Junior National A2 Teams

[simvb07]

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 11, 2007) – USA Volleyball will field two U.S. Women’s Junior National A2 Teams this summer with the squads traveling to different places for competition.

Lee Maes, current assistant coach at the University of Nebraska, will serve as head coach of a U.S. Women’s Junior National A2 Team that will compete at the European Global Challenge July 17-27. Elle Ohlander (MB, Caledonia, Ill., Great Lakes Region), Betsy Smith (MB, Atlanta, Ga., Southern Region) and Lexi Zimmerman (S, Barrington, Ill., Great Lakes Region) were previously selected to the 2007 U.S. Women’s Junior National Training Team.

Cecile Reynaud, retired head coach of Florida State University, will serve as head coach of a U.S. Women’s Junior National A2 Team that will play in the USA High Performance Championship July 16-26 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

2007 USA Women's Junior National A2 Camp/Teams
European Global Challenge, July 17-27

Name (Pos, Ht, HS Grad. Year, Hometown, Club/School, Region)
Gabby Ailes (L, 5-7, 2007, Bellevue, Neb., Nebraska Elite, Great Plains)
Samantha Dabbs (S, 6-0, 2006, San Antonio, Texas, University of Louisville, Lone Star)
Johanna Bangert (MB, 6-1, 2007, Washington, Mo., Kirkwood, Gateway)
Jordan Haverley (OH, 6-1, 2008, Cherry Valley, Ill., Fusion, Great Lakes)
Kristy Jaeckel (OH, 6-3, 2008, Littleton, Colo., Front Range, Rocky Mountain)
Justine Landi (OPP, 6-0, 2006, Coral Springs, Fla., University of Louisville, Florida)
Elle Ohlander (MB, 6-7, 2007, Caledonia, Ill., Fusion, Great Lakes)
Amanda Simmons (MB, 6-3, 2007, Des Plaines, Ill., Fusion, Great Lakes)
Betsy Smith (MB, 6-2, 2008, Atlanta, Ga., A5, Southern)
Lexi Zimmerman (S, 5-9, 2007, Barrington, Ill., Sky High, Great Lakes)

Head Coach: Lee Maes (Lincoln, Neb.)
Assistant Coach: Jill Pape-Kramer (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

2007 USA Women's Junior National A2 Camp/Teams
High Performance Championships, Ft. Lauderdale, July 16-26

Name (Pos., Ht, HS Grad. Year, Hometown, Club/School, Region)
Allison Cecchini (S, 6-0, 2006, Knightsen, Calif., University of Florida, Northern California)
Juli Anne Chisholm (OH, 5-11, 2007, Durham, Kan., Shockwave, Heart of America)
Sydney Clark (OH, 5-11, 2007, Evanston, Ill., Powerhouse, Great Lakes)
Briana Fields (OH, 5-11, 2008, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ripcurl, Southern California)
Courtney Fletcher (MB, 6-4, 2008, Duluth, Ga., A5, Southern)
Nicole Kump (MB, 6-2, 2007, Jolliet, Ill., Sports Performance, Great Lakes)
Katie Mills (MB, 6-5, 2007, Aurora, Colo., Colorado Juniors, Rocky Mountain)
Katie Tribley (S, 5-10, 2007, Wenatchee, Wash., NCWVBC, Puget Sound)
Kendahl Voelker (OPP, 6-1, 2007, Ft. Myers, Fla., USA South, Florida)
Jessica Walker (MB, 6-0, 2008, Houston, Texas, Spike Sport, Lone Star)
Frances Xin (L, 5-9, 2008, Ames, Iowa, Sports University, Iowa)

Head Coach: Cecile Reynaud (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Assistant Coach: Neil Mason (Newport Coast, Calif.)

[GatorVball]

If someone would be so kind as to list which schools these girls are going to. Obviously some are already in college. I know Betsy Smith and Kristy Jaeckel are Florida recruits, but not sure about the others.

[Phaedrus]

Johanna Bangert is going to Illinois.

[plm]

Jordan Haverly is going to Nebraska.

[rocket]

What is this A2 team? Where are all girls who tried out for JNT and were the last kids cut? Did they elect not to play with A2? I still don't like current college coaches - especially from upper level programs - coaching recruitable age players. Sure many are already committed - even to the coach's school. Banachowski with JNT is a regrettable move by USA Volleyball and I heard many coaches in the past month expressing frustration. Surely there are qualified coaches who are not at the Division I level - especially top 15 programs.

[HawaiiVB]

Amanda Simmons to Hawaii

[Pasquale]

phaedrus said:

Johanna Bangert is going to Illinois.

Ditto on Nicole Kump.

[Deleted]

Zimmerman -- Michigan
Ohlander -- Wisconsin
Ailes -- BASTA!

[farmwatcher]

Girls who were invited to the JNT tryout in Austin were given the option ahead of time to elect to participate on the A2 if they did not make the JNT. Obviously some did so elect and others declined in advance.

And those who feel that Andy is not a good selection to coach the team are just wrong. Few coaches with his standing and demeanor; he is a class act. He did not take a single UCLA girl on the JNT when he could have.

[rocket]

Let me clarify. This is not personal toward Andy. This is about placing a Division I coach from a program that may be attractive to prospective college athletes as JNT coach. USA Volleyball went away from this years ago, and now they have gone back to this.

[3talltrees]

I understand your concern. However, from the player's perspective, it is great that the elite players have an elite coach. Isn't there only one player who has yet to commit on the A-1 team? And she probably already has her choices narrowed down. There are probably more on the A-2 that has Lee Maes coaching and he is affiliated with Nebraska, yet there are no comments about him.

[Phaedrus]

rocket said:

Let me clarify. This is not personal toward Andy. This is about placing a Division I coach from a program that may be attractive to prospective college athletes as JNT coach. USA Volleyball went away from this years ago, and now they have gone back to this.

Interestingly enough, I have had discussions with college coaches about this. My first experience with the concept of having open tryouts/training sessions was when Bob Gambardella had Tom Pingel's job. He used college coaches because they were the best trainers to use because: 1) They were good coaches, 2) They had to time to spend at these tryouts. The reason that the USAV went completely away from college coaches was because some college coaches felt that there would be nepotism as well as an unfair advantage gained by the college coaches working as court coaches. of course that same reasoning could be applied to college coaches coaching club or college coaches with summer camps.

I had never heard why they came back to using college coaches as team coaches etc. I think it is just a natural, you want the most experienced people on the job.

[BoilerUp!]

Interesting that of the 2008's that 3 were not in prepVolleyball's top 50.

Jordan Haverley - Nebraska
Kristy Jaeckel - Florida
Betsy Smith -Florida
Briana Fields
Courtney Fletcher
Jessica Walker - Undecided
Frances Xin

I think it has to be very hard to rank the top 50 (top 100? top 200?!)
out of how many thousands - 200,000 ? 300,000 ?

How many H.S. girls are supposedly playing volleyball in the US ?