NORCECA Championships

[Deleted]

For Immediate Release (from USAV)

Sept. 3, 2005

USA Women Depart Sunday for NORCECA Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA Women’s National Volleyball Team departs Sunday, Sept. 4, for the 2005 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship to be held in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, from Sept. 6-11.

Team USA, which qualified for the 2006 World Championships en route to winning the FIVB Women's World Championship Qualification Tournament in Puerto Rico on Aug. 19, will now try to qualify for another prestigious tournament by winning their zone championship.

The winner of this year’s event qualifies for the Grand Champions Cup in Japan from Nov. 15-20, a six-team tournament that features the champions from four confederations (Asia, Europe, NORCECA and South America), the host team (Japan) and one wild-card team (chosen by the FIVB).

For the NORCECA Championships, the United States is in Pool B along with Canada, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Cuba and Mexico. Pool A consists of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Trinidad & Tobago.

The top team in each pool automatically advances to the tournament semifinals, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10, while the fourth-place team in each pool will square off for seventh place on Friday, Sept. 9.

The teams ranked second and third at the conclusion of pool play will play cross-over matches on Sept. 9 (2A vs. 3B, 2B vs. 3A), with the winners advancing to the semifinals and the losers doing battle for fifth place on Sept. 10.

Cuba (currently the world’s fourth-ranked team) and the United States (No. 5) are the traditional powers in the NORCECA zone, which encompasses North America, Central America and the Caribbean. More recently, the Dominican Republic, which stunned the USA Women in five sets at last year’s Olympic Games, has inched closer toward cracking the top two.

Since the first women's NORCECA Championship in 1969 (the tournament is held every other year in odd-numbered years), Cuba has won 12 out of 18 times. The United States has won four championships (1981, 1983, 2001 and 2003) and has finished second to Cuba nine times. Mexico won the first two NORCECA crowns in 1969 and 1971.

At the last NORCECA Championship tournament, Team USA won its second-consecutive title with a 3-0 win over Cuba in the gold medal match in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Americans finished the event with a perfect 4-0 record.

Team USA’s roster for this year’s NORCECA Championship includes: setters Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Lindsey Berg (Honolulu, Hawaii); middle blockers Elisabeth Bachman (Lakeville, Minn.), Jennifer Joines (Milpitas, Calif.) and Danielle Scott (Baton Rouge, La.); outside hitters Patrice Arrington (Oxon Hill, Md.), Therese Crawford (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and Katie Wilkins (Lakeside, Calif.); opposites Tayyiba Haneef (Laguna Hills, Calif.) and Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa); and liberos Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.) and Sarah Drury (Louisville, Ky.).

2005 NORCECA Zone Championships

Pool A

Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
Trinidad & Tobago

Pool B

Canada
Cuba
Mexico
USA

Pool Play Schedule

Tuesday, Sept. 6

Pool A

Costa Rica vs. Dominican Republic, 3 p.m.

Puerto Rico vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 8 p.m.

Pool B

Cuba vs. Mexico, 1 p.m.

Canada vs. USA, 6 p.m.


Wednesday, Sept. 7

Pool A

Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico, 3 p.m.

Dominican Republic vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 8 p.m.

Pool B

Mexico vs. USA, 1 p.m.

Canada vs. Cuba, 6 p.m.


Thursday, Sept. 8

Pool A

Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico, 3 p.m.

Costa Rica vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 8 p.m.


Pool B

Canada vs. Mexico, 1 p.m.

Cuba vs. USA, 6 p.m.



Championship Round Schedule

Friday, Sept. 9

Seventh-Place Match

4A vs. 4B, 3 p.m.


Quarterfinals

2A vs. 3B, 6 p.m.

2B vs. 3A, 8 p.m.


Saturday, Sept. 10

Fifth-Place Match

Q1 Loser vs. Q2 Loser, 3 p.m.


Semifinals

1A vs. TBA, 6 p.m.

1B vs. TBA, 8 p.m.



Sunday, Sept. 11

Third-Place Match, 4 p.m.

Championship Match, 6 p.m.

(Times Listed are Eastern and are Subject to Change)

[Wolfgang]

Never heard of Patrice Arrington. I know a Pat Harrington of "One Day At a Time."

And I still like Nancy Meendering over Nancy Metcalf.

[VBCOACH]

wolfgang said:

Never heard of Patrice Arrington. I know a Pat Harrington of "One Day At a Time."

Patrice Arrington: 5' 9" OH from Washington D. C.

Played at Oklahoma for Miles Papst.

Had a stint on the National Team after college.

Played in Europe for years. The first woman asked to play in Russia.

A former bodybiluder, has a 33" vertical jump, is a dead-on passer, and hits the ball as hard as some guys.

Was the MVP at the 2003 USAV Nationals.

[roofed!]

With the new national coach, is there any chance of Kim W. returning to Colorado Spring?

Also, with the emphasis on solid all-around OH, does this mean there is less room for Ogonna?

[Deleted]

They're going to have to decide between Nnamani and Haneef--as starters anyhow. No way they can be on the court at the same time.

[Wolfgang]

Yeah, I still don't understand why Kim Willoughby is not training with the National Team. It must be a combination of money in Puerto Rico (and lack thereof with USA Volleyball), the lifestyle, and the lack of a guarantee from USA Volleyball to guarantee a starting spot for her.

[wang pu]

wolfgang said:

Yeah, I still don't understand why Kim Willoughby is not training with the National Team. It must be a combination of money in Puerto Rico (and lack thereof with USA Volleyball), the lifestyle, and the lack of a guarantee from USA Volleyball to guarantee a starting spot for her.

Isn't she trying probasketball in Puerto Rico also?

[Wolfgang]

I didn't realize Puerto Rico had money to spread around to female pro sports. Does anyone know what kind of money they're paid out there?

[wang pu]

wolfgang said:

I didn't realize Puerto Rico had money to spread around to female pro sports. Does anyone know what kind of money they're paid out there?

That I don't know, but she is also recently married to a native.

[Wolfgang]

What's her new last name?

[cbrown1709]

dakrisve said:

wolfgang said:

I didn't realize Puerto Rico had money to spread around to female pro sports. Does anyone know what kind of money they're paid out there?

That I don't know, but she is also recently married to a native.

Does this mean she is eligible to play for the Puerto Rican National Team?

[Wolfgang]

But what is her new last name? It can't be better than "Willoughby," could it? Unless it's something like Kim Saint-Pierre de Rossen.

[dorothymantooth]

Wasn't Pat Harrington Schneider on one day at a time? It must be really hard to play wearing that heavy tool belt.