COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 28, 2021) – USA Volleyball has selected 24 athletes to comprise the 2021 Indoor Girls U18 National Training Team.
Twelve players will be chosen from the training team to compete at the FIVB U18 World Championship on Sept. 20-29 in Durango, Mexico. The team will practice on July 17-23 at the USAV training center in Anaheim, Calif.
Jamie Morrison will serve as the team’s head coach. Morrison was the technical coordinator for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men’s Team that won the gold medal in Beijing. He was an assistant coach for the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Women’s Teams.
From 2017-19, Morrison coached the Netherlands Women’s Volleyball Team.
“Representing the United States in competition has always been one of the greatest honors of my life and I’m excited for the opportunity to do that once again,” Morrison said. “I’m even more excited for this amazing group of young women to wear the American flag on their chest, play the game they love, and compete against the best in the world.”
The team assistant coaches will be Michelle Chatman-Smith and Alisha Glass Childress. Chatman-Smith has worked with several national teams in the Development Program pipeline. Childress won the gold medal at the 2014 FIVB World Championship and a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games with the U.S. Women’s National Team.
Eighteen different USAV regions are represented on the roster. Four players are from the Southern California Region. The Badger, Intermountain and Ohio Valley regions each put two athletes on the team.
The United States is the defending champion of the Girls U18 World Championship after taking the title in 2019.
“This training block is not just about world championship in September,” Morrison said. “The mission of the National Team Development Program is to identify the best athletes in the United States, to help them realize they are a part of something bigger, and to plant the seeds that will put them on a path to becoming an Olympian.”
2021 Girls U18 National Training Team
Name (Pos., Height, Hometown, Region, Club)
Rebekah Allick (MB, 6-4, Waverly, Neb., Great Plains, VC Nebraska)
Kierstyn Barton (OH/OPP, 6-2, Glendale, Ariz., Arizona, Aspire Volleyball Club)
Julia Blyashov (OH, 6-3, San Diego, Calif., Southern California, Wave Volleyball Club)
Eloise Brandewie (MB, 6-3, Columbus, Ohio, Ohio Valley, Mintonette)
Nya Bunton (MB, 6-4, Louisville, Ky., Pioneer, KIVA)
Lauren Carter (S, 5-10, Winterset, Iowa, Iowa, Club Ignit Select)
Chloe Chicoine (OH/L, 5-10, Lafayette, Ind., Hoosier, Circle City)
Laney Choboy (L, 5-3, Raleigh, N.C., Carolina, NC Volleyball Academy)
Saige Damrow (L, 5-8, Howards Grove, Wis., Badger, Fox Cities Elite)
Jordyn Harvey (OH, 6-1, Woods Cross, Utah, Intermountain, Hive Volleyball)
Caroline Jurevicius (OPP, 6-2, Gates Mills, Ohio, Ohio Valley, Academy Volleyball Cleveland)
Devin Kahahawai (OH, 6-3, Kailua, Hawaii, Aloha, Spike and Serve)
Kerry Keefe (OPP, 6-3, Pacific Palisades, Calif., Southern California, Sunshine)
Margaret Mendelson (MB, 6-5, North Ogden, Utah, Intermountain, Hive Volleyball)
Harper Murray (OH, 6-2, Ann Arbor, Mich., Lakeshore, Legacy Volleyball Club)
Bergen Reilly (S, 6-1, Sioux Falls, S.D., North Country, Kairos Elite Volleyball)
Elia Rubin (OH, 6-2, Los Angeles, Calif., Southern California, Sunshine)
Marianna Singletary (MB, 6-4, Charleston, S.C., Southern, A5)
Alexis Stucky (S, 6-2, Laramie, Wyo., Rocky Mountain, Northern Colorado Juniors)
Ella Swindle (S, 6-2, Columbia, Mo., Heart of America, KC Power)
Amaya Thomas (MB, 6-3, Orlando, Fla., Florida, OTVA)
Gala Trubint (L, 5-8, San Diego, Calif., Southern California, COAST)
Ella Wrobel (OH, 6-4, Plainfield, Ill., Great Lakes, Sports Performance)
Mckenna Wucherer (OH, 6-1, Brookfield , Wis., Badger, Milwaukee Sting)
Head Coach: Jamie Morrison
Assistant Coach: Michelle Chatman-Smith
Assistant Coach: Alisha Glass Childress
Technical Coordinator: Mike Gee
Team Leader: Meredith Lee
Athletic Trainer: Wyatt Blue