U.S. Girls' Youth Moves into NORCECA Title Match

Bill Kauffman
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-2286-6800
E-Mail: bill.kauffman@usav.org

Unofficial DataVolley Match Stats

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 1, 2010) – The U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team topped Puerto Rico 25-23, 25-16, 25-18 Saturday evening during the semifinals of the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The U.S., ranked second in the girls’ youth age division of NORCECA, will seek to win its fifth consecutive biennial NORCECA title in the age group and sixth overall on Sunday as it faces top-seed Mexico at 4 p.m. in the gold-medal mach. In the previous NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship held in 2008 in Puerto Rico, the U.S. swept Mexico in the gold-medal match.

Mexico handled third-seed Dominican Republic 21-25, 25-15, 25-14, 25-20 earlier today in its semifinal match. In the gold-medal match, the U.S. will need to contend with stopping Mexico’s top attacker Samantha Bricio, who made 37 points against Dominican Republic.

By reaching the title match, the U.S. has also qualified for the 2011 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship to be held in Turkey. The NORCECA tournament winner also earns a spot into the first-ever IOC Youth Olympics to be held in August of 2010 in Singapore.

Leading 15-14 in the opening set of its semifinal match, the U.S. scored six of the next seven points to create a 21-15 advantage and held off a late Puerto Rico charge to win 25-23. Team USA used an 8-1 scoring run to break a 2-all tie in the second set and cruised to a 25-16 victory. In the third and final set, the U.S. recovered from a 5-4 deficit with a 14-3 scoring spurt and cruised to a 25-18 victory.

The U.S. middle blockers combined for 21 points as Shelby Sullivan (Richardson, Texas) totaled a match-high 13 points with seven kills on 11 swings and only one error to go with five aces and a block. McCage produced four kills, three blocks and an ace for eight points in the victory. Andie Malloy (Allen, Texas) added eight points, all on kills from 15 attacks and just one error.

Brittany Howard (Los Altos, Calif.) charted seven points in the victory, including five kills and two blocks. Jordan Burgess (Tampa, Fla.) tacked on six points with five kills and a block. Madison Bugg (Apex, N.C.) provided the U.S. with three blocks and an ace to go with 17 excellent sets in running the offense from her setter position. Angela Lowak (New Braunfels, Texas) rounded out the scoring with a kill off the bench.

Haley Pouliezos (Imperial, Mo.) tallied a team-high 10 digs on 25 attempts, along with 10 excellent service receptions on 17 attempts without an error.

“I am really proud of my team,” U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team Head Coach Jim Stone said. “Puerto Rico played wonderful defense and put a lot of pressure on us. I am happy the way my team responded.”

Team USA held a slim 30-29 advantage in kills and finished the match with a .159 hitting efficiency. To offset the hitting numbers, the U.S. held sizeable advantages in blocks (10-5) and aces (7-1). Puerto Rico held a 38-33 advantage in digs.

Stone started Bugg at setter, McCage and Sullivan at middle blocker, Burgess and Howard at outside hitter and Malloy at opposite. Pouliezos is the team’s designated libero for the tournament. Allison Palmer (Laguna Beach, Calif.) was a sub in all three sets, while Lowak was a sub in the second and third sets. Lauren Sieckmann (Omaha, Neb.) was a sub in the first set, while Mimi Eugene (Houston) and Regan Peltier (Nixa, Mo.) were subs in the third set.

Puerto Rico’s Daly Santana led her squad with 12 points, while Pilar Victoria added eight points.

“The match was closer than the score reflects,” Puerto Rican Head Coach Eric Gonzalez said. “Today my team went into a better rhythm and I expect to carry it over to the match for the bronze medal against Dominican Republic tomorrow.”

The U.S. advanced the semifinals by winning Pool C and finishing with a 2.250 points scored ratio. As the Pool winner with the lowest points scored ratio, Puerto Rico needed to defeat Costa Rica in the quarterfinals on Friday evening to advance to the semifinals.

