Lloyd Hopes to Set Up Spot for 2012

Just a couple of months ago, Carli Lloyd found herself on top of the world.

Lloyd, a 5-11 setter, helped lead the University of California, Berkeley women’s volleyball team to the NCAA Division I championship match.

Carli Lloyd setting the ball. (USA Volleyball/Bill Kauffman)

Although the Bears lost to juggernaut Penn State in the title match in Kansas City, Mo., Lloyd was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I player of the year — a prestigious and long-standing honor voted on by collegiate coaches. She’s the first Cal women’s player to win the award.

Now Lloyd finds herself firmly entrenched in her next challenge on the volleyball court. Lloyd, a native of the small Southern California town of Bonsall, is currently training at the U.S. women’s national team facility (American Sports Centers) in Anaheim, Calif., as part of the program’s winter training block.

Lloyd is no stranger to USA Volleyball. She had been part of the A2 women’s national program throughout her collegiate career at Cal. This time, however, she is with the U.S. Women’s National Training Team, a group of post-collegiate athletes who are hoping to parlay their experience this winter into an invitation to the full women’s national team.

Since the top U.S. players are overseas playing professionally, the winter training block allows the younger players to work extensively with the national team coaching staff.

“We’re going through three months of training with the hopes of being invited in the summer with the national team,” Lloyd said. “If you don’t make it, you are let go but at least you’re able to learn the U.S. style of volleyball.”

Lloyd, the first three-time women’s A2 national team member as former Cal teammate Tarah Murrey became the second three-time A2 selection last week, has been pleased with how her training has progressed during the winter block.

“It’s been real good,” she said. “It’s changed from the first year when Jenny Lang Ping was the head coach. Tryouts have changed. It’s nice because they know my name. I’m not brand new. That gets a little of the nerves out because I’ve been in the environment before. You do have nerves, but this is definitely exciting.”

Carli Lloyd #6 sets the ball. (USA Volleyball/Bill Kauffman)

Lloyd realizes she’s facing a big step up in competition from her A2 training days. The A2 team is only available to players with remaining college eligibility.

“The winter training block is definitely a lot tougher than the previous programs,” she said. “When you would go to the A2 tryouts it would be on the same weekend and then it was a 10-day program in the summer and you competed at adult nationals. This is three months. It’s a lot longer period of time. You feel like you are part of the program.

“The time I’ve been here now, I am able to learn a lot more. With the A2 program, it’s 10 days and you have five days of competition and then you are out. This is much more hands-on time. You are lifting with the trainers. It feels like more of a team experience in college.”

But Lloyd feels a different vibe in terms of that team atmosphere.

“It’s a time commitment for a different reason,” she explained. “You are training for the next step. You are training for the national team or the Olympics. With the A2 program, you are training in your off-season of college. It’s been very different, but both programs have been great experiences for me.”

Tarah Murrey, Lloyd’s former Cal teammate, also played with the setter on the A2 team in past years. Murrey credits Lloyd for her growth as a player, a direct result from the amount of time the two have been able to play and spend together.

“I have had the opportunity to play with Carli on both of the A2 teams, which really helped my development as a player,” Murrey said. “It is such an important bond and relationship to have.”

Lloyd does not shy away from the fact she would like to be issued a uniform and a plane ticket marked for London and the 2012 Olympic Games.

“Oh yeah,” she exclaimed. “It’s been a goal for a long time. I started playing volleyball in sixth grade. That year I made it one of my goals to get a full ride to play Division I volleyball. And since I started, I always told myself that I wanted to play the sport forever. I love what I do. I want to play in the Olympics. As long as I can remember I have wanted to be in the Olympics.”

Carli Lloyd. (USA Volleyball)

While it is more advantageous from a learning perspective compared to the briefer in scope A2 program, Lloyd admits there is more pressure with her current endeavor.

“We’re only there three months,” she said of the winter training block. “I was at Cal for four years. We were together all the time at Cal and were growing and learning together. The environment was a little more relaxed. In Anaheim, we’re all competing for spots at the same time. We’re supposed to build team chemistry, but we want to excel as individuals every day in practice. We learned one system at Cal and now we’re learning a new system here in a shorter amount of time.

“It’s challenging, but like I said, I love it. If some of us don’t make it, we’ve still been challenged to learn a great system and we can take those skills overseas or use them if we become coaches some day. I’m loving volleyball and it’s nice to learn a ton at the same time.”

Lloyd is blown away by the instruction she has been receiving from U.S. coach Hugh McCutcheon and assistant coach and volleyball legend Karch Kiraly. MCCutcheon guided the U.S. men’s volleyball team to the gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games; Kiraly is a three-time Olympic gold medalist (two golds in indoor volleyball and one in beach volleyball).

“Hugh is a brilliant man,” she said. “I love his philosophy and I love the way he talks about being positive. He recognizes what we need to do to get better. I actually find him intimidating. He’s such a powerful guy in the volleyball world. I respect him so much. And it’s amazing knowing that you are being coached by the best player ever (in Kiraly). I’ve admired Karch from afar. I’m in the gym now hanging onto every word that comes out of his mouth. Everyone that is in that gym knows so much. We get a ton of work in. I’m in love with our coaching staff. They’ve been really good.”

McCutcheon has been impressed with what he has seen thus far from the former Cal setter.

“Carli is a very good setter and a great athlete,” said McCutcheon, who will coach the national team through the 2012 Games before taking over as the University of Minnesota women’s volleyball coach. “She is physical and has a good feel for the game. We think she has a future in international volleyball.” 

Lloyd, who helps coach a local club team run by her uncle and mother, enjoys being able to go home on the weekends. She stays with the other players in Anaheim during the week.

“We’re in the gym every day,” she said. “It’s nice being able to see my family on weekends.”

Regardless of the outcome of her current training, Lloyd has no plans to stop anytime soon.

“I love coaching,’’ she said. “It’s completely different, but it’s still very challenging. But I still have a lot of years left in me. I want to compete and play and get better. I’ve improved a lot here and I know I can learn so much more. I definitely am going to keep playing for a long time.”

And that is nothing but good for the sport.

 

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Mike Miazga is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.