Bill Kauffman
USA Volleyball Communications
Phone: 719-228-6800
Email: bill.kauffman@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 3, 2012) – The U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team, ranked No. 1 in the world by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), has nominated its 12-player Olympic Games Team to the United States Olympic Committee.

Pending approval from the USOC, U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand) has selected setters Lindsey Berg (Honolulu) and Courtney Thompson (Kent, Wash.) for the Olympic Games Team. Middle blockers chosen for the squad are Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, Fla.), Christa Harmotto (Hopewell Township, Pa.) and Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, La.). Outside hitters earning a spot on the Olympic Games nomination roster are Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.), Jordan Larson (Hooper, Neb.) and Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah).

Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Laguna Hills, Calif.) and Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) are opposites selected to the U.S. Olympic Games Team. Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.) and Tamari Miyashiro (Kaneohe, Hawaii) are liberos being nominated to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games.

“We’ve developed a lot of depth in this program over the course of the Olympic quadrennial and, as you would expect, it was very difficult to determine the final composition of this team,” McCutcheon said. “However, after a lot of time and deliberation, we all believe that the group we've selected gives our program the best possible chance of being successful in London.”

Replacement athletes for the U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team are setters Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) and Carli Lloyd (Bonsall, Calif.), middle blockers Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Jennifer Tamas (Milpitas, Calif.), outside hitters Cynthia Barboza (Long Beach, Calif.) and Kristin Richards (Orem, Utah), and opposites Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa) and Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio).

The 2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team, which holds its training headquarters at the American Sports Centers in Anaheim, Calif., includes five Olympic Games veterans and seven players making their Olympic Games debuts. Scott-Arruda, 39, becomes the first U.S. volleyball player – male or female – to compete in five Olympic Games. She becomes just the third female volleyball player worldwide to compete in five Olympic Games, matching the feat of Brazilian setter Hélia Rogério de Souza (Fofão) and Russia’s Yevgeniya Artamonova-Estes.

Tom, who earned Best Scorer at the 2008 Olympic Games and helping the squad to the silver medal, becomes just the third four-time Olympian for the U.S. in women’s volleyball. Haneef-Park and Berg will be appearing in their third Olympic Games. Davis returns as the libero from the 2008 Olympic Games.

Short player biographies on each of the 12 players can be found at the end of this press release. Further, quotes from selected players will be added to this release above the roster graph as received.

The 12-team women’s volleyball Olympic Games competition will take place on alternating days at Earls Court starting July 28. The preliminary round consists of two pools of six teams playing a round-robin format with the top four teams in each pool advancing to the quarterfinal round. The U.S. is part of Pool B with No. 2 Brazil, No. 5 China, No. 6 Serbia, No. 11 Turkey and No. 15 Korea. The top pool finisher crosses over to play the fourth place team in the quarterfinals, while a drawing of lot decides the crossover matches for second- and third-place finishers. Semifinals are on Aug. 9 with the medal-round matches on Aug. 11.

The U.S., ranked No. 1 in the world by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) since November 2011, qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in the first qualification tournament by claiming silver at the 2011 FIVB World Cup held in November.

Team USA has continued its winning momentum into the 2012 season with a 14-0 record after capturing the FIVB World Grand Prix, the premier annual international volleyball tournament for women, for the third consecutive year. During the World Grand Prix, the U.S. produced victories over Olympic Games bound Brazil twice (No. 2 in the world), Italy (No. 4), China (No. 5), Serbia (No. 6), Dominican Republic (No. 9) and Turkey (No. 11.). The U.S. has now defeated reigning Olympic champion Brazil and Italy in each of the last four meetings, along with three straight wins over China.

McCutcheon has mentored the U.S. program to a 99-37 record in his four years after leading the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team program to the 2008 Olympic Games gold medal. The U.S. holds a 71-23 record in the past three years with podium finishes in nine of 11 tournaments. During the quadrennial McCutcheon has brought in over 70 players to train at the U.S. National Team Center in Anaheim, Calif.

