COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 24, 2020) – USA Volleyball is busy preparing for the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team season through tryouts, coaching selections and future training camps.
Dan Fisher, head coach at the University of Pittsburgh, has been selected to serve as head coach for the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team which will compete at the 2020 NORCECA Women’s U20 Continental Championship May 10-17 in Edmonton, Canada. He will be assisted by Indiana University Assistant Coach Krista Vansant and UCLA Associate Head Coach Brad Keller. TJ Read, UCF’s director of operations, will be the technical coordinator.
“I am beyond honored to once again be part of USA Volleyball and to represent our country,” Fisher said. “It is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn from my staff and to be around high-level volleyball. Likewise, the athletes will grow by competing on the international stage as well as getting their foot in the door for future USA opportunities.”
The 2020 NORCECA Women’s U20 Continental Championship is a qualification event into the 2021 FIVB Women’s U20 World Championship. Athletes from the U.S. Girls Youth National Team won the 2019 FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship and are matriculated up to the WJNT program.
“I am excited to continue building this platform where both athletes and coaches have opportunities to develop their skills for the international stage,” Keller said. “It is a humbling opportunity to represent our country on a global scale, an honor that I will continue to respect at the highest level.
Athletes wishing to participate on the WJNT at NORCECA are asked to register and compete in a High Performance tryout prior to April 2. If this date presents scheduling issues, please contact indoorhp@usav.org with your schedule for ways to be included in this team selection. Athletes who are selected for the WJNT will be notified by mid-April.
Vansant, who played for the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2015 before transitioning to the coaching world, is grateful for the opportunity to work for the WJNT program.
“As a player, I felt that training and competing at the international level was imperative to my growth and I am eager to share some of the lessons that I learned with the athletes,” Vansant said.
Athletes selected to the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team for the NORCECA event will have a training camp May 7-9 in Canada immediately prior to the tournament.
USA Volleyball will also hold a U.S. Women’s Junior National Team Training (WJNTT) Camp July 4-10 at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. A total of 20 athletes will be selected for this training camp. Fisher, Vansant and Keller will be the coaching staff for this group.
The U.S. Women’s Junior A1 National Training Program (WJA1) will take place July 17-27 in Pittsburgh. A total of 24 athletes will be selected for the program, which includes competition at the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships. Lee Maes, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at University of Colorado, will lead the staff and be assisted by Empire Volleyball Club’s Kathy O’Neil, DePaul Head Coach Marie Zidek and Brockport University Head Coach Steve Pike.
“Opportunity, development and competition are three fundamental pursuits of all high-level competitive athletes,” Maes said. “The USA Volleyball High Performance programs provide elite players those pursuits in a unique environment that’s filled with exposure to world-class coaching and international-style competition.”
All USA Volleyball High Performance Girls Indoor Tryout evaluations will be considered for WJNTT and WJA1 team selections. Athlete selection and notification will take place between May 11-21.