Mahaffey Helping to Rezone the Game of Volleyball

Erin Campbell
Intern, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6864
E-Mail: erin.campbell@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 16, 2010) – When one thinks of volleyball “hotbeds,” California and Texas are usually the first two states that come to mind.

But with the ever growing popularity of the sport, this is beginning to change. Madison Mahaffey, a middle blocker and one of the 12 U.S. players participating in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore from Aug. 21-26, is part of that movement to spread competitive volleyball across the U.S.

Mahaffey (Vestavia Hills, Ala.) is excited about representing the Southern Region of the United States at the Games.

“It’s awesome representing our area,” Mahaffey said. “Everyone always kids and asks, ‘Are you going to the Olympics?’. When the opportunity came to me, my Dad had told me about it, and we knew it was such a big deal. It’s so big for Alabama. I was talking with my athletic director about the whole opportunity and he said, ‘Something like this has never happened before.’”

Mahaffey, who goes by Madi, tried out for the U.S. Women’s Junior Team and did not make it. She had a lot of friends that had made the team and communicated with them over Facebook while they were competing in the NORCECA Women’s Junior (U-20) Continental Championship held July 5-10. She was upset she missed the opportunity and envied the opportunity to represent the United States.

“I didn’t think I’d have another opportunity to do something like this,” Mahaffey said.  “I told Rod [Wilde] at the national tryout thank you so much for what he’d done. I told him that this was my last opportunity. Now I have another chance and I’m really excited for it.”

Mahaffey will be missing her high school preseason, two matches, a tournament and two weeks of school, something she had to okay with her athletic director and high school coach.

“[High School Head Coach Mandy Burgess] is ecstatic,” Mahaffey said. “She was very excited for me when I got the news. She wants to make sure that the other girls aren’t taking it as skipping some of the season and that I’m just going to hop right back into things. I’ll still be playing, even though it’s out of the country. I’ll still be doing the same things as them - just not with them. My Dad will be sending me my homework through scan and email.”

Even though it might seem as though she’s missing out on something as special as her senior year, the opportunity to represent the USA in the Youth Olympic Games is something worth missing.

For more information on the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, click here.

2010 U.S. Youth Olympic Game Roster:

# - Player (Position, Height, Hometown, Club, Region)
3 - Samantha Cash (MB, 6-3, San Diego, Calif., Coast Volleyball Club, Southern California)
4 - Crystal Graff (OH, 6-3, Madison, Wis., Capital Volleyball Club, Badger)
5 - Micha Hancock (S, 5-11, Edmond, Okla., Oklahoma Peak, Oklahoma)
6 - Jade Hayes (OH/L, 6-0, Ozark, Mo., Springfield Juniors, Heart of America)
7 - Christina Higgins (OH, 6-2, Inglewood, Calif., Sport Shack, Southern California)
8 - Madison Kamp (S, 6-1, Orland, Ill., Ultimate VBC, Great Lakes)
9 - Madison Mahaffey (MB, 6-4, Vestavia Hills, Ala., Team Sting, Southern)
10 - Elizabeth McMahon (MB, 6-6, Liberty Township, Ohio, Team Z, Ohio Valley)
11 - Katie Mitchell (OH, 6-3, The Woodlands, Texas, Texas Tornados, Lone Star)
12 - Tiffany Morales (Libero, 5-5, Redondo Beach, Calif., Mizuno Long Beach, Southern California)
14 - Olivia Okoro (MB, 6-1, Carrollton, Texas, Dallas Premier, North Texas)
16 - Taylor Simpson (OH, 6-3, Colorado Springs, Colo., Colorado Juniors, Rocky Mountain)

Head Coach: Rod Wilde
Assistant Coach: Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa

2010 Youth Olympic Games
Aug. 21-26 (Singapore)
Toa Payons Sports Hall (Volleyball)
(All Times Listed as Local Time)

Pool A
August 21: Singapore vs. Peru, 12:30 p.m. (Match 1)
August 22: Singapore vs. Japan, 10:00 a.m. (Match 3)
August 23: Peru vs. Japan, 12:30 p.m. (Match 5)

Pool B
August 21: Belgium vs. Egypt, 3:30 p.m. (Match 2)
August 22: USA vs. Belgium, 6:00 p.m. (Match 4)
August 23: USA vs. Egypt, 3:30 p.m. (Match 6)

Semifinal
August 24: Pool A1 vs. Pool B2, 12:30 p.m. (Match 7)
August 24: Pool B1 vs. Pool A2, 3:30 p.m. (Match 8)

Finals

5-6 Place
August 25: Pool A3 vs. Pool B3, 12:30 p.m. (Match 9)

Bronze
August 25: Match 7 Loser vs. Match 8 Loser, 3:30 p.m. (Match 10)

Gold
August 26: Match 7 Winner vs. Match 8 Winner, 9 a.m. (Match 11)

Tags: 2010 U.S. Girls' Youth Olympic Team, Madison Mahaffey, Youth Olympic Games