USA NT 2011

    Nicole Davis: "We became more unified as a team and that is probably the most important success of the summer"



    1.How did you start playing?


    I was actually doing Martial Arts, and playing softball when I was young. My parents were tired of me playing softball, and so I signed up to try out for the volleyball team for my first year of high school. I made the 2nd team, and this is how I started playing volleyball. I was 14 years old.



    2. Do you have an idol?


    I idolize my Mother and my Grandmother. They are both strong and successful women, who have had a big influence on my life, and who are constantly supporting my career and motivating me to keep pursuing my dreams. I don’t really have a sports idol. There are a few athletes that I really respect and pay attention to, for example, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Micheal Phelps, etc., because of their success in their respective sports.


    3. Which coach influenced you the most in your career? Why?


    I’ve been fortunate to have played for several good coaches, and they have all had a big impact on my career at the time I was playing for them. My very first coach (Fay Murdoch) used to say, “If you believe, you can achieve”. Belief in myself has been a central construct in my volleyball journey. My high school coach, Bret Cezar, taught our team about what success actually means, in terms of effort and hard work, and what it means to be on a functional team. My university coach, Mick Haley, challenged me to be a better person, and influenced my growth from a good athlete to a good volleyball player. My assistant coach at university, Paula Weishoff, is one of the best American players to ever have played the game. She played in Italy for 7 years professionally, and went to 3 Olympic games. She helped prepare me for the national team, and has guided me through the ups and downs of competing at this level. Jenny Lang Ping challenged me to be a better teammate, and gave me a chance to learn. Hugh McCutcheon and Karch Karily, our current national team coaches, taught me how to be a more refined player, and helped me learn to read and understand the game better.


    ...


    Full interview in: http://vivetodoelvoleibol.com/…came-more-unified-as.html
    (Also available in spanish)

    USA Volleyball has unveiled its 2011 US women’s national team yearbook which is now available to download on the website.


    Following a successful 2011 which saw Hugh McCutcheon’s side defend their FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix crown as well as clinch silver at the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup in Japan, the national federation has published the yearbook.


    Featuring information on every roster for every competition the US have competed at this year as well as full results and data among other things, the yearbook can be read for free. A men’s edition is also in the works and will be released in the near future.
    To see the US women’s national volleyball team yearbook 2011 click HERE

    Heather Bown:


    Had a wonderful weekend in Los Angeles for a wedding. Now back in Baku to finish up the last few regular season matches and get these playoffs started!!!! Exciting!!!!!


    Curious whose..

    Samantha Wopat, 19 years old, who played in Youth and Junior World Championships Teams and was student-athlete in the Stanford University, died in Stanford Hospital in Santa Barbara surrounded by family, friends and teammates.

    School didn't say yet why She died.