COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Oct. 24, 2016) – U.S. Women’s National Team players were on the top four finishing teams of the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship including Jordan Larson and Rachael Adams with gold-medal winning Eczacibasi, while Danielle Scott-Arruda was enshrined into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame as team highlights for the past week.
CLUB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: Jordan Larson (Hooper, Nebraska, Twitter, Instagram) earned yet another major title as she and American teammate Rachael Adams (Cincinnati, Ohio, Twitter, Instagram) helped Eczacibasi to the 2017 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship gold-medal on Oct. 23.
Carli Lloyd (Bonsall, California) was tabbed Best Setter on the Dream Team as she helped Pomi Casalmaggiore to the silver medal. She averaged 6.40 running sets per set while also totaling 19 points (11 kills, 6 blocks, 2 aces). Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, Florida, Twitter, Instagram) was tabbed to the Dream Team as one of two Best Middle Blockers after helping Volero Zurich fourth place. Akinradewo averaged 0.63 blocks per set as she ranked ninth in Best Scorer with 61 total points.
In the title match, Eczacibasi defeated Pomi Casalmaggiore 25-19, 20-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-11. Larson totaled 10 points in the victory, while Adams added six points. In the loss, Lloyd recorded nine points with six kills and three blocks while American teammate Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minnesota, Twitter, Instagram) tallied eight points.
In the bronze-medal match, American Kim Hill (Portland, Oregon, Twitter, Instagram) scored two aces as a reserve to help VakifBank to a third-place finish. Akinradewo collected 10 points in the loss.
In the semifinal round, Casalmaggiore knocked out Volero in a four-set victory as Gibbemeyer scored six points and Lloyd set the team to the victory. Akinradewo scored 19 points for Volero in the loss. Eczacibasi defeated Turkish League rival VakifBank in four sets in the semifinals as Larson scored 10 points and Adams added eight points. Hill, who was a sub in the first three sets and started the fourth for VakifBank, charted seven points in the loss.
SCOTT-ARRUDA ENSHRINED INTO INTERNATIONAL VOLLEYBALL HALL OF FAME: Five-time Olympian Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Twitter) took her spot into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame on Saturday evening along with other legends such as American Misty May-Treanor, Serbian Nikola Grbic, Brazilian Emanuel Rego and South Korean Man-Bok Park.
Scott-Arruda is the only five-time U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball team player, earning back-to-back silver medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. She played in her first Olympic Games at age 23 at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Scott-Arruda earned Best Blocker at the 2002 FIVB World Championship as Team USA won the silver medal. She paced the Americans to six FIVB World Grand Prix medals, including four gold medals and two bronzes. Scott-Arruda was named most valuable player, Best Scorer and Best Blocker at the 2001 FIVB World Grand Prix. Scott brought home silver from the 2011 FIVB World Cup, as well as bronze medals in the 2003 and 2007 editions.
“This is such an incredibly, humbling experience,” Scott-Arruda said. “To play a sport that you dedicate a lot of your life and a lot sacrifice, but it is because you want to do it. It is like you have so much passion for what you do, it doesn’t seem like such an incredible feat. It is what you do. You invest so much into it. This is not by my merits alone. Something like this cannot happen by yourself. So I am really grateful that I have been chosen to be a part of this great family of international people represented in this Hall of Fame.”
INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS: USA Volleyball has processed 262 international transfer certificates (189 females, 73 males) allowing United States citizens to compete in foreign professional volleyball leagues for the 2016-17 season as of Oct. 20. Additional transfers will be processed throughout the winter months. On the women’s side, athletes have transferred to play in 27 different countries with Germany attracting 44 players, England 22 players and Sweden and Switzerland with 12 apiece.
ODEN SISTERS NAMED USAV ALL-TIME GREAT PLAYERS: Sisters Elaina and Kim Oden have been named as Flo Hyman All-Time Great Women’s Players by USA Volleyball and will be recognized during the Dorothy C. Boyce Awards and Recognition Banquet on May 24, 2017. The sisters won bronze medals at the 1992 Olympic Games.
NCAA ON TV AND INTERNET: While the U.S. Women’s National Team is away for the winter, check out how some of the future Team USA players are doing during the NCAA collegiate season. USA Volleyball has cataloged hundreds of NCAA Division I matches that will be broadcasted on television or streamed on the Internet.
LLOYD, GIBBEMEYER WITH ITALY’S CASALMAGGIORE: Carli Lloyd (Bonsall, California, Instagram), a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist setter for Team USA, and middle Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minnesota, Twitter, Instagram) have returned to Italy to compete for Pomi Casalmaggiore in the Italian Serie A1 league and the CEV Cup. After returning from the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship, Casalmaggiore takes on Suditrol Bolzano on Oct. 30 in Italian Serie A1 play.