The U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team has medaled at the Olympic Games three times, earning the silver medal at the most recent edition at the Beijing Games. The U.S. women also earned the silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, as well as the bronze medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. The U.S. seeks its first gold medal in any of the major tournaments – Olympic Games, FIVB World Championships, FIVB World Cup – that happen every four years.

In its final preparations for the Olympic Games, the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team and the City of Anaheim will host Bulgaria in a three-match Challenge Series. The first match will be held July 14 at Canyon High School in Anaheim, Calif. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. Seating is limited, so it advised to arrive early. The second and third matches of the series will be played July 16 and July 18 at University of Southern California’s Galen Center. Admission is $10 adults, $5 for children 12-and-under or groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased online at www.usctrojans.com/usa. All three matches will be played at 7 p.m. PT.

Player Quotes:

Foluke Akinradewo: “I can't believe my Olympic dream is finally coming true. I'm so excited to represent the USA in London. I'd like to thank my family, coaches of the past and present, and friends who have supported my journey.”

Tayyiba Haneef-Park: "I am honored to be a member of this Olympic Team and represent our country. I feel we have a chance to do something amazing in London and can't wait to contribute to the process."

Christa Harmotto: "I'm thrilled and feel so blessed to be chosen. This journey has been incredible and everyone who has been through this program has made an impact on this team. It's been a dream of mine for years and I feel so honored to represent the red, white and blue. This experience is so much bigger than anything I could ever imagine and I have God to thank for that. Without my faith, this moment would not be possible, so all the glory goes above. Thank you to all my coaches, past and present, family and friends, and teammates. Your support means the world to me."

Jordan Larson: “Words cannot express my excitement to be a part of this team. It has been something I have dreamed about for a very long time. I would like to thank all my family, friends, coaches and teammates who have helped me along the way to be the player and person I am today. I couldn't have done it without you all.”

Danielle Scott-Arruda: "I am so ecstatic to have made the 2012 Olympic Team. I am truly overjoyed and praise God for blessing me physically, emotionally and spiritually. I am ready to help the team in whatever my role is be the best that we can be."

2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team
# - Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
2 - Danielle Scott-Arruda (MB, 6-2, Baton Rouge, La., Long Beach State)
3 - Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Opp, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif., Long Beach State)
4 - Lindsey Berg (S, 5-8, Honolulu, Hawaii, Minnesota)
5 - Tamari Miyashiro (L, 5-7, Kaneohe, Hawaii, Washington)
6 - Nicole Davis (L, 5-4, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
10 - Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Hooper, Neb., Nebraska)
11 - Megan Hodge (OH, 6-3, Durham, N.C., Penn State)
13 - Christa Harmotto (MB, 6-2, Hopewell, Pa., Penn State)
15 - Logan Tom (OH, 6-1, Salt Lake City, Utah, Stanford)
16 - Foluke Akinradewo (MB, 6-3, Plantation, Fla., Stanford)
17 - Courtney Thompson (S, 5-8, Kent, Wash., Washington)
19 - Destinee Hooker (Opp, 6-4, San Antonio, Texas, Texas)

Head Coach: Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand)
Assistant Coach: Karch Kiraly (San Clemente, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Paula Weishoff (Irvine, Calif.)
Assistant Coach/Technical Coordinator: Jamie Morrison (Dana Point, Calif.)
Technical Coordinator: Giuseppe Vinci (Casteggio, Italy)
Team Manager: Ken Sullivan (Laguna Beach, Calif.)
Consultant Coach: Marv Dunphy (Malibu, Calif.)
Athletic Trainer/Medical Support: Jill Wosmek (Silver Lake, Minn.)
Doctor: Dr. William Stetson

Replacement Players for U.S. Olympic Games Women’s Volleyball Team Roster
# - Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
1 - Alisha Glass (S, 6-0, Leland, Mich., Penn State)
7 - Heather Bown (MB, 6-3, Yorba Linda, Calif., Hawaii)
8 – Cynthia Barboza (OH, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Stanford)
9 - Jennifer Tamas (MB, 6-4, Milpitas, Calif., Pacific)
12 - Nancy Metcalf (Opp, 6-1, Hull, Iowa, Nebraska)
14 - Nicole Fawcett (Opp, 6-4, Zanesfield, Ohio, Penn State)
18 – Carli Lloyd (S, 5-11, Bonsall, Calif., California-Berkeley)
20 – Kristin Richards (OH, 6-1, Orem, Utah, Stanford)

