Jayhawks Attend U.S. Women's National Team Tryouts

Catherine Carmichael, Chelsea Albers, Sara McClinton and Janae Hall each participated in the intense three-day tryout

Redshirt junior Catherine Carmichael tried out for the second-straight season.

Feb. 25, 2013

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Redshirt junior Catherine Carmichael, sophomores Chelsea Albers and Sara McClinton and redshirt freshman Janae Hall represented Kansas volleyball at the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team Open Tryout at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The open tryouts, which ran from Feb. 22-24, are used for evaluations for the U.S. Women's National Team, the U.S. Women's Junior National Team and the U.S. Women's National Volleyball A2 Team program - the same program Kansas head coach Ray Bechard served as an assistant coach with last summer.

"Obviously, it's a very competitive tryout," Bechard said. "Anytime you can spend three days playing with a lot of very talented players - alongside you and across the net - I think it can only help your progression as a volleyball player, but also help a player's confidence to be able to compete at that level."

Carmichael, Albers and McClinton each competed in the national team tryouts a year ago, while Hall tried out for the first time. With a 1994 birthdate, Hall is also eligible to be selected for the U.S. Women's Junior Program, available to athletes born in either 1994 or 1995.

USA Volleyball reported a record 247 athletes signed up to participate in open tryouts in 2013, breaking the previous record of 207 attendees set in 2012. The participants represented 90 different colleges and varied by position: 60 outside hitters, 57 middle blockers, 56 liberos, 49 setters and 25 opposites.

The athletes were split into multiple practice sessions throughout the first two days before Sunday squared teams against each other in a tournament-competition format.

Throughout the tryout process, USA Volleyball used each day to observe and identify prospective athletes for each of its three different programs: first and foremost, the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team Program; those not selected to the National Team may also be considered for an invitation to the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Senior A2 Team; and/or U.S. Women's Junior National Volleyball Team program and its various programs.

ABOUT THE U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TEAM
The U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team Program is available to athletes who have concluded their college eligibility and who wish to be invited to be a member of the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team on a full-time basis. This program could begin as early as the spring of 2013, or when an athlete's scholastic or professional club season has concluded. Also considered for training with this group will be athletes who have remaining collegiate eligibility and their participation beginning in mid-May or when their scholastic calendar ends for 2013.

ABOUT THE U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL SENIOR A2 PROGRAM
The U.S. Women's National Volleyball Senior A2 program is available to athletes with collegiate eligibility remaining for the 2013 season. This program is scheduled to take place in Dallas from June 25 to July 4. A projected 48 athletes will be invited to participate in the program, which will include training and competing at the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships (GJNC) from July 1-4. These athletes may also be invited to participate with the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team.

KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.