COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 4, 2019) – The U.S. Girls Youth National Team (GYNT) embarks on its FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship title run on Thursday in Ismailia, Egypt.
Team USA will compete in Pool B with two familiar opponents from the NORCECA confederation. The Americans open the world championship against Mexico on Sept. 5, followed by a Sept. 6 match against reigning champion Italy. After an off day, the U.S. faces Korea on Sept. 8 before concluding pool play against Canada on Sept. 9.
The world championship pool play is divided up into four pools of five teams. The top four teams in each pool advance to the Eight Finals Round (Top 16) with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals and losers falling into the 9-16 classification matches. The tournament concludes on Sept. 14 with the medal-round matches.
The FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship is a biennial event held in odd-numbered years following zonal qualifications the previous year. The Americans qualified for this year’s World Championship by defeating Canada in the 2018 NORCECA Girls’ U18 Continental Championship gold-medal match held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The GYNT roster breakdown includes five wing spikers (outsides and opposites), three middles, two setters and two liberos.
- Outsides/Opposites (5): Allison Jacobs (Stevenson Ranch, California, Legacy), Lindsay Krause (Papillion, Nebraska, Premier Nebraska), Emily Londot (Utica, Ohio, Mintonette Sports), Jess Mruzik (Livonia, Michigan, Legacy), Elena Oglivie (Kapolei, Hawaii, Ku’ikahi)
- Middles (3): Carter Booth (Englewood, Colorado, Colorado Juniors), Caroline Crawford (Lansing, Kansas, Mid-America VBC), Devyn Robinson (Ankeny, Iowa, Iowa Powerplex)
- Setters (2): Kami Miner (Redondo Beach, California, Mizuno Long Beach), Kennedi Orr (Eagan, Minnesota, Mizuno Northern Lights)
- Liberos (2): Lexi Rodriguez (Sterling, Illinois, Sports Performance), Sydney Taylor (Grove City, Ohio, Mintonette Sports)
Of the dozen players named to the 2019 GYNT, nine were part of the 2018 U.S. Girls Youth National Team that won gold at the 2018 NORCECA Girls’ U18 Continental Championship to qualify for the 2019 FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship. Crawford, Jacobs, Krause, Londot, Miner, Mruzik, Orr, Robinson and Taylor are repeat selections.
The 12 players were selected through the 24-player U.S. Girls Youth National Training Team (GYNTT) program that was held July 17-26 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The GYNT program claimed silver medals at the 2013 and 2015 FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championships, which marks USA Volleyball’s only medals in age-group World Championships. The U.S. also won gold medals at the 2008, 2010 and 2012 NORCECA Girls’ U18 Continental Championships, along with the silver medal at the 2014 event.
U.S. Girls Youth National Team at 2019 FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship
# – Name (Pos, Ht, Hometown, HS Grad Year, Club/Region, College Verbal Commitment)
1 – Lexi Rodriguez (L, 5-6, Sterling, Illinois, 2021, Sports Performance/Great Lakes, Nebraska)
3 – Elena Oglivie (OH, 5-10, Kapolei, Hawaii, 2020, Ku’ikahi VBC/Aloha, Stanford University)
4 – Sydney Taylor (L, 5-10, Grove City, Ohio, 2021, Mintonette Sports/Ohio Valley, N/A)
5 – Allison Jacobs (OH, 5-11, Stevenson Ranch, California, 2020, Legacy Volleyball Club/Southern California, UCLA)
6 – Kami Miner (S, 6-0, Redondo Beach, California, 2021, Mizuno Long Beach/Southern California, Uncommitted)
7 – Kennedi Orr (S, 6-0, Eagan, Minnesota, 2021, Mizuno Northern Lights/North Country, University of Nebraska)
11 – Jess Mruzik (OH, 6-1, Livonia, Michigan, 2020, Legacy Volleyball Club/Lakeshore, University of Michigan)
12 – Caroline Crawford (M, 6-2, Lansing, Kansas, 2020, Mid-America Volleyball Club/Heart of America, University of Kansas)
13 – Devyn Robinson (M, 6-2, Ankeny, Iowa, 2020, Iowa Powerplex/Iowa, University of Wisconsin)
14 – Emily Londot (OH, 6-2, Utica, Ohio, 2020, Mintonette Sports/Ohio Valley, Ohio State University)
17 – Lindsay Krause (OH, 6-3, Papillion, Nebraska, 2021, Premier Nebraska/Great Plains, University of Nebraska)
20 – Carter Booth (M, 6-7, Englewood, Colorado, 2022, Colorado Juniors/Rocky Mountain, University of Minnesota)
Head Coach: Jim Stone
Assistant Coaches: Nicki Holmes, Jen Flynn Oldenburg
Technical Coordinator: Mike Gee
Head of Delegation: Meredith Lee
FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship – USA Pool Play in Ismailia, Egypt
Sept. 5: USA vs. Mexico, 6:30 a.m. ET
Sept. 6: USA vs. Italy, 6:30 a.m. ET
Sept. 8: USA vs. Korea, 6:30 a.m. ET
Sept. 9: USA vs. Canada, 9 a.m. ET
Sept. 10-13: Classification Playoff 17-20 (Cairo and Ismailia, Egypt)
Sept. 10: Eight Finals (Round of 16) (Cairo and Ismailia, Egypt)
Sept. 12: Quarterfinals (Cairo and Ismailia, Egypt)
Sept. 12: Classification Playoff 9-16 (Cairo and Ismailia, Egypt)
Sept. 13: Classification Playoff 5-8 (Ismailia, Egypt)
Sept. 13: Classification Playoff 13-16 (Cairo, Egypt)
Sept. 13: Classification Playoff 9-12 (Cairo, Egypt)
Sept. 13: Semifinals (Ismailia, Egypt)
Sept. 14: Finals 15-16 (Cairo, Egypt)
Sept. 14: Finals 13-14 (Cairo, Egypt)
Sept. 14: Finals 11-12 (Cairo, Egypt)
Sept. 14: Final 9-10 (Cairo, Egypt)
Sept. 14: Finals 7-8 (Ismailia, Egypt)
Sept. 14: Finals 5-6 (Ismailia, Egypt)
Sept. 14: Bronze Medal (Ismailia, Egypt)
Sept. 14: Gold Medal (Ismailia, Egypt)