The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Two Longhorns to compete for spots on the USA Volleyball Junior National Team
05.18.2007 | Volleyball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Texas' freshman opposite hitter Ashley Engle and incoming freshman Jennifer Doris have been named to the 24-player roster for the 2007 U.S. Women's Junior National Training Team, which will train May 18-20 in Austin, Texas. This weekend's training sessions will be held at the Austin Sports Complex.
A week after the training session, the roster will be cut in half to 12 players who will represent the U.S. at the FIVB U-20 World Championships held July 19-27 in Nakhonratchasima, Thailand.
Engle, a First Team All-Big 12 and First Team AVCA All-Central Region selection, highlighted the Horns' offense in 2006, registering a team-high 463 kills while posting a 3.99 kills per-game average. The Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year also ranked second on the squad in digs (329), digs per-game (2.84), service aces (33) and assists (89), while ranking third on the team with 88 total blocks. She finished the season hitting .262 and ranked seventh in the Big 12 in kills and points per-game (4.68).
Doris, PrepVolleyball.com's third-ranked national recruit, plays prep volleyball with the Willowbrook travel team out of Houston and attends Cypress Falls High School. She is a true middle blocker who touches 10'7" and has played internationally for the USA National (2006, Azteca Cup), USA Junior National (2006) and USA Youth National teams (2005).
The 12-player U.S. Women's Junior National Team will train in Colorado Springs at the U.S. Olympic Training Center approximately July 5-16 in preparation for the World Championships. Team USA qualified for the event by winning the 2006 NORCECA Continental Women's Junior Championship in Monterey, Mexico. Prior to leaving for Thailand, the U.S. Women's Junior National Team will train alongside and scrimmage members of the U.S. Women's National Team who will not compete in the Pan American Games held July 14-19 in Brazil.
The 2007 U.S. Women's Junior National Training Team roster has seven carryovers from the 2006 NORCECA gold-medal winning team. Jennifer Doris (Houston), Whitney Dosty (Tucson, Ariz.), Zoe Garrett (Laguna Beach, Calif.), Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minn.), Alix Klineman (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), Stevi Robinson (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) all represented Team USA on last year's U.S. Women's Junior National Team and are vying for a spot on this year's squad.
Andy Banachowski serves as the head coach of the 2007 U.S. Women's Junior National Team, and he will be assisted by Karrie Larsen and Texas' volunteer assistant coach Ted Wade.