The U.S. has won five of the first six NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championships, including the past four events.

Earlier today, El Salvador defeated Jamaica 25-13, 25-9, 25-10 to finish in ninth place, while Canada swept Trinidad & Tobago 25-16, 25-12, 25-22 to claim seventh place.

The U.S. opened the first set with a 4-0 lead with three service winners by Sullivan after Howard picked up a kill on the first point of the match. Puerto Rico rallied to move within 7-5 and stayed close at 10-8. Team USA responded by taking three of the next four points led by a McCage block to grab a 13-9 advantage. Puerto Rico stayed within striking distance and moved to within one at 15-14 before the U.S. went into the second technical timeout leading 16-14 on a Malloy kill. The Americans came out of the break with two additional points, including Malloy’s fourth point of the set, to regain a four-point cushion at 18-14. The U.S. extended its lead to 22-15 as Sullivan scored her fourth ace of the set around kills from Howard and Malloy and a block from McCage. The U.S. reached set point at 24-20, only to have Puerto Rico saved three set points before the Americans prevailed 25-23.

After trailing 2-1 in the second set, the U.S. rattled off five unanswered points as Burgess scored three straight points between kills from Howard and McCage to assume a 6-2 lead. Team USA rolled off five unanswered points via two Sullivan points, a Bugg block and McCage ace to put the U.S. in front 12.4. Team USA built a nine-point edge at 15-6 following kills from Malloy and Sullivan. The Americans reached a 22-13 advantage essentially by trading points before Puerto Rico notched three straight points to close to 22-16. Sullivan collected a kill to start a 3-0 run to close out the set at 25-16.

Puerto Rico led 5-3 early in the third set, only to have the U.S. answer with the next points starting with a McCage kill followed by three Puerto Rico errors to yield a 7-5 Team USA lead. Leading by a 9-8 count, the American scored seven unanswered points with a block and kill by Howard on consecutive plays between five Puerto Rico errors to give the U.S. a 16-8 edge at the second technical timeout. Puerto Rico clawed back to within five at 20-15. However, the U.S. responded with a quick 4-1 run that included a Bugg ace and kills from Sullivan and Malloy giving the Americans match points at 24-16. After Puerto Rico saved two match points, the U.S. finished out the set with a 25-18 victory.

For additional information on the tournament, visit the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team page at usavolleyball.org/events/3748.

2010 U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team Roster
Player (Pos., Ht, Hometown, Club, Region)
2 - Madison Bugg (S, 6-0, Apex, N.C., 2012, Triangle, Carolina)
3 - Jordan Burgess (OH, 6-0, Tampa, Fla., 2012, Tampa Bay Juniors, Florida)
5 - Mylan “Mimi” Eugene (OH, 5-11, Houston, Texas, 2014, Texas Tornados, Lone Star)
6 - Brittany Howard (OH, 6-3, Los Altos, Calif., 2012, Vision, Northern California)
8 - Angela Lowak (OH, 6-0, New Braunfels, Texas, 2012, Austin Juniors, Lone Star)
9 - Andie Malloy (S/OH, 6-2, Allen, Texas, 2012, Skyline Juniors, North Texas)
11 - Molly McCage (MB, 6-3, Spring, Texas, 2012, Texas Team, Lone Star)
12 - Allison Palmer (S, 5-9, Laguna Beach, Calif., 2012, Laguna Beach Volleyball Club, Southern California)
13 – Regan Peltier (MB, 6-2, Nixa, Mo., 2012, Midwest Xplosion, Heart of America)
14 - Haley Pouliezos (L, 5-7, Imperial, Mo., 2012, High Performance, Gateway)
15 - Chloe Reinig (MB, 6-4, Detroit, Mich., 2013, Michigan Elite, Lakeshore)
17 - Lauren Sieckmann (S, 5-11, Omaha, Neb., 2012, Nebraska Elite, Great Plains)
18 - Shelby Sullivan (MB, 6-2, Richardson, Texas, 2012, TAV, North Texas)
^ Chloe Reinig originally selected to team, but withdrew due to illness

