Women's Sitting Teams to Cross in Denver

Becky Murdy
Assistant, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
Email: becky.murdy@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 10, 2011) - The only team in recent history that the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team has not been able to beat is China, and this weekend the two teams will meet on the courts in Denver in hopes for high-level competition over revenge.     

“We are approaching these matches with a specific focus and revenge is not a part of that focus,” Hamiter said. “I would say our players should be highly motivated to compete against this team. We do not have a chance to see the Chinese play much so this is a great opportunity for us.”

The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball team will play exhibition matches at the Colorado Crossroads on March 17-20 in Denver against a provincial women’s team from China, which won the 2010 Sitting Volleyball World Championship. U.S. Sitting Volleyball head coach and high performance director Bill Hamiter (Bethany, Okla.) is looking forward to the weekend, knowing that this type of playing opportunity is not easy to come by. 

“Because there are limited opportunities to play matches, especially in the U.S., every match we can play is very important to us,” Hamiter said.

The last time the two teams met on the court was at the 2010 Sitting Volleyball World Championships, held in July at the University of Central Oklahoma. The U.S. Women took home the silver, falling to China in the championship match. The rivalry between the teams dates back to the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, where China outscored the U.S. Women twice—once in pool play and again the gold medal match.

By placing first and second respectively in the Sitting World Championships, both China and the U.S. Women have qualified for the 2012 Paralympics, creating an uncommon opportunity for the U.S. team to kick-start its preparation for London without worry.

“Since we qualified for the 2012 London Paralympics last year, we don’t have the pressure to qualify this year,” Hamiter said. “We can focus on the development of our new players, refining our systems of play and gain experience for our veterans.”

The exhibition match also serves as a potential “tryout” for the U.S. Women to earn a roster position for the 2012 Paralympics. Hamiter expects high talent and competition, creating an ideal atmosphere for new players to showcase their skills and for veterans to showcase their improvements. 

“Our goal is to expand our talent pool so players have to battle to make the Paralympic roster next year and maximize the competition for starting positions,” Hamiter said. “Part of our strategic plan in expanding our talent pipeline is to play matches at large junior volleyball events. This not only helps to promote sitting volleyball but also gives us a chance to identify future players.”

The matches create an opening for the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team to promote the sport and its successes in addition to showcasing the players’ skills. Following the Saturday morning match at 10 a.m., the team will have an autograph session followed by a sitting volleyball Clinic open to everyone. Another autograph session will take place after the 5 p.m. match on Saturday.

“This not only helps to promote sitting volleyball but also gives us a chance to identify future players,” Hamiter said. “Our outtake for the weekend is to have some high level play, to gain some scouting information and be able to accomplish the three areas we are focused on.”

For more information and Colorado Crossroad entry prices click here.

U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Crossroads Schedule

Thursday, March 17
5 p.m. USA practice 

Friday, March 18
8 a.m. USA Practice
5 p.m. Match

Saturday, March 19
10 a.m. Match
USA Autograph session following match
11:30 a.m. Sitting Volleyball Clinic following match. Open to everyone.
5 p.m. Match
USA Autograph session following match

Sunday, March 20
9 a.m. Match

U.S. Women's Sitting Team

Allison Aldrich (Schuyler, Neb.)
Monique Burkland (Plainview, Okla.)
Heather Erickson (Fayetteville, N.C.)
Michelle Gerlosky (Lake Wales, Fla.)
Katie Holloway (Lake Stevens, Wash.)
Kendra Lancaster (Westfield, Ind.)
Brenda Maymon (Sellersburg, Ind.)
Kari Miller (Whington, D.C.)
Nichole Millage (Champaign, Ill.)
Bethany Zummo (Dublin, Calif.)

Staff

Bill Hamiter – Head Coach
Cara Lang – Asst. Coach & Stats
Jarrett Austin - Athletic Trainer

Tags: Allison Aldrich, Bill Hamiter, Brenda Maymon, China, Heather Erickson, Kari Miller, Katie Holloway, Kendra Lancaster, Michelle Gerlosky, Monique Burkland, Nichole Millage, Sitting Volleyball, U.S. Women's Sitting Volleyball Team