June 18, 2018
USA Women's National Team Release
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Penn State women's volleyball program continues to be represented on the international level as Simone Lee, Haleigh Washington, Aiyanna Whitney, and Alisha Glass Childress will all represent the Nittany Lions as the U.S. Women's National Team will hold its first Red-Blue intrasquad scrimmage match of the year on June 22 in Irvine, California.
The Red-Blue scrimmage, scheduled for 7 p.m. PT at Irvine Valley College, will be used in the evaluation process on selecting Team USA's 14-player roster from the 25 to play in the Red-Blue scrimmage for the Pan American Cup that takes place July 8-14 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Tickets for the Red-Blue are $5 per person and available at the door starting at 6 p.m.
Glass Childress, a 2010 Penn State graduate, a three-time national champion, and a 2016 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist, will serve as an assistant coach for Pan American Cup.
Whitney, an AVCA All-America Second-Team in 2014 and 2015, has represented the Red, White, and Blue in the 2017 USA Volleyball Cup vs. Brazil and the 2017 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup. She was also named to the 2018 USAV Women's National Team 26-player preliminary roster for the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Nations League.
This marks the first appearance with the U.S. Women's National Team for Lee and Washington.
Lee, a two-time AVCA first-team All-American, was the 2017 Big Ten Player of the Year, as well as the 2017 University Park Regional All-Tournament Most Valuable Player. The outside led the team with 478 kills, 3.89 kills per sets, was second on the team with 283 digs. She also finished the year with a career-best .317 hitting percentage. Lee was a member of the USA Girls' Youth National Team in 2012 and 2013, helping the team to a first-place finish at the NORCECA U18 Continental Championships in 2012 and a second-place finish at the FIVB U18 World Championships in 2013.
Washington, a three-time AVCA First Team All-American, was the 2017 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She finished 2017 as the national leader in hitting percentage at .492, her .492 hitting percentage is the second-best percentage in program history and third-best in NCAA season records since a 25-point scoring format. She also averaged 3.01 kills per set on a .492 hitting percentage, adding 1.50 blocks per set, adding 22 aces for a total of 4.04 points per set, second on the team to Lee.
Penn State University, University of Minnesota and the University of Nebraska have three former players on the Pan American Cup preliminary roster.
The Red-Blue will utilize the Pan American Cup 25-player preliminary roster with players switching colors throughout the match. The U.S. preliminary roster for the Pan Am Cup has three setters, four liberos, five opposites, six outside hitters and seven middles. Not all players are expected to dress for the Red-Blue.
U.S. Women's National Team Pan American Cup Preliminary Roster
# - Name (Position, Height, College, Hometown)
1 - Jordyn Poulter (S, 6-2, University of Illinois, Aurora, Colorado)
2 - Inky Ajanaku (M, 6-3, Stanford University, Tulsa Oklahoma)
3 - Kelly Hunter (S, 5-11, University of Nebraska, Papillion, Nebraska)
4 - Justine Wong-Orantes (L, 5-6, University of Nebraska, Cypress, California)
5 - Caroline Knop (L, 5-8, University of Florida, Pasadena, California)
6 - Brittany Abercrombie (OPP, 6-2, University of Southern California, Carlsbad, California)
7 - Lauren Carlini (S, 6-2, University of Wisconsin, Aurora, Illinois)
8 - Krystal Rivers (OPP, 5-11, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama)
9 - Madi Kingdon Rishel (OH, 6-1, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona)
10 - Simone Lee (OH, 6-1, Penn State University, Menomonee, Wisconsin)
11 - Carly Wopat (M, 6-2, Stanford University, Santa Barbara, California)
12 - Karsta Lowe (OPP, 6-4, UCLA, Rancho Santa Fe, California)
13 - Sarah Wilhite (OH, 6-2, University of Minnesota, Eden Prairie, Minnesota)
14 - Adora Anae (OH, 6-1, University of Utah, Punaluu, Hawaii)
15 - Haleigh Washington (M, 6-3, Penn State University, Colorado Springs, Colorado)
16 - Kristen Tupac (L, 5-6, Iowa State University, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
17 - Annie Mitchem (OH, 6-3, University of Hawaii, Friendswood, Texas)
18 - Aiyana Whitney (OPP, 6-4, Penn State University, Norwood, New Jersey)
19 - Hannah Tapp (M, 6-3, University of Minnesota, Stewartville, Minnesota)
20 - Amanda Benson (L, 5-7, University of Oregon, Litchfield Park, Arizona)
21 - Paige Tapp (M, 6-1, University of Minnesota, Stewartville, Minnesota)
22 - Molly McCage (M, 6-3, University of Texas, Spring, Texas)
23 - Carly De Hoog (OPP, 6-4, University of Washington, Ontario, California)
24 - Kadie Rolfzen (OH, 6-3, University of Nebraska, Papillion, Nebraska)
25 - Chiaka Ogbogu (M, 6-2, University of Texas, Coppell, Texas)
Head Coach: Jon Newman-Gonchar (associate head coach at University of Arkansas)
Assistant Coach: Alisha Glass Childress (2016 U.S. Women's Olympic Team bronze medalist)
Assistant Coach: JJ Van Niel (associate head coach at University of Southern California)
Technical Coordinator: Natalie Morgan (assistant coach at Loyola Marymount University)
Team Manager: John Xie
Athletic Trainer: Salvadore Vallejo