Liberos Named USAV Sitting Athletes of the Year

B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 14, 2010) – Liberos Kari Miller and Ed O’Neil have been named the USA Volleyball Sitting Volleyball Athletes of the Year for 2010.

Miller (Washington, D.C.) and O’Neil (Amherst, Mass.) will be USA Volleyball’s nominees for Paralympic SportsWoman and SportsMan of the Year, respectively.

Miller has played libero with the U.S. Women’s Sitting team since 2006 and won a silver medal with the squad at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

In 2010, she helped the United States qualify for the 2012 Paralympics in London with a second-place finish at the Sitting Volleyball World Championships on July 11-18 in Edmond, Okla.

Miller was named Best Libero of the World Championships. She played in 25 sets for the U.S. Women and led the team with 50 "excellent" receptions (2.0 per set). She added 43 digs, 36 of which were considered "excellent", and averaged 1.44 digs per set, second-best among the squad.

Miller also won gold medals with the team at the Parapan American Championships (March 6-8 in Denver) and the WOVD World Cup (March 22-28 in Port Said, Egypt).

Miller said preparing for the World Championships was the highlight of her season.

“It’s difficult having a team spread out like that because you can’t train together,” said Miller, referring to the fact that while a few athletes live at the team’s training center at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), several live in other parts of the country. “People come in rusty. When it came time, everyone gave their best. Seeing their level dramatically improve was a highlight.”

As for her own, play, Miller is rarely satisfied.

“I’m my own worst critic,” she said. “I know I could have done better (at worlds). Certain days I felt like I was on.”

And while Miller enjoys being part of the team, she wouldn’t mind playing a different role.

“I wish I was one of the big girls in the front,” she admitted. “I want to play left front or right front and be able to smash the ball in people’s faces.”

Miller’s mother, Mary Lanuze, is one of Miller’s and the team’s biggest supporters, attending every match and leading the cheers.

Outside of volleyball, Miller will graduate from UCO in May with her bachelor’s degree in biology. She hopes to go to veterinary or medical school when she is done.

Miller, who is a U.S. Army veteran, also serves as an ambassador for the United States Olympic Committee’s Paralympic Military Program. She meets with newly injured veterans while they recover and introduces them to the world of Paralympic sports.

Photo: John Armuth Ed O'Neil (right in white shirt) goes for a pass with teammate Eric Duda during the 2010 Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Edmond, Okla. O’Neil is another sitting volleyball player with military ties. In fact, he is part of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program. He joined the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team late in 2009, moving his family to Edmond so he could be a resident athlete at UCO.

“Ed is more than a worthy candidate (for athlete of the year),” said U.S. Men’s Sitting Team Head Coach Edgar Miraku (Elbasan, Albania). “His dedication and perseverance are what set him apart right now.”

The U.S. Men’s Sitting Team opened the 2010 season by winning the silver medal at the Parapan American Championships in Denver. It finished seventh at the WOVD World Cup in Egypt and 10th at the World Championships in Edmond, Okla.

O’Neil played in 25 sets as libero for the United States and led the team with 39 "excellent" receptions (1.56 per set). He was also tied for first on the team for digs with 29 (1.16 per set).

“The highlight (of the season) would be the World Championships in July,” O’Neil said. “Even if we didn’t do as well as we had hoped, it was the first big international competition I played in. I played above my skill level.”

O’Neil and the team are gearing up for the 2011 season, when they will get their final chance to qualify for the 2012 Paralympic Games at the Parapan American Games on Nov. 19-27 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Only the winning men’s team will qualify.

“I’d like to stay in the libero position and support the team and help them however I can,” O’Neil said. “My goals are the team’s goals.”

Tags: Ed O'Neil, Edgar Miraku, Kari Miller, Paralympic, Parapan American Championships, Parapan American Games, Sitting Volleyball, Sitting Volleyball World Championships, U.S. Men's Sitting Volleyball Team, U.S. Women's Sitting Volleyball Team