Two Washington Volleyball alums make Olympic push

Two former Washington Huskies--setter Courtney Thompson and libero Tama Miyashiro--will represent the USA in the second leg of the 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix Volleyball Tournament.

Courtney Thomspon

The Grand Prix is the final major event before the 2012 London Olympic Games. USA Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon will select the 12 players for the US Olympic roster at the conclusion of the Grand Prix.

The World Grand Prix features the world's top teams competing in three round-robin events. The USA played the first round in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and went undefeated, with victories against Germany, Chinese Taipei and Dominican Republic. Miyashiro saw limited time during the first round; Thompson was not on the roster.

Tama Miyashiro

Most observers believe Minnesota's Lindsey Berg has the inside track for one of the two Olympic setter positions. Thompson is likely competing with Penn State's Alisha Glass for the second setter spot. Berg and Glass set during the first round, with Berg getting most of the action. Thompson replaces Glass in the second round.

The second round, in Sao Paulo, features powerhouses Brazil, often-dangerous Italy and a repeat date with Germany. The third round is next week in Bangkok, where the US will face a strong Serbia team, plus Argentina and Thailand. If Thompson plays well in Sao Paolo, McCutcheon could pair her against Glass. He also has Nellie Spicer (UCLA) and Carli Lloyd (Cal) on the 25-athlete eligible roster.

The Grand Prix finals--featuring the top six teams from preliminary play--is June 27-July 1 in Ningbo, China.

LINKS:

• 2012 FIVB Grand Prix schedule and results
• USA Volleyball Round Two Roster (press release)

Pool E – Sao Paulo, Brazil
June 15: USA vs. Italy, 6:20 p.m. (2:20 p.m. PT)
June 15: Brazil vs. Germany, 8:20 p.m.
June 16: USA vs. Germany, 6:20 p.m. (2:20 p.m. PT)
June 16: Brazil vs. Italy, 8:20 p.m.
June 17: USA vs. Brazil, 1:20 p.m.
June 17: Germany vs. Italy, 3:20 p.m. (9:20 a.m.)

Pool J – Bangkok, Thailand
June 22: USA vs. Serbia, 1:50 p.m. (11:50 p.m. PT on June 21)
June 22: Thailand vs. Argentina, 4:20 p.m.
June 23: USA vs. Argentina, 1:50 p.m. (11:50 p.m. PT on June 22)
June 23: Serbia vs. Thailand, 4:20 p.m.
June 24: Argentina vs. Serbia, 1:50 p.m.
June 25: USA vs. Thailand, 4:20 p.m. (2 a.m. PT)

FIVB World Grand Prix Final Round
Ningbo, China – June 27 to July 1
Top five teams from preliminary round plus China


thanks to Dave Weitl for the spelling edit ...