BARTSCH WITH ITALY’S BOLZANO: Outside hitter Michelle Bartsch (Maryville, Illinois, Twitter), an alternate on the U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team, is competing for Sudtirol Bolzano in the Italian Serie A1 this winter. Bolzano lost to Unet Yamamay Busto Arsizio 25-17, 25-18, 15-25, 25-13 on Oct. 23 to fall to 0-2 on the young Italian season. Bartsch scored a team-high 16 points with 13 kills via 42 swings, two blocks and an ace. She chipped in a 67 excellent reception percent on 12 serve-receive chances. Bolzano returns to action on Oct. 30 against Pomi Casalmaggiore.
KREKLOW WITH ITALY’S MODENA: Setter Molly Kreklow (Delano, Minnesota, Twitter, Instagram), an alternate on the U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team, is playing for Liu Jo Nordmeccanica Modena in the Italian Serie A1 and European Champions League this winter. Modena improved to 2-0 in the Italian league following a 28-26, 26-24, 25-21 victory over Club Italia Crai on Oct. 23. Kreklow was a sub in all three sets but did not register a point. Modena faces Savino Del Bene Scandicci on Oct. 29. Modena begins European Champions League on Nov. 1 versus Calcit Ljubljana with a return date of Nov. 5 in the home-and-home series.
HANCOCK WITH POLAND’S IMPEL WROCLAW: Setter Micha Hancock (Edmond, Oklahoma, Twitter, Instagram), who played for the U.S. Women during the 2016 Pan American Cup and set the tournament record for aces in a match and tournament, is playing for Poland’s Impel Wroclaw in the Orlen Liga. Wroclaw lost to LKS Commercecon Lodz 25-16, 25-23, 15-25, 23-25, 15-8 on Oct. 23 to fall to 1-1 in the Orlen Liga. Hancock scored eight points in the loss with five kills on 15 errorless attack attempts and three blocks. She set Wroclaw to a 31 kill percent for the match. Wroclaw will look to rebound to the win column on Oct. 31 against BKS Profi Credit Bielsko-Biala.
AKINRADEWO WITH SWITZERLAND’S VOLERO ZURICH: Middle Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, Florida, Twitter, Instagram), the Best Blocker in the 2016 Olympic Games after leading the U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team to a bronze medal, is playing for Volero Zurich in the Swiss League and in the European Champions League. After competing in this past week’s FIVB Women’s Club World Championship, Volero opens the Swiss League on Oct. 29 against Volley Top Luzern. Volero has first, second and third-round byes in the European Champions League and will face begin the round robin fourth round in mid-December against Dinamo Moscow, CS Volei Alba Blaj and a team advancing from the third round.
LARSON, ADAMS WITH TURKEY’S ECZACIBASI: Outside hitter Jordan Larson (Hooper, Nebraska, Twitter, Instagram) and middle Rachael Adams (Cincinnati, Ohio, Twitter, Instagram), both members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team that won bronze in Rio, are playing for Eczacibasi of the Turkish League and as part of the European Champions League this winter. Eczacibasi won the 2017 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship this past weekend in Manila, Philippines. Eczacibasi opens the Turkey League against Bursa Be Sehir on Oct. 27. Eczacibasi opens the European Champions League second round home-and-home series against Maritza Plovdiv with matches in early November.
HILL WITH TURKEY’S VAKIFBANK: Outside hitter Kim Hill (Portland, Oregon, Twitter, Instagram) a bronze medalist on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team, returns this winter to play for Turkey’s VakifBank and in the European Champions League. Hill and VakifBank won bronze at this past weekend’s FIVB Women’s Club World Championship. VakifBank opens its Turkish League schedule on Oct. 30 against Seramiksan. VakifBank has first, second and third-round byes in the European Champions League and is part of the round robin fourth round Pool D where it will face Uralochka-NTMK Ekaterinburg, Dresdner SC and a third-round winner beginning in mid-December.
FAWCETT, CRIMES WITH TURKEY’S SARIYER: Opposite Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio, Instagram) and middle Alexis Crimes (Rancho Cucamonga, California), both alternates to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team, are competing for Sariyer in the Turkish League this winter. Sariyer dropped its Turkish League opener to Fenerbahce 25-15, 25-27, 25-12, 25-23 on Oct. 23. Fawcett scored a match-high 22 points with 17 kills on 46 attacks, four aces and a block from her opposite position. Crimes chipped in seven points, all on kills via 10 attacks. Sariyer returns to action on Oct. 30 against Canakkale.
ROBINSON, LOWE WITH CHINA’S BAIC MOTORS: Outside hitter Kelsey Robinson (Bartlett, Illinois, Twitter, Instagram) and opposite Karsta Lowe (Rancho Santa Fe, California, Twitter, Instagram), both members of the 2016 bronze-winning U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team, are in China this winter playing for BAIC Motors Beijing.
MURPHY, EASY WITH CHINA’S HENAN: Opposite Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Illinois, Twitter, Instagram), a bronze medalist with the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team, and outside hitter Megan Easy (Boston, Massachusetts), a silver medalist with the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team, are playing in the Chinese League this winter with Henan.