The U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team won its first FIVB World League title on Sunday by taking as 3-1 (26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22) victory over Serbia in the gold medal match before a crowd of 5,700 at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. The U.S. Men, ranked third in the world, finish World League with a record of 12-4. Serbia, tied for eighth in the world with Puerto Rico, finishes second at 10-6. Russia defeated host Brazil, the five-time defending World League champion, 3-1 (25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19) to take the bronze medal. MORE

• Lloy Ball Named USA Today Athlete of the Week MORE
• U.S. Men Have Little Time to Reflect MORE
• ESPNU to Show World League Final Round MORE
• USAV Nominates Men's Olympic Team MORE
• Latest World League Photo Gallery MORE
• U.S. Men's National Team Page MORE

USA Volleyball, based on input by U.S. Women’s National Indoor Volleyball Head Coach ‘Jenny’ Lang Ping and her coaching staff, has nominated the 12 players who will represent Team USA at the 2008 Olympic Games in August, pending official confirmation by the United States Olympic Committee. The 2008 U.S. Olympic Games roster blends experience with youth as eight players have played in previous Olympic Games. MORE

• U.S. Women Finish Fourth at Grand Prix MORE
• U.S. Women's Team Press Kit MORE
• U.S. Women's National Team Page MORE

USA Volleyball has announced the eight athletes and four coaches nominated to the U.S. Olympic Beach Volleyball Team that will compete at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. The women’s teams are Misty May-Treanor (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.) and Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) and Elaine Youngs (El Toro, Calif.). The men’s teams are Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Jake Gibb (Bountiful, Utah) and Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.). MORE

• FIVB Announces Olympic Schedule for Beach Volleyball MORE
• Journal from the FIVB Challenger Series MORE
• May-Trenor, Walsh Win in Long Beach MORE
• Gibb, Rosenthal defeat Dalhausser, Rogers MORE
• U.S. Beach Home Page MORE

From the sand to the court, volleyball will be all over NBC's Olympic coverage. Click here to see the highlights, but also visit www.nbcolympics.com for the latest schedule and a rundown of all the event coverage. SCHEDULE

• USOC Announces Olympic Teams MORE
• Barnett, Kiraly, Marlowe, Sunderland Among NBC Broadcast Talent MORE
• Watch Karch Kiraly's Induction into the USOC Hall of Fame on NBC. MORE
• Men's and Women's Indoor Olympic Tournament Schedules MORE

The U.S. Women’s Junior National Team defeated Dominican Republic 25-21, 25-20, 25-18 in the NORCECA Women’s Junior Continental Championship gold-medal match Sunday evening at Saltillo, Mexico, to exact a sense of revenge for its only loss of the tournament. MORE

• U.S. Women's Junior National Team Launch Page MORE
• U.S. Girls' Youth Team Golden at NORCECA Championship MORE
• U.S. Men's Junior National Team Captures Bronze Medal MORE
• Miami to Host NORCECA Boys' Youth Championship MORE
• Female Officials Make History at NORCECA Championship MORE

The 2008 USA Volleyball High Performance Championships event heated up Tucson, Ariz., as 83 teams in six divisions competed for titles. Matches took place on 15 courts in the Tucson Convention Center. For the second year in a row, the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships combined both the boys’ and girls’ events into one concurrent tournament format. MORE

• HP Championship Web Page MORE

Girls' and boys' club volleyball teams from around the country competed at the 2008 USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships. The girls' event was held June 26-July 5 in Dallas. The boys' event ran July 2-9 in Sandy, Utah.