2012 Olympic Games Women’s Volleyball Schedule

Pool A (World Ranking): Japan (3), Italy (4), Russia (7), Dominican Republic (9), Algeria (16), Great Britain (69)
Pool B (World Ranking): USA (1), Brazil (2), China (5), Serbia (6), Turkey (11), Korea (15)

July 28: Algeria vs. Japan, 9:30 a.m.
July 28: China vs. Serbia, 11:30 a.m.
July 28: Great Britain vs. Russia, 2:45 p.m.
July 28: Italy vs. Dominican Republic, 4:45 p.m.
July 28: USA vs. Korea, 8 p.m. (noon PT)
July 28: Brazil vs. Turkey, 10 p.m.

July 30: China vs. Turkey, 9:30 a.m.
July 30: Serbia vs. Korea, 11:30 a.m.
July 30: Dominican Republic vs. Russia, 2:45 p.m.
July 30: USA vs. Brazil, 4:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. PT)
July 30: Italy vs. Japan, 8 p.m.
July 30: Great Britain vs. Algeria, 10 p.m.

Aug. 1: Dominican Republic vs. Japan, 9:30 a.m.
Aug. 1: Algeria vs. Russia, 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 1: Serbia vs. Turkey, 2:45 p.m.
Aug. 1: Great Britain vs. Italy, 4:45 p.m.
Aug. 1: USA vs. China, 8 p.m. (noon PT)
Aug. 1: Brazil vs. Korea, 10 p.m.

Aug. 3: Brazil vs. China, 9:30 a.m.
Aug. 3: Japan vs. Russia, 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 3: Turkey vs. Korea, 2:45 p.m.
Aug. 3: Great Britain vs. Dominican Republic, 4:45 p.m.
Aug. 3: USA vs. Serbia, 8 p.m. (noon PT)
Aug. 3: Algeria vs. Italy, 10 p.m.

Aug. 5: Algeria vs. Dominican Republic, 9:30 a.m.
Aug. 5: China vs. Korea, 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 5: Great Britain vs. Japan, 2:45 p.m.
Aug. 5: Italy vs. Russia, 4:45 p.m.
Aug. 5: USA vs. Turkey, 8 p.m. (noon PT)
Aug. 5: Brazil vs. Serbia, 10 p.m.

Aug. 7: Quarterfinal Matches at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Aug. 9: Semifinal Matches at 3 p.m., 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 11: Women’s Bronze Medal Match, 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 11: Women’s Gold Medal Match, 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 11: Women’s Gold Medal Ceremony, 8:20 p.m.

2012 Olympic Games Player Notes

2 - Danielle Scott-Arruda (MB, 6-2, Baton Rouge, La., Long Beach State)
Five-time Olympian (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) having played making Olympic Games debut in 1996…Will turn 40 on Oct. 1…U.S. Women’s National Team career has spanned 18 years with first international appearances in 1994 at the Goodwill Games, FIVB World Grand Prix and FIVB World Championship…Has been on U.S. roster for 410 international matches…Will become just the third women’s volleyball player to compete in five Olympic Games…Named MVP, Best Scorer and Best Blocker at the 2001 FIVB World Grand Prix…Earned silver medal at the 2002 FIVB World Championship, 2008 Olympic Games and 2011 FIVB World Cup…Selected to USA Volleyball’s 75th Anniversary Women’s 1978-2003 All-Era Team in 2003…Served as the U.S. delegation flag bearer at the 2007 Pan American Games…Gave birth to daughter Julianne Arruda in April 2010…Speaks fluent Portuguese and some Italian.

