COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 7, 2008) – The U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team swept U.S. Virgin Islands 25-7, 25-7, 25-7 with 17 aces on Monday evening to win Pool B with a 3-0 record at the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship held in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
By winning Pool B, Team USA receives a quarterfinal bye and advances directly to the semifinals to begin on July 9. The NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship serves as a qualifier into the 2009 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship to be held Aug. 5-16 in India. The top three finishers at the NORCECA event qualify for the World Championship.
The U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team had 10 players score at least two points in the match with only libero Jennifer Bonilla (Reseda, Calif.) and Amy Scullion (Salem, Ohio) not scoring. Scullion did not play in the match.
Jazmine Orozco (Lakewood, Calif.) led the American squad with 11 points in two sets of action as she compiled seven kills on 14 swings, one block and three aces. Captain Ashley Wittman (Shakopee, Minn.) added nine points in two sets with four kills on nine attacks, one block and four aces on 20 serves. She added a team-high nine digs in the victory. Carly Wopat (Goleta, Calif.) contributed six kills on 10 attacks and three aces on six serves in two sets of action.
“I’m really proud of the fact that we were able to stay focused throughout the entire match,” Orozco said. “We’ve come a long way in such a short amount of time, and desire to win helps us to create energy and play as a team.”
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