|
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - April 26, 2016 – USA Volleyball has
selected Nova
Southeastern University in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as host for the 2016
NORCECA Women’s
U-20 Continental Championship July 26-31. All matches will take
place at the on-campus Don Taft University Center.
Earlier this year NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean
Volleyball Confederation) awarded the United States hosting
rights to the event, which is contested biennially in every
even-numbered year.
The tournament winner will qualify for the 2017 FIVB Volleyball
Women’s U20 World Championship with dates and site to be
announced later this year.
“USA Volleyball is excited to host this great event and bring it
to Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,”
said Lizzy Briones, USA Volleyball coordinator of High
Performance and the staff liaison to the U.S. Women’s Junior
National Team. “We look forward to this event where our athletes
have the opportunity to qualify for their age-group FIVB World
Championship next year.”
A maximum of teams are invited to participate in this year’s
NORCECA Women’s U-20 Continental Championship. The qualified
teams are the United States as host, the top five teams from the
NORCECA Women’s U20 Continental ranking and the three zonal
champions from AFECAVOL, ECVA and CAZOVA Women’s U20 Regional
Championships.
Based on the 2016 qualified field, the countries scheduled to
compete are:
United States (host),
Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, French St. Martin (ECVA
champion), Guatemala (AFECAVOL vice-champion), Haiti (CAZOVA
champion), Mexico and Puerto Rico.
While the U.S. team has not been selected based on on-going
tryouts across the country, the USA Volleyball High Performance
Department can pull from players who won the silver medal at the
2015 FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U18 World Championship. In the first
year of a two-year cycle, these players are moving up to the U20
age group for players born in 1998 or 1999.
Team USA won the most recent NORCECA Women’s U20 Continental
Championship, beating Cuba in straight sets in the championship
match in Guatemala. Rhamat Alhasan, now a star at the University
of Florida, was named the most valuable player and Best Blocker
of the tournament while current University of Washington star
Courtney Schwan was named Best Outside Hitter.
The U.S. Women’s Junior National Team has won the event six out
of the nine editions, including five of the last six
tournaments.
The tournament schedule will be announced at a later date, as
well as how to purchase match tickets. |