Head Coach: Jim Stone (USA Volleyball High Performance Coach)
Assistant Coach: Melissa Wolter (University of West Florida)
Assistant Coach: Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa (USA Volleyball High Performance Coach)
Team Leader: Diane French (USA Volleyball High Performance)

2010 NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship
Pool A: Costa Rica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago
Pool B: El Salvador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico
Pool C: Canada, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, United States

2010 NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship Final Pool Standings

Pool A (Record / Point Ratio)
Mexico 2-0 / 2.344
Costa Rica 1-1 / 0.863
Trinidad & Tobago 1-1 / 0.652

Pool B (Record / Point Ratio)
Puerto Rico 2-0 / 1.948
Guatemala 1-1 / 0.910
El Salvador 0-2 / 0.593

Pool C (Record / Point Ratio)
USA 3-0 / 2.250
Dominican Republic 2-1 / 1.317
Canada 1-2 / 0.946
Jamaica 0-3 / 0.262

2010 NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship Schedule

April 27
Pool C: Canada def. Jamaica 25-10, 25-9, 25-15
Pool B: Puerto Rico def. El Salvador 25-8, 25-11, 25-12
Pool A: Mexico def. Trinidad & Tobago 25-16, 25-7, 25-11
Pool C: USA def. Dominican Republic 25-12, 25-18, 25-15

April 28
Pool A: Costa Rica def. Trinidad & Tobago 25-12, 22-25, 25-13, 22-25, 15-11
Pool C: USA def. Jamaica 25-4, 25-7, 25-4
Pool B: Guatemala def. El Salvador 25-21, 25-18, 25-19
Pool C: Dominican Republic def. Canada 21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-19

April 29
Pool C: Dominican Republic def. Jamaica 25-4, 25-4, 25-2
Pool A: Mexico def. Costa Rica 25-9, 25-10, 25-11
Pool B: Puerto Rico def. Guatemala 25-19, 25-16, 25-11
Pool C: USA def. Canada 25-14, 25-12, 25-14

April 30
Match 13: Classification 7/10: Trinidad & Tobago (3A) def. Jamaica (4C) 25-16, 25-12, 25-10
Match 14: Classification 7/10: Canada (3C) def. El Salvador (3B) 25-11, 25-15, 25-18
Match 15: Quarterfinal 1: Puerto Rico (1B) def. Costa Rica (2A) 23-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-16
Match 16: Quarterfinal 2: Dominican Republic (2C) def. Guatemala (2B) 25-11, 25-16, 25-13 

May 1
Match 17: Classification 9-10: El Salvador def. Jamaica 25-13, 25-9, 25-10
Match 18: Classification 7-8: Canada def. Trinidad & Tobago 25-16, 25-12, 25-22
Match 19: Semifinal: Mexico (1A) def. Dominican Republic 21-25, 25-15, 25-14, 25-20
Match 20: Semifinal: USA (1C) def. Puerto Rico 25-23, 25-16, 25-18

May 2
Match 21: Classification 5-6: Costa Rica vs. Guatemala, Noon
Match 22: Bronze Medal: Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico, 2 p.m.
Match 23: Gold Medal: USA vs. Mexico, 4 p.m.

Past NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship Results
Year Gold Silver Bronze
1998 USA PUR CAN
2000 PUR USA DOM
2002 USA DOM PUR
2004 USA PUR MEX
2006 USA DOM PUR
2008 USA MEX DOM

Tags: 2010 U.S. Girls' Youth National Team, Allison Palmer, Andie Malloy, Angela Lowak, Brittany Howard, Haley Pouliezos, Jim Stone, Jordan Burgess, Lauren Sieckmann, Madison Bugg, Molly McCage, Mylan Eugene, NORCECA, NORCECA Girls' Youth Continental Championship, Regan Peltier, Shelby Sullivan, U.S. Girls' Youth National Team