Post by Nutter on Aug 13, 2004 0:57:22 GMT -5
story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040812/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_terrific_tom_vbl_1
Thu Aug 12, 3:48 PM ET
By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
ATHENS, Greece - Logan Tom was a skinny 13-year-old kid, looking for something to do one summer day when a friend invited her to volleyball camp. So off she went, without any inclination her decision would result in a trip to Greece with the U.S. women's Olympic team a decade later.
The Americans, after taking third at the grueling World Grand Prix tournament last month, are first in the world's latest rankings. They're preparing for their first match Saturday against third-ranked China, hoping for a two-week performance that's good enough for their first gold medal.
And Tom, the star outside hitter, will lead the way. At the World Grand Prix, Tom won three awards: most valuable player, top scorer and best server.
"She played well," coach Toshi Yoshida said, pausing for a second. "Probably her best performance ever, I think."
Tom, preoccupied with other sports in her youth, has not been hindered by her relatively late involvement in volleyball. After a standout career at Highland High School in Salt Lake City, she led Stanford to the 2001 NCAA (news - web sites) championship and was twice named the nation's top female college volleyball player.
As a 19-year-old starter on the 2000 Olympic team that finished a surprising fourth in Sydney, Tom has since developed into one of the best players in the world. She has played professionally in leagues in Brazil and Italy over the past two years.
She's even on the cover of the latest FHM Magazine, looking bronzed and ready for the beach with a handful of other bikini-clad U.S. Olympians.
But it's not about her, Tom insists.
"That's the thing with volleyball — it's such a team sport," Tom said Wednesday after the team practiced at the American College of Greece. "They have individual awards, but as an individual you can't achieve them without the rest of the players."
Fellow outside hitter Tara Cross-Battle has been a mentor to Tom for the past four years.
"Her skills have improved so much," said Cross-Battle, one of six returners from 2000 and about to compete in her fourth Olympics — a USA Volleyball record.
"She's becoming a leader on the court, which is really good," Cross-Battle said. "Before, she would just kind of keep to herself and just play her game. Now, she's involving other players on the court, which is really good — what we need."
Tom's father, Melvyn, was a defensive end in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles (news) and Chicago Bears (news), so athleticism runs in the family.
Her parents split up, and Tom was raised in Utah mostly by her mother, Kristine. A soccer player who was on the same little-league baseball team as her older brother, Landon, Tom was plenty active.
"Hung out in the dirt, played with worms and stuff," she said, laughing.
Then one day her friend, and a great future in volleyball, came calling.
"She was like, 'Hey, want to come out?" Tom recalled. "I said, 'OK.'"
The U.S. team is plenty happy she accepted. The last medal the American women won in this sport was a bronze in 1992, and this year won't be any easier. Four of the top six teams are in their pool, including three-time defending Olympic champion Cuba.
"Boy, it's the toughest," Yoshida said. "Everybody is strong. I mean, everybody is strong. ... We have a chance to beat everybody, but we have a chance to lose to everybody."
Thu Aug 12, 3:48 PM ET
By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
ATHENS, Greece - Logan Tom was a skinny 13-year-old kid, looking for something to do one summer day when a friend invited her to volleyball camp. So off she went, without any inclination her decision would result in a trip to Greece with the U.S. women's Olympic team a decade later.
The Americans, after taking third at the grueling World Grand Prix tournament last month, are first in the world's latest rankings. They're preparing for their first match Saturday against third-ranked China, hoping for a two-week performance that's good enough for their first gold medal.
And Tom, the star outside hitter, will lead the way. At the World Grand Prix, Tom won three awards: most valuable player, top scorer and best server.
"She played well," coach Toshi Yoshida said, pausing for a second. "Probably her best performance ever, I think."
Tom, preoccupied with other sports in her youth, has not been hindered by her relatively late involvement in volleyball. After a standout career at Highland High School in Salt Lake City, she led Stanford to the 2001 NCAA (news - web sites) championship and was twice named the nation's top female college volleyball player.
As a 19-year-old starter on the 2000 Olympic team that finished a surprising fourth in Sydney, Tom has since developed into one of the best players in the world. She has played professionally in leagues in Brazil and Italy over the past two years.
She's even on the cover of the latest FHM Magazine, looking bronzed and ready for the beach with a handful of other bikini-clad U.S. Olympians.
But it's not about her, Tom insists.
"That's the thing with volleyball — it's such a team sport," Tom said Wednesday after the team practiced at the American College of Greece. "They have individual awards, but as an individual you can't achieve them without the rest of the players."
Fellow outside hitter Tara Cross-Battle has been a mentor to Tom for the past four years.
"Her skills have improved so much," said Cross-Battle, one of six returners from 2000 and about to compete in her fourth Olympics — a USA Volleyball record.
"She's becoming a leader on the court, which is really good," Cross-Battle said. "Before, she would just kind of keep to herself and just play her game. Now, she's involving other players on the court, which is really good — what we need."
Tom's father, Melvyn, was a defensive end in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles (news) and Chicago Bears (news), so athleticism runs in the family.
Her parents split up, and Tom was raised in Utah mostly by her mother, Kristine. A soccer player who was on the same little-league baseball team as her older brother, Landon, Tom was plenty active.
"Hung out in the dirt, played with worms and stuff," she said, laughing.
Then one day her friend, and a great future in volleyball, came calling.
"She was like, 'Hey, want to come out?" Tom recalled. "I said, 'OK.'"
The U.S. team is plenty happy she accepted. The last medal the American women won in this sport was a bronze in 1992, and this year won't be any easier. Four of the top six teams are in their pool, including three-time defending Olympic champion Cuba.
"Boy, it's the toughest," Yoshida said. "Everybody is strong. I mean, everybody is strong. ... We have a chance to beat everybody, but we have a chance to lose to everybody."