Sweet Home Arizona

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

TUCSON, Ariz. (July 29, 2011) – Teams and players only get to travel to a few big-time tournaments a year like the 2011 USA Volleyball (USAV) High Performance (HP) Championships allowing them to travel across the country. When volleyball consumes their summer break sometimes coming back home is a breath of fresh air.

Anna Panagiotakopoulos, a Phoenix, Ariz. native was selected to compete on the Girls’ Youth A2 Red team for the second consecutive year and was pleased to hear that the tournament was to be held in her home-state of Arizona.

Anna P., as everyone calls her, started playing for the Arizona Storm in 2006, leading her club team to the 2007 USAV Girls’ Junior National Championships (GJNC). In 2008 she again led her team to win the Arizona region 14s championships qualifying for the USAV GJNC. She was named Most Valuable Player of the Arizona Junior High School State Volleyball Championships after helping her team capture the title.

In 2009 and 2010 Panagiotakopoulos was named to the USAV HP Select Team from the Arizona Region competing in the HP Championships in those respective years.

In 2010 Panagiotakopoulos was named to the U.S. Girls’ Youth A2 Team before being named to the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Training Team in 2010, marking the “happiest moment of [her] life.”

“I did some HP camps and last year I made the top 20, which placed me on the red team,” Panagiotakopoilos said. “We won the bronze in Wisconsin and we are going for gold this year.”

Being so close to home the 5-6 libero can enjoy the feeling of home-court-advantage and the luxury of having some familiar faces close by.

“My parents and my brothers are coming to watch,” Panagiotakopoulos said. “I feel like I am playing for my country on my territory here in Arizona.”

Panagiotakopoulos will be entering her senior year at Xavier College Preparatory before heading to West Virginia University to play volleyball. The standout has been playing since sixth grade and is the product of a volleyball family. 

“Everyone in my family played volleyball at one time or another,” Panagiotakopoulos said. “I have three brothers and they all played too.”

Panagiotakopoulos has three older brothers, Thanasi, Alexander and Niko. Thanasi played Eruo League pro basketball in Greece with the Iraklis team in 2009 after graduating from the University of Northern Colorado.

“It is fun to come to these tournaments and meet all the kids,” Panagiotakopoulos said. “I look at all of these girls and realize these are the players I will be playing with and against in college. This is getting me ready and giving me the experiences I need.”

Panagiotakopoulos and her Girls’ Youth A2 Red team are undefeated thus far in the tournament with a 6-0 record and advancement into the gold bracket. The team will play Shandong from China in their first match of the championship round on Friday.

Though the outcome is not certain yet, Anna P. hopes to drive home with a gold medal in her hands engraved with the letters “AZ” to remind her that she helped her team win the championship title in her home state.