National Team | Washington volleyball great Courtney Thompson part of historic USA gold

USA women win first major championship in 50 years

• USA def. China 3-1 (27-25, 25-20, 16-25, 26-24)

National Team | Courtney Thompson comes up big in USA’s thrilling volleyball win over Russia

Washington Hall of Famer sparks two crucial runs in World Championships showdown

• USA def. Russia 3-1 (25-19, 25-223, 15-25, 25-23)

National Team | USA defeats Czech Republic in World Grand Prix Volleyball

Tama Miyashiro and Jenna Hagglund contribute; host Japan is next

• #1 USA def. #24 Czech Republic 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-23)
• next: #1 USA @ #3 Japan | August 16, 2013 | 8:30PM (Pacific) | Sendai, Japan

National Team | USA cruises to a 3-0 World Grand Prix volleyball win

Courtney Thompson , Kristin Hildebrand and Cassidy Lichtman all shine against Netherlands

• #1 USA def. #20 Netherlands 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-13)
• next: #1 USA vs. #9 Serbia | August 11, 2013 | Belgrade, Serbia

Pac-12 | Huskies begin Slovenia/Italy tour

Washington prevails in first scrimmage

Olympic Volleyball decision looms for two former Washington players

Just two World Grand Prix matches remain; Miyashiro proves worth in tough victory against Turkey

Team USA was struggling.

It was the fourth set; the score was tied 3-3. After handily dispatching Turkey in the first set, the Americans barely hung on in set two, and lost set three.

Although the US was undefeated (11-0) in 2012 World Grand Prix competition, its passing had been suspect the past two weeks, when nine athletes were competing for the final four slots on the 12-member London Olympic roster. Turkey had been on an impressive World Grand Prix run, entering the match with a 9-2 record and a reputation for tough serving.

Viewers watching Internet feeds at 2:00am (Seattle time) got a surprise. The second official, Pedro Fabian of Argentina, was seen removing a blank blue jersey from a plastic sack. Without a translated explanation (the broadcast feed we saw was in Polish), former Washington All-American Tama Miyashiro pulled the jersey over her uniform and took the court, replacing starting libero Nicole Davis (USC).

It was the first time in a month of competition that an American other than Davis had worn the libero jersey.

Tama Miyashiro (left, in blue jersey) and Courtney Thompson (right of Miyashiro) join USA teammates and head coach Hugh McCutcheon in a huddle during the World Grand Prix Final Round match against Turkey

Bill Kauffman, Senior Manager of Communication for USA Volleyball in Colorado Springs, tells Volleyblog Seattle that privacy laws and USA Volleyball policy prohibit comment on injuries or health status unless permission has been granted. But Rule 19.4 of the FIVB rulebook seems to indicate that last night’s Miyashiro-for-Davis switch was possible only if Davis was injured or ill.

Miyashiro played well the rest of the way, helping Team USA to a 3-1 victory. Her spot duty may help head coach Hugh McCutcheon as he fills out the 12 roster spots for the Olympic team. The roster is due on Monday, and is expected to be announced Tuesday or Wednesday. [see Volleyblog Seattle’s roster handicap, below]

Former Husky setter Courtney Thompson is also among those in the running. Although Alisha Glass (Penn State) played most of the Turkey match, Thompson was once again strong during double switches. At worst, she is Glass’s equal in setting and—surprisingly—in blocking, despite Glass’s height advantage. Glass has stepped up her serving, while Thompson has plateaued of late. Thompson, however, maintains a clear advantage in both defense and in intangibles—she is a confident leader where Glass still often seems detached.

Tonight, Team USA faces struggling Cuba. Will Thompson get the start? Will Miyashiro replace Davis if Davis was, in fact, injured? The match starts at 12:30am (Pacific time), and can usually be found on the website www.sportlemon.tv (ignore the “download” buttons and wait about a minute for the initial commercials to play.)

The final 2012 World Grand Prix match pits host China against the USA; it starts Sunday morning at 4:30am.

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Volleyblog Seattle handicaps the Olympic roster:

	Eight players have likely already earned roster spots:
1.	Setter 1		Lindsey Berg	Minnesota
2.	Outside Hitter 1		Logan Tom	Stanford
3.	Outside Hitter 2		Jordan Larson	Nebraska
4.	Outside Hitter 3		Megan Hodge	Penn State
5.	Opposite Hitter 1		Destinee Hooker	Texas
6.	Middle Blocker 1		Foluke Akinradewo	Stanford
7.	Middle Blocker 2		Christa Harmotto	Penn State
8.	Libero		Nicole Davis	Southern California
	The team will certainly carry one of these two as a second setter; at this point, McCutcheon has to decide which player can provide the spark if Berg falters or is injured. Frankly, Thompson has shown she has what it takes:
9.	Setter 2	-OR-	Courtney Thompson	Washington
			Alisha Glass	Penn State
	The team will likely carry one of these two as a second opposite hitter; Haneef-Park may have a slight edge:
10.	Opposite Hitter 2	-OR-	Tayyiba Haneef-Park	Long Beach State
			Nancy Metcalf	Nebraska
	The team will probably carry one of these two as a third middle blocker; both players are deserving, a difficult toss-up for McCutcheon:
11.	Middle Blocker 3	-OR-	Danielle Scott-Arruda	Long Beach State
			Heather Bown	Hawai’i
	Here’s where it gets tricky. Does the team carry a second defender (Miyashiro) or a fourth hitter (Richards or Barboza)? Miyashiro’s performance after Davis’s injury could be the tipping point in her favor. A longshot possibility: no third middle blocker and two of these three players:
12.	Defensive Spec.	-OR-	Tama Miyashiro	Washington
	Outside Hitter 4		Kristin Richards	Stanford
	Outside Hitter 4		Cynthia Barboza	Stanford

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2012 World Grand Prix Final Round Standings

(Team USA has already defeated Brazil, Thailand and Turkey; it plays Cuba tonight and China Sunday morning)

1.	USA	3	0
2.	Brazil	2	1
3.	Turkey	2	1
4.	China	1	2
5.	Thailand	1	2
6.	Cuba	0	3

·         Ties among teams with similar W-L records are broken by sets and points won

·         The six finalists had the best record of 16 teams who competed in three round-robin tournaments in venues around the world.

·         Team USA has not yet lost a match in the 2012 WGP, and is seeking its third consecutive title.

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 ...