Teknipp to Replace Mahaffey in Singapore

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (August 3, 2010) – USA Volleyball has released a modified roster for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games to be held Aug. 21-26 in Singapore.

Middle blocker/outside hitter Lauren Teknipp (McDonough, Ga.) will now be traveling as one of the 12-players to compete in the Games. The change is due to middle blocker Madison Mahaffey (Vestavia Hills, Ala.) suffering an injury that will not allow her to participate in the Games.

“It's very unfortunate that Madison Mahaffey will be unable to participate in the Youth Olympic Games,” USA Volleyball Managing Director of High Performance Indoor Programs Tom Pingel said. “She is a physical middle that knows all of the other team members either through her participation at the 2nd Women’s Junior National Team tryout in May or through the HP Championships.” 

Fortunately, the 19 players that the 12-player roster was decided from is stacked with outstanding athletes that can fill in any role required. Per the Youth Olympic Games regulations, injury substitutions are required to come from the 19-player preliminary roster.

“Fortunately, Lauren Teknipp is able to replace Madison,” Pingel said. “Lauren had a strong showing at the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships in July and is able to play all positions along the net.”

The Youth Olympic Games will host 3,600 athletes from ages 14-18 that participate on one of 26 different sports. Over 20 National Olympic Committees will be sending teams to the Games. The goal of the event is to teach athletes the basics of Olympism, their ability to have a positive impact on those around them and learning about new cultures. Five educational themes are the driving force of the event; Olympism, skills development, well-being and healthy lifestyle, social responsibility and expression.

Along with these educational themes, the event is doing its part in helping the environment and hopefully engaging an estimated 26,000 spectators to “Go Green”. All of the venues hosting the Games have been declared as environmentally-friendly.

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)
10 - Elizabeth McMahon (MB, 6-6, Liberty Township, Ohio, Team Z, Ohio Valley)
11 - Katie Mitchell (OH, 6-3, The Woodlands, Texas, Texas Pride VBC, 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)
17 - Lauren Teknipp (MB/OH, 6-2, McDonough, Ga., A5, Southern)

Head Coach: Rodney Wilde (USA)
Assistant Coach: Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa (USA)

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

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

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

Gold Medal
August 26: Winner of Match 7 vs. Winner of Match 8, 9:00 a.m. (Match 11)

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