3 - Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Opp, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif., Long Beach State)
Three-time Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012) and was part of 2008 Olympic Games silver-medal team…Made U.S. international debut in 2001 at Montreux Volley Masters with 263 international matches to date…Earned Best Scorer at the NORCECA Continental Championship in 2005…Was second leading scorer for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games…Selected as Best Server at the 2007 Pan American Games…Earned silver medal at the 2011 FIVB World Cup and 2002 FIVB World Championship…Played as an outside hitter early in her career with the U.S…Gave birth to son Ajani in 2010...Competed in 2000 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials finishing 10th…Tallest player on the team at 200cm.

4 - Lindsey Berg (S, 5-8, Honolulu, Hawaii, Minnesota)
Three-time Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012) and was part of 2008 Olympic Games silver-medal team…Shared the setting duties at the 2008 Olympic Games and sparked the team in wins over Italy in the quarterfinals…Named USA Volleyball Female Indoor Volleyball Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011…Selected Best Setter at the 2005 and 2011 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship, along with the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Pan American Cup …Missed much of the 2009 season after post-2008 Olympic Games surgery…Made U.S. international debut in 2003 at the Montreux Volley Masters and now has 208 international matches…Berg was never selected as an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American.

5 - Tamari Miyashiro (L, 5-7, Kaneohe, Hawaii, Washington)
Making first appearance in Olympic Games…Made U.S. international debut in 2010 on a tour of China and now has been on U.S. roster for 61 international matches…Starting libero at the 2011 Pan American Games in which the U.S. captured the bronze medal with a young lineup… Played in 43 of a possible 48 sets in the 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix…As a serving sub in 35 sets at 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix, served 60 times with two aces averaging 1.71 serves per substitution… Reserve libero on the 2011 FIVB World Cup silver-medal team…Three-time AVCA All-American at University of Washington.

6 - Nicole Davis (L, 5-4, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
Two-time Olympian (2008 and 2012) after holding the starting libero role at the 2008 Olympic Games in which the U.S. finished with the silver medal…Joined the U.S. National Team in 2004 and made international debut in 2005 against Brazil in the Front Range Tour…Now has 209 international matches…as starting libero at 2008 Olympic Games helped the U.S. to a .302 hitting efficiency and finished sixth in Best Digger…Named Best Digger at 2009 Pan American Cup and Best Libero at 2010 Montreux Volley Masters…Helped University of Southern California to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2002 and 2003

10 - Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Hooper, Neb., Nebraska)
Making first appearance in Olympic Games…Made U.S. senior team international debut in 2009 at the Pan American Cup after being a member of the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team in 2004 and the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team in 2003…Since joining the U.S. team has primarily been a starter…Has been starting outside hitter on three straight FIVB World Grand Prix gold-medal teams, along with silver medal at the 2011 FIVB World Cup…Has played in 118 international matches for the U.S…Will be making the switch to jersey No. 10 for the Olympic Games, which was her college number at University of Nebraska where she was a three-time AVCA All-American.

11 - Megan Hodge (OH, 6-3, Durham, N.C., Penn State)
Making first appearance in Olympic Games…Made U.S. senior team international debut in 2010 on a tour of China followed by 2010 Montreux Volley Masters…Selected MVP and Best Scorer of 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix in which the U.S. the event for the third straight time…Helped U.S. to the silver medal at the 2011 FIVB World Cup…Will be making the switch to jersey No. 11 for the Olympic Games, which was her college number at Penn State University…Selected co-Honda Broderick Cup Award winner for the best female collegiate athlete in all NCAA sports for 2009-2010…Led Penn State to three consecutive NCAA Division I volleyball titles from 2007 to 2009 …Named American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Year in 2009 as well as ESPN The Magazine/CoSID Academic All-American of the Year…Four-time AVCA All-American…Member of the 2006 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team and the 2004 and 2005 U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team…Born in U.S. Virgin Islands

13 - Christa Harmotto (MB, 6-2, Hopewell, Pa., Penn State)
Making first appearance in Olympic Games…Made first U.S. senior team international debut in 2009 on tour of Egypt…Has made 90 appearances in U.S. international matches…Helped the U.S. to the 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix title…Led all blockers through the 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix preliminary round phase and finished the tournament with averages of 3.23 points, 1.31 blocks and 1.74 kills per set with a 55.5 kill percent and .482 hitting efficiency…Three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American as she led Penn State to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2007 and 2008…Named 2008 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year…Selected for the 2004 and 2005 U.S. Women’s Junior National Teams.