• USA Junior Olympic Girls' Championship Web Page MORE
• USA Junior Olympic Boys' Championships Web Page MORE

The sport of “sand volleyball,” also known as beach volleyball, took a step toward being recognized by the NCAA, the Association announced Tuesday. The NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics voted to recommend that a governance entity from each of the divisions sponsor legislation to add sand volleyball to the list of emerging sports for women. MORE

• USA Beach Junior Open Attracts More than 200 Teams MORE
• Dykstra, Van Zwieten Win Bronze in Hamburg MORE
• USA Volleyball Junior Beach Tour Page MORE

With a record-breaking 116 teams participating, the only thing hotter than the temperatures in San Diego was the fierce play in the 11th Annual Starlings National Championship. Kicking off the four-day event (June 19-22) was the opening ceremonies where more than 1,000 Starlings girls, coaches, family and friends paraded team banners and showed off their dance skills on the gym floor. Competition was held at two playing sites: Alliant International University and Balboa Activity Center. Although inland temperatures soared to over 100 degrees, the girls kept up the intense play until the end. Starlings teams from Arizona (Tuba City, Shonto, Phoenix) took home the lion's share of gold medals this year while the perennial California dynasty of San Gabriel also had impressive finishes. MORE

Upcoming 2008 CAP Courses:

Oct. 24-26 (Dates Tentative)

• Host: Virginia Elite Volleyball Club
• Level: CAP Level I & II, possible IMPACT &/or VCAP Clinics
• Site: TBD
• Location: McLean, Va.
• Schedules: TBD
• CADRE/Clinicians: TBD
• Contact: Andy Pai for more information

Nov. (Dates Tentative)

• Host: Bayou Region
• Level: CAP Level I & possible IMPACT &/or VCAP Clinics
• Site: TBD
• Location: New Orleans, La. area
• Schedules: TBD
• CADRE/Clinicians: TBD
• Contact: Andy Pai for more information

Dec. (Dates Tentative)

• Host: Delta Region
• Level: CAP Level I & II; possible IMPACT &/or VCAP Clinics
• Site: TBD
• Location: TBD
• Schedules: TBD
• CADRE/Clinicians: TBD
• Contact: Andy Pai for more information

Dec. 16-21 (Confirmed)

• Host: USAV & AVCA at AVCA Annual Convention
• Level: IMPACT/Instructor Training, CAP Level I & II, VCAP Clinics
• Site: Qwest Center and other TBD
• Location: Omaha, Neb.
• Schedules: IMPACT & Instructor Training on Tuesday 12/16, times TBD; CAP I & II integrated with AVCA Schedule on 12/17-20 with one additional CAP day on 12/21.
• CADRE/Clinicians: TBD
• Contact: Andy Pai for more information

MORE

Jizhong Wei of China will be the third president in the history of the FIVB, after the 31st FIVB World Congress in Dubai approved by acclamation his election after Dr. Rubén Acosta’s presidency of 24 years. The handover of the presidency will be made on August 24 in Beijing. Click here to find out more…. The sport of volleyball has lost two former players over the past month. Bill Wardrop of San Diego, Calif., a former player at USC and Pepperdine and in the International Volleyball Association, died July 7. To read his obituary, click here. Art Carmichael, a former player and head coach at the University of Rhode Island, died in June. To read his obituary, click here… Two young male volleyball players are dealing with serious injuries incurred in recent accidents. Click here to read about Brian Keefer of Etters, Pa. Click here to read about Nick Williams of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. … Arnie Ball, IPFW men’s volleyball head coach and father of U.S. Men’s National Team setter Lloy Ball, has been honored by Goodyear Tires with a “Get There” award. To read about it, click here… Allison Ahlfeldt, a member of the 2004 women’s sitting volleyball team that won the bronze medal at the Paralympic Games in Athens, was a finalist on the CBS Early Show’s “Modern Bride of the Year” contest. Although she did not win, click here to find out about her and the other contestants… Members of the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team are featured on the cover of Metro Family magazine. To read the article, click here… The Side-Out Foundation, a volleyball-centric 501 (c) 3 organization that raises funds for cancer research is inviting teams to participate in its National Breast Cancer Awareness Rally called DIG PINK! It is asking high school and college volleyball teams nationwide to host a volleyball match in the month of October to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. For more information, click here… The U.S. beach volleyball team of Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh will be featured on MOJO HD’s new summer series, A Shot at Glory, on Aug. 8 (9 p.m. ET/PT). To read about the series, click here… The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its High School Senior All America Team for boys’ volleyball. To view the list, click here... The AVCA announced that a record 353 teams earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2007-2008 season. The number smashes the previous high mark of 308 schools set a year ago. To view the winners, click here.