U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM TRYOUTS “I’ve been a
part of the USA pipeline since I was 12, and over the years it has taken me so many places and helped me meet so many peo- ple that I wouldn’t have met otherwise, so I’m really thank- ful for that. One of the best parts about coming to these tryouts is that you get to see the girls that you’ve played with on previous USA teams, played against in college, or wish you could have played against in college. So, not only are these tryouts
Yale libero Kate Swanson, left, jumps from the medal stand at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs with Bulldog teammate Franny Arnautou. (Photo courtesy Kate Swanson)
and experiences helping me to be a stronger volleyball player, but they are also helping me build relationships that I’m sure I’ll have for the rest of my life.”
Kate Swanson Libero, Yale
Hometown: Rancho Santa Fe, California “I strangely was so wrapped up in midterms
University of Colorado outside hitter Alexa Smith worked on her passing skills during the Open tryout.
ing professionally overseas. “Every time I participate in these tryouts, I’m
reminded how honored I am to be among such great players and coaches. Not every collegiate volleyball player gets the chance to interact with the head coach of the national team, so it means a lot to me – and I’m sure to every other girl there – that Karch takes time out of his busy schedule to train us and evaluate us.”
Alexa Smith Outside hitter, University of Colorado Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado
“Although it’s considered a tryout, Karch does a good job of coaching us, too. One thing that really stood out to me during the tryout weekend was the emphasis he put on “just being good.” He explained that the game of volleyball has a lot of ups and downs, and you don’t have to be great all the time. If you can just stay consistently good, that can be enough.
34 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
and a desire to get more sleep that the real nerves didn’t set in at the U.S. Women’s tryout until I was pulling up my knee pads, sitting on court one, looking up at the one and only Karch. Not going to lie – I was star struck. As I sat there, I got some serious pre-tryout nerves, butterflies, knee tapping, the whole thing. “Karch started out by saying that everyone
must be nervous, and that if we weren’t, he’d be worried. He said that this tryout, as much talent as it had, was about the experience and not the talent. He also said that what was most important is that we were to walk away having learned something from a coach, from
a game, from a player, from something. And the wonderful thing about his little introduc- tion was that his suggestion that we ‘take away something’ was what I took away. “The tryout consisted of a lot of live play-
ing. There was a serve-receive warmup, hitting warmup, and then wash drills every session, with a six-on-six tournament the last day. Keeping what Karch said in mind, when I did mess up (because I did; it’s a game of mistakes), I was able to shake it off and remember that the experience was the goal. Throughout the tryout, all the liberos were high-fiving one another after each play, coaches were engaged, and music was playing. The atmosphere was, in basic adjectives, fun and exciting. If I got anything out of my weekend in the USA gym, it was that we play volleyball because it’s so much fun to compete in a room full of people who will do anything to prevent a ball from hitting the floor. Without a doubt, it was the atmosphere, and the way that Karch set up that atmosphere to begin the tryout, that stuck with me the most.”
You can play for the USA, too!
Participating in a U.S. Women’s National Team Open tryout is only one of many opportunities available to players who aspire to compete and train at the next level up from their high school and club teams. Each year, USAV’s High Performance Department hosts numerous tryouts in more than 30 locations throughout the country for indoor alone, and beach has similar events – known as assessment camps – for those interested in the beach discipline. If you attend an indoor tryout for either gender, you can qualify for age-group
training programs and camps as well give yourself a chance to be selected for the U.S. Youth and Junior National Teams. To get details on USA Volleyball’s High Performance tryouts, beach assessment camps, competitions and national age-group teams, go to
www.usavolleyball.org and click “HP” in the toolbar at the top.
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