U.S. Edges Belgium at Youth Olympic Games

Bill Kauffman
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: bill.kauffman@usav.org

Official Stats - Additional Quotes

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 22, 2010) – The U.S. Girls’ Youth Olympic Team defeated top-seed Belgium 25-22, 15-25, 25-20, 18-25, 15-11 in Pool B action of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games being staged Aug. 21-26 in Singapore.

The U.S. concludes pool play against Egypt (0-1) on Aug. 23 at 3:30 p.m. local time (1:30 a.m. Mountain Time). The top two teams in each three-team pool advances to the crossover semifinals to be played Aug. 24. To follow the U.S. squad at the Youth Olympic Games, visit usavolleyball.org/events/4749.

Peru and Japan have already qualified for the semifinal crossover in Pool A as both defeated Singapore in three sets. Peru won its match with the host country on Aug. 21, while Japan topped Singapore on Sunday. Peru and Japan meet on Aug. 23 to determine the top seed out of Pool A.

Samantha Cash (San Diego, Calif.) and Elizabeth McMahon (Liberty Township, Ohio) paced the American offense with 13 points apiece. Cash collected nine kills, two blocks and two aces, while McMahon turned in 12 kills on 34 attacks as part of her scoring effort. Taylor Simpson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added nine kills on 29 swings, two blocks and an ace for 12 points. Crystal Graff (Madison, Wis.) contributed 11 points coming off the bench, while Lauren Teknipp (McDonough, Ga.) chipped in seven points. Katie Mitchell (The Woodlands, Texas) charted six points, while Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) rounded out the scoring with five points.

“We got stronger as the match went on,” U.S. Girls’ Youth Olympic Team Head Coach Rod Wilde said. “We had some setbacks in sets two and four, but the team’s effort was very good. We have not been together very long, so we still need to develop an identity of who we are. In sets two and four, girls were looking for somebody else to make plays instead of stepping up.”

The U.S., ranked 14th in the FIVB junior women’s world ranking, held a 49-46 advantage in kills as it converted 33.3 percent of its attacks into kills to Belgium’s 31.9 percent. Belgium, ranked sixth in the FIVB junior women’s world ranking and the highest ranked team at the Youth Olympic Games, held a slim 10-9 margin in blocks and a 13-9 advantage in blocks. The U.S. Girls’ Youth Olympic Team committed 34 errors during the match, compared to Belgium’s 31.

“That was a really fun game, and it was good to beat such a talented team,” Cash said. “This gives us more confidence, but we are going to keep working hard because this was not our best. We can get better.”

Wilde started Hancock at setter, McMahon at opposite, Simpson and Mitchell at outside hitter, and Cash and Teknipp at middle blocker. Tiffany Morales (Redondo Beach, Calif.) was the designated libero for the match. Graff started the second and fifth sets. Olivia Okoro (Carrollton, Texas) was a sub in the fourth set, while Jade Hayes (Ozark, Mo.) was a sub in the fifth set.

“That was the most exciting game I have ever played in,” Simpson said. “This match shows us that we can always push through and that nothing is too difficult.”

Belgium’s Lotte Penders totaled a match-high 20 points with 16 kills on 35 attacks while adding three aces and a block. Laura Heyrman added 18 points with 13 kills, three blocks and two aces.

“In the second and fourth sets, we served better and were more efficient,” Belgium Head Coach Julien Van De Vyver said. “America is a great team. I knew that it would be hard.”

The Youth Olympic Games is hosting 3,600 athletes from ages 14-18 that participate on one of 26 different sports. Over 20 National Olympic Committees are participating in 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.

Several Web sites are available for the general fan to follow the volleyball action at the Youth Olympic Games. For statistics, photos and other match information, the FIVB has a site portal devoted to the Youth Olympic Games. To reach the site, click here. The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Youth Olympic Games site for results and information can be found by clicking here. In addition, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) has its own Web portal set up at youtholympicgames.teamusa.org.

The Youth Olympic Games video programming will air daily at 2 p.m. ET and be repeated at midnight ET from August 15-27. The show will feature all 26 sports contended over the 13-day duration of the Youth Olympic Games. Universal Sports’ show will feature highlights, news and information based on the day’s events. There will also be VOD highlights available on www.universalsports.com. In addition, the IOC has created www.youtholympicgames.org for webcasts - both live and on demand.

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: Peru def. Singapore 25-11, 25-13, 25-12 (Match 1)
August 22: Japan def. Singapore 25-9, 25-16, 25-9 (Match 3)
August 23: Peru vs. Japan, 12:30 p.m. (Match 5)

Pool B
August 21: Belgium def. Egypt 25-11, 25-12, 25-10
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, 10 a.m./7 p.m. Pacific Time on Aug. 23 (Match 7)
August 24: Pool B1 vs. Pool A2, 6 p.m./3 a.m. Pacific Time (Match 8)

Finals

5-6 Place
August 25: Pool A3 vs. Pool B3, 12:30 p.m./9:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Aug. 24 (Match 9)

Bronze
August 25: Match 7 Loser vs. Match 8 Loser, 3:30 p.m./12:30 a.m. Pacific Time (Match 10)

Gold
August 26: Match 7 Winner vs. Match 8 Winner, 9 a.m./6 p.m. Pacific Time on Aug. 25 (Match 11)

Tags: 2010 U.S. Girls' Youth Olympic Team, 2010 Youth Olympic Games, Christina Higgins, Crystal Graff, Jade Hayes, Katie Mitchell, Lauren Teknipp, Liz McMahon, Madison Kamp, Micha Hancock, Olivia Okoro, Rod Wilde, Samantha Cash, Taylor Simpson, Tiffany Morales, YOG, youth, Youth Olympic Games, Youth Olympics