WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
LONDON OLYMPICS PREVIEW
“In Beijing, it wasn’t the same feeling.
We knew we were good, but we came in as the underdogs and weren’t expected to get a silver or have an opportunity to get gold.” Lindsey Berg
confi dence that this team can do it. I love the energy, and the effort and the quality of volleyball that we play. It’s been an awesome quad.”
The talent Like last year, the starting lineup surrounding Berg will likely remain a nice blend of youthful talent and vet- eran savvy. Outside hitter Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah) is back for her fourth Olym- pics, and she remains one of the world’s top left-side threats and an anchor in serve-re- ceive. Next to her has been Jordan Larson, who grew up in Hooper, Neb., and was a three- time AVCA All-American during a col- lege career at the University of Nebraska (2005-2008) that included an NCAA title in 2006.
2012 WOMEN’S
OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL • Competition dates: July 28-Aug 11
• Venue: Earls Court Exhibition Center in London (capacity: 19,000)
• Participating countries: Pool A – Great Britain, Japan, Italy, Russia, Dominican Republic, Algeria. Pool B – USA, Brazil, China, Serbia, Turkey, Korea.
• Defending medalists from Beijing: Brazil (gold), USA (silver), China (bronze)
• Gold medal match: August 11, 6:30 p.m. London time
Larson is a complete package, and she has a jump serve capable of destroy- ing opponents with its sheer heat. But also in the mix is another blue-chip- per in former Penn State star Megan Hodge. The native of Durham, N.C., won three NCAA titles as a Nittany Lion (2007, 2008, 2009) and was the co-Honda Broderick Cup award win- ner for best female collegiate athlete in 2009-2010. Hodge played profession-
TWENTY FINGERS: The U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team has two dependable setters in Lindsey Berg, above, and Alisha Glass, left. (Photos: FIVB)
44 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
• Bronze medal match: August 11, 11:30 a.m. London time
ally in Poland during the 2011-12 pro season and made a nice jump in her passing and hitting, and she’s likely to see quality court time in London. In the middle the starters have been three-time Olympian Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Foluke Akinradewo, who grew up in Planta- tion, Fla., and was the 2007 AVCA Division I National Player of the Year as a senior at Stanford. Charging hard is former Penn State AVCA All-American Christa Harmotto, who was a key starter for the Nittany Lions on their 2007 and 2008 NCAA cham- pionship teams. Also getting a good look at middle is four-time Olympian Danielle Scott. If she makes the London team, she would join an elite and very small club of fi ve-time indoor Olympians in the women’s game that includes just two others: Brazil’s Helia Souza (better known as “Fofao”) and Russia’s Yevgeniya Artamonova Estes. At the oppo-
site position, Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) has been the starter, and her value to the team was clearly evident at the 2011 FIVB World Cup in November, when she was the No. 1 spiker in the tournament with a 49.53 kill percentage. This would be the fi rst Olympics for Hooker, who was an AVCA All-American at University of Texas during her four-year career from 2006-2009 and was also the NCAA Outdoor High Jump Champion. Two veterans, Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa) and Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Laguna Hills, Calif.), were still vying for the backup opposite spot when the team left to begin competing in the FIVB
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