U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
The gold standard
REACHING: Outside hitter Jordan Larson has played a key role in the U.S. Women’s National Team’s recent success. (Photo: FIVB)
After victories at two major tournaments over the summer, the U.S. Women’s National Team has every right to consider itself a contender to win next summer’s Olympics. But the hard work is just beginning. by Don Patterson pic Games with a podium fi nish.
I
t’s safe to say that the ultimate goal of all international volleyball teams is to get to the Olympic gold-medal stand, but there is invariably a point along the way where coaches and players come to terms with whether it’s realistic. The U.S. Women’s National Team answered that question this summer. For them, it’s completely realistic. No debate necessary. Here’s some evidence: The team won gold medals at two key tournaments in less than six weeks, fi rst at the FIVB World Grand Prix in August, then at the NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship in September. The NORCECA title earned the team a berth in the FIVB World Cup in Japan in November, where they can qualify for the London Olym-
26 | VOLLEYBALLUSA
Coaches are almost always cautious about publicly projecting too much confi dence after a run of success, and U.S. Women’s Coach Hugh McCutcheon is no exception. Asked whether he’s confi dent that the team can get the top-three fi nish necessary to earn an Olympic spot (and not have to worry about qualifying in 2012), he says: “I think we’ve earned the right to feel good about our ability to compete, but there are way too many teams to feel confi dent.”
Among the teams he’s referring to are Brazil, which was No. 1 in the most recent FIVB world rankings, and Russia, which sits just behind second-ranked USA at No. 3 in the global order.
The U.S. stood up well versus Brazil at
the World Grand Prix, splitting two matches but winning the big one - the gold-medal match. McCutcheon says the Brazilians are a “handful” because they play fast, possess great skills and have “high volleyball IQs.” The U.S. didn’t get a shot at Russia this
year, but the Russians are led by the incom- parable Ekaterina Gamova, a 6-8 terminating outside hitter who McCutcheon describes as “unlike any other volleyball athlete in the world, male or female.”
Four other teams that are ranked in the top seven - No. 4 Japan, No. 5 Italy, No. 6 Serbia and No. 7 China - are also formidable, Mc- Cutcheon says. But as of right now, less than a year away from the Olympics, volleyball
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