USA prelim WC roster

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[ftp]http://www.usavolleyball.org/VolleyballNews/news.asp?id=1356[/ftp]

U.S. Women’s National Team 0-2 Preliminary Roster for World Championships
No. - Name (Pos, Ht, Hometown, College)
1 – Ogonna Nnamani (OH, 6-1, Normal, Ill., Stanford)
2 – Danielle Scott (MB, 6-2, Baton Rouge, La., Long Beach State)
3 – Tayyiba Haneef (OH, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif., Long Beach State)
4 – Lindsey Berg (S, 5-8, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Minnesota)
5 – Sarah Drury (L, 5-5, Louisville, Ky., Louisville)
6 – Elisabeth Bachman (MB, 6-4, Lakeville, Minn., UCLA)
7 – Heather Bown (MB, 6-3, Yorba Linda, Calif., Hawai'i)
8 – Katie Wilkins (OH, 6-4, Lakeside, Calif., Pepperdine)
9 – Jennifer Joines (MB, 6-3, Milpitas, Calif., Pacific)
10 – Therese Crawford (OH, 5-11, Kalamazoo, Mich., Hawai'i)
11 – Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (S, 5-9, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Hawai’i)
12 – Nancy Metcalf (OPP, 6-1, Hull, Iowa, Nebraska)
13 – Katie Olsovsky (OPP, 6-3, Hermosa Beach, Calif., Southern California)
14 – Candace Lee (L, 5-7, Eugene, Ore., Washington)
15 – Nicole Davis (L, 5-6, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
16 – Lindsey Hunter (S, 5-10, Papillion, Neb., Missouri)
17 – Jane Collymore (OH, 6-0, Englewood, Calif., Florida)
18 – Cassie Busse (OPP, 6-1, Prior Lake, Minn., Minnesota)

Head Coach: “Jenny” Lang Ping
Assistant Coach: Li Yong
Assistant Coach/Trainer: Tom Hogan
Technical Coordinator: Diane French
Team Manager: Doug Beal
Medical Support: Emery Hill, Jr.
Doctor: William Briner
Technical Consultant: Darrell Akimoto

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Casual observations from the roster list:

1) A poster said in an earlier thread that Elisha Thomas will be going to Japan, but her name is not even in the prelim roster.

2) Several posters stated that Berg is quitting national team, but she is still listed on the roster. Sam T's name is not there, so maybe some credence to rumors that she left the team.

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My guess to the 12-women roster (just a guess as I have no inside information whatsoever on OTC):

1 – Ogonna Nnamani (OH, 6-1, Normal, Ill., Stanford)
2 – Danielle Scott (MB, 6-2, Baton Rouge, La., Long Beach State)
3 – Tayyiba Haneef (OH, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif., Long Beach State)
7 – Heather Bown (MB, 6-3, Yorba Linda, Calif., Hawai'i)
8 – Katie Wilkins (OH, 6-4, Lakeside, Calif., Pepperdine)
9 – Jennifer Joines (MB, 6-3, Milpitas, Calif., Pacific)
11 – Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (S, 5-9, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Hawai’i)
12 – Nancy Metcalf (OPP, 6-1, Hull, Iowa, Nebraska)
14 – Candace Lee (L, 5-7, Eugene, Ore., Washington)
15 – Nicole Davis (L, 5-6, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
16 – Lindsey Hunter (S, 5-10, Papillion, Neb., Missouri)
18 – Cassie Busse (OPP, 6-1, Prior Lake, Minn., Minnesota)

[brybry]

roofed said:

My guess to the 12-women roster (just a guess as I have no inside information whatsoever on OTC):

1 – Ogonna Nnamani (OH, 6-1, Normal, Ill., Stanford)
2 – Danielle Scott (MB, 6-2, Baton Rouge, La., Long Beach State)
3 – Tayyiba Haneef (OH, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif., Long Beach State)
7 – Heather Bown (MB, 6-3, Yorba Linda, Calif., Hawai'i)
8 – Katie Wilkins (OH, 6-4, Lakeside, Calif., Pepperdine)
9 – Jennifer Joines (MB, 6-3, Milpitas, Calif., Pacific)
11 – Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (S, 5-9, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Hawai’i)
12 – Nancy Metcalf (OPP, 6-1, Hull, Iowa, Nebraska)
14 – Candace Lee (L, 5-7, Eugene, Ore., Washington)
15 – Nicole Davis (L, 5-6, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
16 – Lindsey Hunter (S, 5-10, Papillion, Neb., Missouri)
18 – Cassie Busse (OPP, 6-1, Prior Lake, Minn., Minnesota)

I think either Collymore or Crawford need to make the team. That way they can at least try to have another passing option. Right now you just have Haneef + the libero. That's not a good sign.

