CHICAGO, Ill. - In the opening match of a three-match series between the
"USPV Dream Team" and the Australian Women's National Team, the USPV took
home a victory, winning three straight games: 25-20, 25-18 and 25-15.
USPV outside hitters Therese Crawford and Elsa Stegemann led the attack with
13 kills a piece and local setter Bonnie Bremner, from Lisle, Ill., added 32
assists. Defensively, Stegemann contributed 14 digs followed by Crawford
with nine and libero Jennifer Wrightson adding seven. Middle blocker Kelly
Kennedy, a native of Barrington Hills, tallied two solo blocks and teammates
Yang Zhe, Crawford and Stegemann each had a solo block to solidify the USPV
defense.
"The match was a learning experience for this team, we saw the areas we need
to improve upon for the next match," said Head Coach Arie Selinger. "We
need to reduce our serving errors and our attack needs to be more
consistent. I believe our defense earned us this victory," added Selinger.
"I know we provided Australia with a challenge tonight. They will see teams
like us and even better in the Sydney Olympics so tonight, we gave them a
taste of what is to come," commented Elsa Stegemann. "I thought our defense
was solid but we had too many service errors and which will need improvement
for us to bring home another win," Stegemann added.
Approximately 300 fans attended the first exhibition match between the USPV
and Australia at Naperville North High School. The two teams pair off at
Hoffman Estates High School in Hoffman Estates, Ill., at 7:00 p.m on July 7.
On Saturday, July 8, the USPV and Australia square off again in Madison,
Wis., at 7:00 p.m. at James Madison Memorial High School. The Australian
National Team included the USPV training camp as they make their way back to
Sydney for the Summer Olympics later this year. Visit the USPV website at
www.uspv.com for more information on stats and the upcoming matches.
The USA Women’s National Team ended a four-match series against Olympic-host Australia with a 25-19, 25-12, 25-19 victory to sweep the series. The Americans did not drop a set in the four matches.
Heather Bown led Team USA with 11 kills and seven blocks. Logan Tom added 11 kills and eight digs. Libero Stacy Sykora paced the defense with 15 digs.
Louisville, KY - The USA Women's National Volleyball Team earned its third
straight victory against the Australian National Team last night. Team USA
polished off Australia 25-12, 25-17, 25-11 in just over one hour. Team USA
demonstrated strong blocking, forcing Australia into many hitting errors.
"We played well tonight, we committed very few errors and blocked balls we
should have," USA Head Coach Mick Haley said.
Team USA surpassed the Australians in every statistical category. USA
posted more kills (38-27), doubled the kill percentage (46-28), out-blocked
(11-6) and played relentless defense (45-31). Demetria Sance led Team USA
with 11 kills, nine digs and one ace. Mickisha Hurley started her own Team
USA roofing company with 11 total blocks and had seven kills on 15 attempts
with no errors. Benishe Dillard a business associate to Team USA roofing
company blocked eight balls, had six kills and one service ace. Team
Captain Allison Weston logged in 6 kills, 1 ace, 2 blocks and 2 digs.
Louisville, Ky. - The USA Women's National Volleyball Team used a balanced
attack to defeat Australia in three straight-sets (25-20, 25-16, 25-22)
improving to 2-0 against the Australians in the four-match series.
Team USA dominated the opening two sets, but Australia battled back
threatening to take the third. After scoring three straight points in the
third set, Australia committed two service errors giving the U.S. Team its
23rd and 24th points. Demetria Sance's kill sealed the match for the USA
Women.
Logan Tom led the balanced offensive attack with 12 kills, followed by
Heather Bown with 10 and Sance with eight. Bown also had seven blocks, while
Mickisha Hurley notched five. Laura Davis, starting at libero, led the team
with 14 digs for Team USA.
Louisville, Ky. - The USA Women's National Volleyball Team defeated
Olympic-host Australia 25-16, 25-14, 25-15 to open a four-match series in
conjunction with the NIKE USA Girls Junior National Volleyball
Championships.
Logan Tom led Team USA with 11 kills, followed by Benishe Dillard with
seven. Charlene Tagaloa and Robyn Ah Mow shared the setting duties, and
Sarah Noriega, Mickisha Hurley, Allison Weston and Stacy Sykora earned
starting nods.
Both teams came out slowly in the first set, but Weston got the US going
with six consecutive points to take an early 10-4 lead. The teams traded
sideouts, until a kill by Kerri Walsh ended the set for the Americans. The
second set saw the Americans take a 12-5 advantage behind great ball control
and accurate attacking. Australia put together a run to close the score to
13-18, but Walsh sealed the set with a pair of blocks. Tom and Dillard
helped the team get out to a 14-8 lead in the third set, but Australia
earned three straight points on blocks to close the score to 14-17. After
trading points to 19-15, the Americans reeled off six straight points to end
the match.
CHICAGO, Ill. - The United States Professional Volleyball League (USPV)
announced that the Australian Women's National Volleyball Team is scheduled
to train July 4 - 10 with the USPV athletes in the U.S. Internationally
ranked No. 27, the Australians are preparing for the Summer Olympics in
Sydney later this year. The USPV and the team from Oz plan to play three
exhibition matches open to the public on July 6, 7 and 8.
The best-of-five-games will feature the international format with a 25-point
rally scoring (point per serve) system and the "libero" (free substitute)
player.
WHAT: USPV vs. Australian National Team
WHEN & Thursday, July 6 - 7:00 pm
WHERE: Naperville North High School
899 North Mill Street - Naperville, IL
Friday, July 7 - 7:00 pm
Hoffman Estates High School
1100 East Higgins Road - Hoffman Estates, IL
Saturday, July 8 - 7:00 pm
Memorial High School
201 South Gammon Road - Madison, WI
TICKETS: All tickets $5 at the door. No advance ticket sales.
INFO: Visit the USPV website at www.uspv.com for more information. Athletes
and coaches available post-match for autographs.
The USPV is a women's professional, six-on-six, indoor volleyball league
with headquarters outside Chicago, Ill. Currently the USPV athletes are
playing an exhibition circuit until the league launches in 2001. The
regular playing season is planned for January through April, with finals in
May. With the launch of the USPV, a women's league will precede a men's
league for the first time in sports history. Visit the USPV website at
www.uspv.com or call 1-877-THE-USPV (843-8778) toll free outside Ill. for
more information.
about us
