June 28, 2005
Georgia Tech volleyball assistant coach Ben Bodipo-Memba recently helped the United States Women’s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the Pan American Cup, held from June 10-18 in the Dominican Republic, qualifying the team for the 2006 World Grand Prix.
Bodipo-Memba was with the U.S. Women’s National Team for over a month, joining national team head coach “Jenny” Lang Ping, who begins her first year at the helm of the team. During that month, Bodipo-Memba, a former U.S. National Team member, assisted in all aspects of daily training and opponent scouting.
Following the month-long training session in Colorado Springs, Colo., Bodipo-Memba then accompanied the team to the Domincan Republic to compete in the Pan American Games, helping the team to a fourth place finish. At the Pan Am Games, which features the top 12 teams in North America, South America and the Caribbean, the team qualified for the 2006 World Grand Prix.
“It was a great honor to be invited to coach the U.S. National Team,” said Bodipo-Memba. “I had the opportunity to learn from one of the world’s greatest coaches in Lang Ping and it was a tremendous learning experience. As a coach, I am constantly striving to learn more about the sport of volleyball and I am excited to have gained more insight on different aspects of the game to enhance my coaching aptitude.”
“It is an honor for Ben to coach with the USA team,” said head coach Bond Shymansky. “The experience will be very beneficial for our volleyball program and for Ben as a coach. We are excited to add some of the new techniques and ideas to our training package this upcoming season.”
Bodipo-Memba joined the volleyball staff in 2002 and begins his fourth season as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech, which has made appearances in the NCAA Tournament in each of his seasons as an assistant coach.
