June 14, 2013
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following a rigorous week-long training session at the United States Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., Georgia Tech sophomore middle blocker Chanell Clark-Bibbs was selected to the 12-player roster for the 2013 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team (WJNT).
Clark-Bibbs is only the second Yellow Jacket in program history to make the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team and the first since Kyleen Bell played for the squad in 1999. The U.S. Women’s Junior National Team is the highest level of programming for the junior age group.
“I am so excited and proud of Chanell for earning this great opportunity to represent the USA Junior National Team,” Georgia Tech head coach Tonya Johnson said. “She is certainly deserving of this honor and is very excited to represent her country. The experiences she will gain from playing the best of the best in her age group overseas will be invaluable.”
A native of Houston, Texas, Clark-Bibbs was named to the 2012 All-ACC freshman team after tallying 1.80 kills per set with a total of 117 on the season – fourth-best on the team. She posted the second-most solo blocks on the team with 10 and a 0.88 per game average.
The WJNT departs from Lake Placid to the Czech Republic on Saturday. Upon arrival, the WJNT will train for four days prior to the first day of competition. Group play will be held June 21-25 followed by the playoff rounds beginning on June 26, where the matchups will depend on the results of group play.
The FIVB has expanded the FIVB Volleyball Women’s U20 Junior World Championship from 16 teams to 20 teams for this edition. Group A consists of Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Peru, Chinese Taipei and Puerto Rico. Group B consists of China, Serbia, Japan, Thailand and Colombia. Group C consists of Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Russia and Bulgaria. Lastly, Group D consists of Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria.
Team USA opens Pool C versus Bulgaria on June 21 at 5:15 p.m. local time (11:15 a.m. ET), followed by Brazil on June 22 at 5:15 p.m. local time (11:15 a.m. ET), Mexico on June 24 at 12:45 p.m. local time (6:45 a.m. ET) and Russia on June 25 at 5:15 p.m. local time (11:15 a.m. ET). All Pool C matches take place in Brno at the SH Vodova Hall.
The 2013 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team roster:
Name (#, Position, Hometown, Club,)
1 – Sarah Burrington (MB, 6-5, Ruskin, Fla., Florida State University)
3 – Jordan Burgess (OH, 6-0, Tampa, Fla., Stanford University)
5 – Nicole Edelman (S, 6-0, Boulder, Colo., University of Colorado)
7 – Merete Lutz (MB, 6-8, Houston, Stanford University)
8 – Kelsey Humphreys (S, 6-0, Newport Beach, Calif., Stanford University)
9 – Andie Malloy (OH, 6-2, Allen, Texas, Iowa State University)
12 – Allison Palmer (S/DS, 5-9, Laguna Beach, Calif., Arizona State University)
14 – Canace Finley (MB, 6-3, Fort Collins, Colo., University of Oregon)
15 – Amber Rolfzen (OH, 6-3, Papillion, Neb., University of Nebraska)
17 – Kierra Holst (OH, 6-4, Coppell, Texas, University of Oklahoma)
18 – Chanell Clark-Bibbs (MB, 6-1, Houston, Georgia Tech)
19 – Caitlin Nolan (L, 5-8, Southlake, Texas, Iowa State University)
Staff
Head Coach: Rod Wilde (USA Volleyball High Performance, Madison, Wis.)
Assistant Coach: Charlene Whitted (USA Volleyball High Performance, New Albany, Ohio)
Assistant Coach: Blaine Tendler (Piedmont Mizuno Volleyball Club, Burlington, N.C.)
Team Manager: Denise Corlett (Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.)