15 - Logan Tom (OH, 6-1, Salt Lake City, Utah, Stanford)
Four-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) with first Olympics coming at the age of 19…Becomes just the third U.S. women’s volleyball player to compete in four Olympic Games…Made U.S. senior national team international debut in 1998 at age 16 as part of the NORCECA World Champions Qualification Tournament…Has now made 221 international appearances with the U..S…Earned Best Scorer at the 2008 Olympic Games with 124 points and a 3.76 scoring average per set...Chosen MVP, Best Scorer and Best Server of the 2004 FIVB World Grand Prix…Earned Best Receiver at the 2003 Montreux Volley Masters…Selected Best Server at 2003 Yeltsin Cup and the 2011 NORCECA Continental Championship…Sat out all of the 2005 and 2006 seasons before rejoining the team late in 2007 to help the team win the silver medal at the FIVB World Cup to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games…Sat out the 2009 season and returned in July 2010 to help the U.S. win the first of three consecutive FIVB World Grand Prix titles…Helped the U.S. to the silver medal at the 2011 FIVB World Cup…Became just the third player to earn four consecutive American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American First-Team honors (1999-2002) while playing at Stanford University, which won the 2001 NCAA title…Named AVCA Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002…Father Melvin Tom played in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears.

16 - Foluke Akinradewo (MB, 6-3, Plantation, Fla., Stanford)
Making her first appearance in the Olympic Games…Made first appearance with the U.S. senior team at 2005 Pan American Cup and now has 127 international matches…Joined the U.S. National Team full-time in 2009 after spending summers with the team in 2007 and 2008 while still competing at Stanford University…Helped U.S. to bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games…Named MVP and Best Block at the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix in which the U.S. captured the first of three straight titles…Starter 2011 FIVB World Cup silver medal team…Named either American Volleyball Coaches Association or Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008 while at Stanford where she concluded her career as a four-time AVCA All-American…Finished Stanford career with then-NCAA record .446 hitting efficiency…Starting middle blocker for the 2005 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team that competed in FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship…Did not play club volleyball…Holds tri-citizenship with USA, Canada and Nigeria.

17 - Courtney Thompson (S, 5-8, Kent, Wash., Washington)
Making her first appearance in the Olympic Games…Made first appearance with the U.S. senior team at 2007 Pan American Cup and now has 74 international appearances…Helped the U.S. win the bronze medal at the 2007 and 2011 Pan American Games…Named Best Setter and Best Server at the FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournament – NORCECA Pool G in 2009…Three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American while at University of Washington…Helped lead Washington to the 2005 NCAA Division I title…Set the NCAA Division I record for career assist average (14.56).

19 - Destinee Hooker (Opp, 6-4, San Antonio, Texas, Texas)
Making her first appearance in the Olympic Games…Made first appearance with the U.S. senior team on a tour of Chinese club teams in 2008 followed by the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix and now has 65 international matches…In her first official tournament with the U.S., averaged 4.76 points and 2.46 digs in helping the U.S. win the first of three consecutive FIVB World Grand Prix titles…Ranked fourth in Best Scorer in 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix Final Round…Started all 11 matches of 2010 FIVB World Championships and finished as fifth in scoring…Named MVP of the 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix and ranked second in scoring in the Final Round with 101 points…In 2011 selected as one of 13 FIVB Heroes for women’s volleyball…Helped the U.S. to the gold medal at the 2011 NORCECA Continental Championship and the silver medal at the 2011 FIVB World Cup…Selected Best Spiker at the FIVB World Cup with a 49.5 kill percent to go with a 5.91 points scored average…Scored U.S. career-high 39 points against China on Nov. 16, 2011…Three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American while at University of Texas…Won the 2009 NCAA Indoor High Jump championship and the 2009 NCAA Outdoor High Jump championship, becoming just the second female in NCAA history to win three NCAA Outdoor High Jump titles and the first female high jumper to sweep the indoor and outdoor crowns since 2004.