June 27, 2016 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Former Penn State women's volleyball student-athletes Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) and Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) have been selected to the U.S. Women's National Team Women's Pan Am Cup roster.
Nittany Lion graduates Hancock and Courtney are both among just 12 athletes who are either still in college or recently graduated selected to the 12-person roster. The 2016 Pan American Cup is scheduled for July 2-10 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Penn State's two selections to the roster are tied for the most for any program represented.
Courtney earned her first career AVCA All-America and All-Big Ten honors during the 2015 season. She was also an All-Northeast Region selection in 2015, helping Penn State to its 35th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Des Moines Regional All-Tournament team member closed out the year ranked second on the team with 3.04 kills per set, having recorded double figure kills in 13 matches during the season, including eight of the 16 conference matches she played in. Courtney also joined an elite group, as she became just the eighth Nittany Lion in program history to reach the 1,000 career kills, 1,000 career digs milestone. Courtney highlighted the year with her third career 20-plus kill performance in a 3-2 victory against Minnesota at home in Rec Hall.
Hancock closed out a standout career in the Blue and White helping Penn State to back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2013-14. She highlighted the 2014 season with one of the top awards in collegiate volleyball, earning AVCA DI National Player of the Year honors to become the fourth Nittany Lion in program history to garner the prestigious award. A three-time first team AVCA All-America honoree, she earned AVCA All-Northeast Region honors in each of the last three seasons. She also earned her third consecutive All-Big Ten selection in 2014, along with her second straight ESPN ESPY award nominee for Best Female College Athlete.
The United States is part of the six-team Pool B with Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru and Trinidad & Tobago. The Americans open pool play on July 2 against Peru, followed by Trinidad & Tobago on July 3, Cuba on July 4, Costa Rica on July 5 and Argentina on July 6.
Pool A includes Canada, Colombia, host Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Quarterfinals are set for July 8 with crossover second- and third-place finishers facing off. The two pool winners advance directly to the semifinals on July 9 with the medal rounds set for July 10. The U.S. has won the Pan American Cup three of the past four years and four total times since the inaugural event in 2002.
To view the complete roster and USA Volleyball release, please click here.