The second wave of Collegiate National Team selections were announced Monday in the form of a 12-member European Tour team. The group will train and compete in Europe from July 5-16, participating in the European Global Challenge, July 11-14 in Pula, Croatia.
The 12-player group joins the previously announced CNT-Thailand Tour team as selections to come out of the U.S. Women’s National Team Open Tryouts, March 3-5 in Colorado Spring, Colorado.
Still to be announced are 36 players, which will take part in the CNT-Minneapolis training program, which runs in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in late June.
The 11 announced members of the CNT-Europe team represent nine universities, with Michigan and Creighton each boasting two participants. The 12th member of the squad is expected to be announced in May.
Michigan middle blockers Corissa Crocker and Claire Kiefer Wright and Creighton outside hitter Jaali Winters and libero Brittany Witt are the collegiate duos on the squad.
Cincinnati head coach Molly Alvey will lead the squad, while North Carolina State assistant Nicki Holmes rounds out the coaching staff.
In the middle alongside Crocker and Kiefer Wright is Marquette’s Jenna Rosenthal. Winters, Carlyle Nusbaum from Lipscomb and Courtney Schwan from Washington will occupy the outside hitter position. Kelsie Payne from Kansas and Taylor Mims from Washington State will be playing opposite. University of San Diego’s Kristen Gengenbacher and BYU’s Taira Robins-Hardy will be dishing the ball from the setter spot. Witt will be the team’s lone defensive specialist.
Four of the players have previous collegiate national team program experience. Payne was a member of the U.S. Pan American Cup team last year. Rosenthal and Schwan were part of the Collegiate National Team China Tour team in 2016, while Gengenbacher and Winters made the 36-player roster for the CNT-Indianapolis program.
Payne and Schwan were AVCA first team All-America selections in 2016. Nusbaum and Winters earned honorable mention All-America acclaim.
Name (Position, School, Height, College Eligibility Remaining, Hometown)
Corissa Crocker (M, University of Michigan, 6-3, 3, Brighton, Michigan)
Kristen Gengenbacher (S, University of San Diego, 5-9, 1, Quincy, Illinois)
Claire Kiefer-Wright (M, University of Michigan, 6-1, 1, South Pasadena, California)
Taylor Mims (OPP, Washington State University, 6-3, 2, Billings, Montana)
Carlyle Nusbaum (OH, Lipscomb University, 5-10, 2, Overland Park, Kansas)
Kelsie Payne (OPP, University of Kansas, 6-3, 1, Austin, Texas)
Taira Robins-Hardy (S, Brigham Young University, 6-2, 1, Waimanalo, Hawaii)
Jenna Rosenthal (M, Marquette University, 6-6, 2, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin)
Courtney Schwan (OH, University of Washington, 6-1, 1, Auburn, Washington)
Jaali Winters (OH, Creighton University, 6-2, 2, Ankeny, Iowa)
Brittany Witt (L, Creighton University, 5-8, 3, Omaha, Nebraska)
Head Coach: Molly Alvey (head coach at University of Cincinnati)
Assistant Coach: Nicki Holmes (assistant coach at North Carolina State University)
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