The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
All-America trio travels to U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team tryouts
01.08.2008 | Volleyball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Texas Volleyball's All-America trio of freshman outside hitter Juliann Faucette, sophomore outside hitter Destinee Hooker and junior middle blocker Lauren Paolini are among the 12 players to take part in a week-long invitation-only tryout with the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team. The Horns' three players will compete with current and former collegiate players Jan. 7-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Faucette, the 2007 AVCA National Freshman of the Year was a first-team All-American in her freshman season leading the Longhorns with 445 kills on the year, while averaging 4.49 kills per-game and hitting at a .324 clip. Faucette competed for the U.S. National Team at the Azteca Cup in September 2006 and was a member of the U.S. Junior National Team in 2006.
Hooker, a second-team All-America selection paced the Longhorns attack in 2007, averaging a team-best 4.52 kills per-game and posting a team-high 26 service aces and 31 solo blocks. She hit at a .339 clip for the year and added 2.00 digs and 1.02 blocks per-game. Hooker spent two weeks training with the U.S. National Team last summer and is vying to make her first USA Volleyball team.
Paolini, a third-team All-American was a first-team AVCA All-Region and All-Big 12 performer in her junior season at Texas. The 6-5 middle blocker led Texas in total blocks (130) and tied for the team lead in blocks per-game (1.26) in 2007. She led the UT squad in hitting and ranked eighth nationally with a .418 hitting percentage. Paolini was a member of the USA Volleyball A2 Red Team in 2007 and a member of the USA Volleyball A2 Junior National Team in 2005.
The individuals who have accepted the invitation are Stanford's Bryn Kehoe (Setter, North Bend, Ohio) and Alix Klineman (Outside Hitter, Manhattan Beach, Calif.); Texas' Faucette, Hooker and Paolini; UCLA's Nana Meriwether (Middle Blocker, Potomac, Md.), Nellie Spicer (Setter, Barrington, Ill.) and Rachell Johnson (Opposite, San Diego, Calif.); California's Angela Pressey (Outside Hitter, Heathrow, Fla.) and Morgan Beck (Outside Hitter/Middle Blocker, Coto De Caza, Calif.); Cal Poly's Kylie Atherstone (Opposite, Chico, Calif.); Long Beach State's Alexis Crimes (Middle Blocker, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Washington's Alesha Deesing (Middle Blocker, Aumsville, Ore.) and Loyola Marymount's Heather Hughes (Opposite, Fallbrook, Calif.).
Out of the tryout list, only Crimes, Hughes, Johnson, Kehoe, Meriwether and Pressey have exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Washington's Alesha Deesing (Middle Blocker, Aumsville, Ore.) was scheduled to attend, but an injury has delayed her tryout until later this year.
