Membership
Bill Kauffman
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: bill.kauffman@usav.org
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 18, 2008) – Kim Willoughby (Napoleonville, La.), a three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American and 2003 AVCA National Player of the Year, has been added to the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team, according to Team USA Head Coach ‘Jenny’ Lang Ping.
Willoughby, a 6-0 outside hitter, recently completed her 2007-2008 professional season with Famila Chieri, a team in the top-tier Italian Serie A League. She tallied 306 points for Chieri while playing in 73 sets within 21 matches. Willoughby ranked 12th in points per set at 4.19, while her 3.82 kill average was eighth-best in the league.
As a senior at University of Hawai’i in 2003, Willoughby ranked second nationally in kills per game with 6.59 while adding averages of 2.99 digs and 0.62 aces per game. She hit .372 in her final collegiate season to help the Rainbow Wahine to the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive year. For her career, Willoughby averaged 5.91 kills per game, which ranked third-best in NCAA history at the time. She also contributed 1,440 digs, 194 aces and 291 blocks over 459 career games.
Willoughby is the third cousin of U.S. Women’s National Team middle blocker Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, La.).
The U.S. National Team now has four players competing for a spot in the 2008 Olympic Games who earned AVCA National Player of the Year during their collegiate careers. Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah) earned the honor twice, while Ogonna Nnanami (Normal, Ill.) and Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, Fla.) captured the award once. Tom and Nnamani were four-time AVCA All-Americans with Stanford University, while Akinradewo will complete her senior year at Stanford in 2008.
In addition, Nellie Spicer (Barrington, Ill.) and Destinee Hooker (San Antonio) are no longer training with the team in its preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games.