By Alex Busch
After a record-breaking season as a team, Ohio has earned individual looks by the United States national team, as three Bobcats will take part in the Team USA Volleyball tryouts this weekend.
Sophomore setter Abby Gilleland, junior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti and sophomore libero Meredith Ashy will all tryout for the national team, looking to earn a spot on the U.S. Women’s National Team and/or the U.S. Collegiate National Team.
There will be 247 players from 107 different colleges and universities trying out for the teams. Among the participants, there are 63 liberos, 61 outside hitters, 60 middle blockers, 36 setters and 27 opposites.
The tryouts will occur on Feb. 21-23 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Bobcat trifecta will hit the floor on Friday at 6 p.m. as part of the White Group. The groups may change after the first tryout, but as of now, the three are scheduled to hit the court Saturday at 11:50 a.m., and again at 6 p.m. Tournament play starts Sunday, where players with similar skill level will play together in each session. The Sunday groups will be announced to the players on Saturday night.
Fans may access the tryouts via live streaming, beginning on Friday, Feb. 21, at 4 p.m. They may also stay updated with the tryouts through social media by searching the hashtag #USAVTryout, following @USAVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram and @USAVball on Facebook.
If selected, the U.S. Collegiate National Teams have two different options for players. USA Volleyball will have one team of 12 players and two coaches travel to China during the time of June 13-27. They will take part in several training sessions and matches with a separate team representing the PAC-12 Conference. Gilleland, Lamberti and Ashy all traveled throughout Europe with the Bobcats just two summers ago.
The second option for selected players will be to participate in training and participation at the 2014 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships (GJNC) held in Minneapolis, Minn. It is projected that 36 players will be invited to partake in the program. Training for this program will begin on June 22nd. The competition will then follow from June 26-30.
Athletes that are selected will be notified by early March. USA Volleyball will then announce all selections by the end of the month once all roster spots are confirmed and accepted.
@Alex_Busch91
Ab109410@ohiou.edu
