USA Volleyball Release
MADISON, Wis. -- Senior Lauren Carlini of the Wisconsin volleyball team has been named to the U.S. Women's National Team that will compete in the 2016 Pan American Cup scheduled to take place July 2-10 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The 12 athletes are either still in college or recently completed eligibility from their respective college. Selected setters are Lauren Carlini (University of Wisconsin) and Micha Hancock (Penn State). Outside hitters named to the roster are captain Megan Courtney (Penn State), Brittany Howard (Stanford University), Madi Kingdon (University of Arizona) and Taylor Simpson (University of Colorado). Opposites going to the Pan Am Cup are Alex Holston (University of Florida) and Nikki Taylor (University of Hawaii). Middles chosen for the team are Rhamat Alhassan (University of Florida), Kelsie Payne (University of Kansas) and Carly Wopat (Stanford University). The libero will be Justine Wong-Orantes (University of Nebraska).
The U.S. squad is part of the six-team Pool B with Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru and Trinidad & Tobago. The Americans open pool play on July 2 against Peru, followed by Trinidad & Tobago on July 3, Cuba on July 4, Costa Rica on July 5 and Argentina on July 6.
Pool A includes Canada, Colombia, host Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Quarterfinals are set for July 8 with crossover second- and third-place finishers facing off. The two pool winners advance directly to the semifinals on July 9 with the medal rounds set for July 10.
The U.S. has won the Pan American Cup three of the past four years and four total times since the inaugural event in 2002.
Carlini, who has been training with the national team since last week, wrote a blog about her first week of training with the team. She will continue to provide updates as the team travels to the Dominican Republic on Thursday.
Hey everybody!
Lauren Carlini here in Anaheim, California. I'm currently training with the U.S. Women's National Team in a tryout and preparation for the Pan Am Cup in the Dominican Republic. I am going to be giving you all weekly updates on how training is going and so here is part 1!
Week 1 was pretty tough; I am not going to lie! I am going to give you a little insight into how the gym culture works and what types of things the staff believes in when it comes to competing, training, and working together as a team.
First off, the U.S. Women run a unique system where the tempo of the sets is extremely fast no matter where the ball is going. As a setter, you have to be able to locate while still keeping this speed almost anywhere on the court. The first few days I was having trouble getting the speed down without just chucking the ball around, so I didn't win very much.
But, that did not stop me from trying to improve just a little bit everyday. There did not have to be this huge jump in improvement, but I demanded from myself that I just focus on being one percent better. Being a results-oriented person, it was somewhat hard for me to focus on the process and not the W/L record, but if you are in the gym with some of the best players in the country, you can't just focus on yourself. You have to figure out what is working and what you need to improve on and make those changes quickly without dwelling too much on the outcome.
To help with this mindset, I set a goal for myself everyday before practice this week. Day one and two, I focused strictly on the speed and tempo of the sets and getting a little bit better each of those days. Day three my goal was to start connecting with hitters a little more and have better communication lines between us while getting some Ws under my belt.
Day four, I focused on winning games and making other people around me better when I am on the court with them. Finally, on Friday, I wanted to have great setter-hitter connections with whoever I was placed with and once again, make people around me better and help them be the best they can be. As a setter, I believe it is my job to be a "servant" and communicate and play in a way that helps others succeed.
One of the focuses this week in training was communicating on the court. In the USA gym communication is key, especially when we are running such a crazy-fast system. There is communicating between the passers, before the serve, after the serve, quick adjustments made during plays, and constant talk between the setters and hitters. This part of the game got better as the week went on and everyone started connecting a little better by Friday.
Being in a gym with such outstanding players really makes you elevate your game and play to the best of your potential. After coming out here my freshman year, I learned to not be nervous or doubtful, but to just rise to the challenge and be the best I can possibly be each and everyday. As people in the USA gym would put it; you are "ALL IN" anytime you step into the gym.
After a great week of volleyball, the staff had the challenge of narrowing down the team from 20 players to 12. We were told we would get emails Saturday morning letting us know whether or not we made the travel roster for the Pan Am Cup team. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous! I was extremely anxious to get the email because I didn't know whether or not my steady incline of play would be enough to get to compete in the Dominican Republic.
As I found out, it was! I MADE IT! I was so relieved and so happy once I got that email I can't even explain it. I can't wait to get back in the gym this upcoming week and work with everyone on getting better everyday and preparing for the Pan Am Cup. I will continue to set goals each day and keep working on my communication skills with teammates.
The team will continue to practice through Wednesday and leave for the Dominican Republic on Thursday. I can't wait to represent team USA in my first senior national team appearance! Thanks for reading and I'll be back again next week for more updates! Go Badgers!
Go USA! All In!
