USA Volleyball has announced its 12-player roster that will participate int he 2017 U20 Women’s Pan American Cup that will be held from May 8th-13th in San Jose, Costa Rica.
The Americans will take 3 middles, 3 outside hitters, 2 oppsites, 2 setters, and a libero to the tournament.
11 of the 12 players are already either in college or are seniors who have signed National Letters of Intent. The lone exception to that is 6’3″ high school junior Thayer Hall from Dorman High School and the Upward Stars in Roebuck, South Carolina. During her junior high school season, she hit .371 with 608 kills (5.0/set), and was named a 2016 MaxPreps Second Team All-American.
Hall is verbally committed to Florida, where she’ll join Pan American Cup teammate Paige Hammons (a high school senior).
The University of Michigan is the only program to put two on the team. Libero Tiffany Clark and setter MacKenzi Welsh are both Wolverines during the collegiate season.
Jerritt Elliott, the head coach of the 2016 NCAA runners-up from Texas, will lead the team, which includes Brionne Butler – a 6’4″ middle blocker who has enrolled a semester early and is playing with the Longhorns this spring.
The U20 Women’s Pan American Cup is crucial not only as its own championship, but as a qualification tournament into the 2017 FIVB Women’s U20 World Championships that well be held from July 14-23 in Boca Del Rio and Cordoba, Mexico. The top-finishing team in the Pan American Cup from NORCECA and the top-finishing team from South American each earn an automatic bid through to the World Championships. If the top-finishing team from NORCECA is the Dominican Republic, who have already qualified, then the next-best NORCECA team also earns a spot.
The United States will play in Pool A, where they will compete against Argentina and the Dominican Republic. Pool B in cludes Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay, while Pool C has Chile, Cuba, and Peru.
The two best pool winners will advance automatically to the semi-finals. The 3rd pool winner, along with the two best pool runners-up, will meet in the quarterfinals for the right to play the other two rested teams in the semi-finals.
Team USA will have an early May 10th match against the Dominican Republic circled on their schedule. At last year’s U20 NORCECA Continental Championship, the United States took a silver medal – behind the Dominican Republic. That means the DR has already booked a spot for the World Championships.
Butler, Paige Hammons, Thayer Hall, Madison Lilley, and Mackenzie May were all on that team at the Continental Championship.
The team was selected after evaluations done at USA Volleyball’s open tryout in March.
U.S. Women’s Junior National Team for 2017 U20 Women’s Pan American Cup
# – Name (Position, 2017 Club/College, Height, Hometown, Region)
1 – Brionne Butler (M, University of Texas, 6-4, Kendleton, Texas, Lone Star)
2 – Tiffany Clark (L, University of Michigan, 5-11, Naperville, Illinois, Great Lakes)
3 – Thayer Hall (OH, Upward Stars, 6-3, Moore, South Carolina, Palmetto)
4 – Paige Hammons (OH, University of Florida, 6-2, Louisville, Kentucky, Pioneer)
5 – Khalia Lanier (OH, University of Southern California, 6-2, Scottsdale, Arizona, Arizona)
6 – Madison Lilley (S, University of Kentucky, 6-0, Overland Park, Kansas, Heart of America)
7 – Mackenzie May (OH, UCLA, 6-3, Dubuque, Iowa, Iowa)
8 – Regan Pittman (M, University of Minnesota, 6-5, Spring Hill, Kansas, Heart of America)
9 – Holly Carlton (OPP, University of North Carolina, 6-7, Sterling, Virginia, Chesapeake)
10 – Elle Sandbothe (M, Kansas State University, 6-0, Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Heart of America)
14 – Mikayla Shields (OPP, University of South Carolina, 6-0, Orlando, Florida, Florida)
15 – MacKenzi Welsh (S, University of Michigan, 6-1, Bolingbrook, Illinois, Great Lakes)
Head Coach: Jerritt Elliott (head coach at University of Texas)
Assistant Coach: Paula Weishoff (head coach at Concordia University Irvine)
Assistant Coach/Statistician: Kevin Inlow (graduate assistant at University of Texas)
Team Leader: Tom Pingel (USA Volleyball High Performance)
2017 U20 Women’s Pan American Cup Schedule (all times local)
Group A
May 8: Argentina vs. Dominican Republic, 5:30 p.m.
May 9: United States vs. Argentina, 7:30 p.m.
May 10: United States vs. Dominican Republic, 5:30 p.m.
Group B
May 8: Costa Rica vs. Uruguay, 7:30 p.m.
May 9: Uruguay vs. Puerto Rico, 3:30 p.m.
May 10: Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico, 7:30 p.m.
Group C
May 8: Cuba vs. Chile, 3:30 p.m.
May 9: Chile vs. Peru, 5:30 p.m.
May 10: Peru vs. Cuba, 3:30 p.m.
Classification for 9th Place
May 11: Lowest two 3rd Place Pool Teams, 3:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals
May 11: best 2nd Place Pool vs. second best 2nd Place Pool or third-best 2nd Place Pool, 5:30 p.m.
May 11: third-best 1st Place Pool vs. second best 2nd Place Pool or third-best 2nd Place Pool, 7:30 p.m.
Final Classification 7/8
May 12: best 3rd Place Pool vs. winner of lowest two 3rd Place Pool Teams, 3:30 p.m.
Semifinals
May 12: second-best 1st Place Pool vs. Quarterfinal winner (TBA), 5:30 p.m.
May 12: best 1st Place Pool vs. Quarterfinal winner (TBA), 7:30 p.m.
Final Classification 5/6
May 13: Quarterfinal losers, 3:30 p.m.
Medal Round Matches
May 13: Semifinal losers, 5:30 p.m. (bronze medal)
May 13: Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m. (gold medal)
Leave a Reply