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From what few Grand Prix matches I saw this past summer, Crawford has been very inconsistent in both her passing and hitting.

I guess it also depends on how Wilkins and Nnamani are recovering from their injuries, plus they both have not played much this season.

I think Haneef is definitely going, and that leaves 2 OH positions up for grab. Of course, this scenario is based on 2 liberos on the roster, which given the passing woes of the team, JLP wants some sort of insurance (even for 1 backrow rotation)

[USAFAN]

I almost forgot about Elisha Thomas, but she is a much more attractive prospect to me than Jennifer Joines.

[5100]

Is Lee better than Drury? I remember being impressed with Drury last year.

[5100]

Question: How do you determine an A-2 national team? I thought it meant the "B" team or "second team" but what do you call the recent USA teams that have been fielding mixtures of college players and Olympians? I remember reading that Kamana'o was part of the A2 team that went to Montreux, but that team also had Ah-Mow and some other veterans. So was that an A2 team or what?

[VolleyTX]

Is Lee better than Drury? I remember being impressed with Drury last year.

I suspect if you asked JLP.... she would say yes. Drury has gone to several of the big tournaments, but she has never (to my knowledge) been the full-time libero. She always came in as a passing substitute. The full time libero for those tournaments has always been Lee or Davis

[Deleted]

Has Ogonna's passing/defensive game picked up any?

[foreignball]

ericplim said:

Is Lee better than Drury? I remember being impressed with Drury last year.

A personal observation of mine: S Drury is very quick and covers a lot of space however quite a few of her passes are off target - I mean she keeps the ball in play but it goes far away from the setter. May be this fact has also something to do with coaches decision not to play her full time.

[foreignball]

roofed said:

My guess to the 12-women roster (just a guess as I have no inside information whatsoever on OTC):

1 – Ogonna Nnamani (OH, 6-1, Normal, Ill., Stanford)
2 – Danielle Scott (MB, 6-2, Baton Rouge, La., Long Beach State)
3 – Tayyiba Haneef (OH, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif., Long Beach State)
7 – Heather Bown (MB, 6-3, Yorba Linda, Calif., Hawai'i)
8 – Katie Wilkins (OH, 6-4, Lakeside, Calif., Pepperdine)
9 – Jennifer Joines (MB, 6-3, Milpitas, Calif., Pacific)
11 – Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (S, 5-9, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Hawai’i)
12 – Nancy Metcalf (OPP, 6-1, Hull, Iowa, Nebraska)
14 – Candace Lee (L, 5-7, Eugene, Ore., Washington)
15 – Nicole Davis (L, 5-6, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
16 – Lindsey Hunter (S, 5-10, Papillion, Neb., Missouri)
18 – Cassie Busse (OPP, 6-1, Prior Lake, Minn., Minnesota)

Having in mind Haneef has received the last few competitions and assuming she will be passing again I still have a problem to figure out who would be the 2nd passer (besides the L). Metcalf may be?

[volleysean27]

If haneef is passing we are in big trouble, but iam also very impressed that for a big gurl she can pass and hit. we need someone that can pass and hit or the US will be in big trouble. Willoughby is the only one in my mind that can take the US to the medal rounds come Olympics.

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volleysean27 said:

If haneef is passing we are in big trouble, but iam also very impressed that for a big gurl she can pass and hit. we need someone that can pass and hit or the US will be in big trouble. Willoughby is the only one in my mind that can take the US to the medal rounds come Olympics.

Willoughby is certainly one option that the USAV needs, but first, she must find the desire and motivation to go OTC and submit herself to national team training.

Also, I think the USAV needs to start incorporating Barboza back into the national team fold, i.e. having her on the national team in the summer and getting her to join the team full-time at end of fall 2007 season. She is one player whose all-around abilities (wide range of shots, and vball IQ) would serve the national team well.

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foreignball said:

Having in mind Haneef has received the last few competitions and assuming she will be passing again I still have a problem to figure out who would be the 2nd passer (besides the L). Metcalf may be?

If Wilkins is fully healthy, they can get her to pass. I know that she is not a great passer (who among the current OHs in the national team are?), but she played in a few matches at the World Grand Championship last year, so I assume she must be passing back then too.

Certainly the OHs on the team are not the best, but given the lack of all-around players and Logan Tom not returning to national team yet (and strong rumors that she'll continue with beach vball next season), you cannot afford to be too picky.