Elmer Selected for U.S. National Training Team

Lincoln ? Nebraska’s Melissa Elmer is among the 11 Division I players chosen for the 2004 USA Women’s National Volleyball Training Team, USA Volleyball announced Tuesday. Elmer will be competing for Husker coach John Cook, who will serve as the head coach of the team along with assistant coaches Lee Maes (California) and Paula Weishoff (Concordia (Calif.)).

The team will train in Atlanta, Ga., from May 25-28. The squad will then compete in the Women’s Open Division of the USA Volleyball Adult Open Championships at the Georgia World Congress Center from May 29 through June 1.

"This is easily the most abbreviated training season in the past four summers that we have had for collegiate athletes in the pipeline," said Tom Pingel, USA Volleyball’s Director of High Performance National Programs. "That is due to this being an Olympic year and not being a Pan American Games or World University Games year.

"Although we have a shorter training and competition window than we would like, it will still be a good opportunity for these athletes," he added. "This coaching staff has tentatively been selected to be our coaching staff for the 2005 World University Games, and the athletes will benefit from playing together for another summer."

Elmer was one of six 2003 AVCA All-Americans named to the training team. Elmer earned AVCA Second-Team All-America honors in 2003 after producing the best numbers by a middle blocker in the Big 12 Conference. A first-team All-Big 12 pick, she led the Big 12 with 1.64 blocks per game and a .379 hitting percentage in conference matches.

Cook, who owns a 124-9 record in four years at Nebraska, brings Olympic experience to the team. As the first assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball team, Cook aided the United States to a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. The team’s defensive coordinator, he was also in charge of scouting and supervising the team’s flexibility, strength and conditioning programs.

In the U.S. Olympic Festival competition, Cook served as head coach of the bronze medal-winning North team in 1989 and was an assistant coach with the third-place West team in 1987.

The USA Women’s National Volleyball Training Team is primarily selected by invitation based on past performance in USA Volleyball pipeline programs such as the A2 team, the Pan American Games team and the Junior National Team.

The setters were selected through an invitational weekend tryout at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 9-10.

2004 USA Women’s National Training Team
Emily Adams, MB, USC (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Keao Burdine, OH, USC (Pico Rivera, Calif.)
Jane Collymore, OH, Florida (Englewood, Colo.)
Nicole Davis, L, USC (Stockton, Calif.)
Melissa Elmer, MB, Nebraska (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Kim Glass, OH, Arizona (Lancaster, Pa.)
Lindsey Hunter, S, Missouri (Papillion, Neb.)
Kelsie Kartchner, S, Utah (Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Staci Venski, OH, USC (California City, Calif.)
Erin Virtue, S, Illinois (St. Charles, Ill.)
Sherri Williams, MB, Florida (Orlando, Fla.)

Head Coach: John Cook (Nebraska)
Assistant Coaches: Paula Weishoff (Concordia); Lee Maes (California)