
Jane Collymore, Florida, Outside Hitter
Alexis Crimes, Long Beach State, Middle Blocker
Nicole Davis, USC, Libero
Sarah Drury, Louisville, Libero
Melissa Elmer, Nebraska, Middle Blocker
Marcie Hampton, Florida, Outside Hitter
Tayyiba Haneef, Long Beach State, Opposite
Jennifer Hoffman, Louisville, Middle Blocker
Lindsey Hunter, Missouri, Setter
Jennifer Joines, Pacific, Middle Blocker
Jamie (Kanoe) Kamana'o, Hawai'i, Setter
Bryn Kehoe, Stanford, Setter
Lakisya Killingsworth, Florida, Middle Blocker/Opposite
Brandy Magee, Texas, Middle Blocker
Angie McGinnis, Florida, Setter
Nancy Metcalf, Nebraska, Opposite
Sophia Milo, Pepperdine, Middle Blocker
Ogonna Nnamani, Stanford, Outside Hitter
Kristin Richards, Stanford, Outside Hitter
Jennifer Saleamua, Nebraska, Outside Hitter/Libero
Danielle Scott, Long Beach State, Middle Blocker
Debora Sielhammer, USC, Libero
Elisha Thomas, Long Beach State, Middle Blocker
Stacy Venski, USC, Opposite
Melissa Villaroman, Hawai'i, Libero

University of Louisville Athletics

USA Volleyball Invites Two Cardinals to Train with National Team

Related News

Players Mentioned

Jennifer Hoffman

Related Videos