Three Former Huskers Set for World Grand Prix

Lincoln ? A trio of former Husker volleyball players are on the United States roster for the upcoming Annual FIVB World Grand Prix that begins this weekend. Jordan Larson, Nancy Metcalf and Tracy Stalls are on the 19-player roster for this tournament, which is considered the premier annual event in women’s volleyball. Nebraska and Stanford are the only two schools with three players apiece on the Team USA roster.

The tournament stretches over the next three weekends in 10 cities across the world. Team USA will open preliminary-round action in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with three matches this weekend. The U.S. Women’s team faces Germany (Noon Friday), Puerto Rico (Noon Saturday) and Brazil (9 a.m. Sunday) before heading to Miao Li, Chinese Taipei (Aug. 7-9), and Bangkok, Thailand (Aug. 14-16). The finals, which features the top five teams from the three Grand Prix weekends, takes place in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 19-23.

Fan will be able to watch all Team USA’s matches over the next three weeks on the Internet, as www.universalsports.com, a channel and website partnered with NBC that highlights Olympic Sports, will carry every United States match from the tournament.

Team USA is 10-2 on the year and ranked second in the world following its silver medal performance at the 2008 Olympics.  The United States is looking for its first gold medal at the FIVB World Grand Prix since 2001 and will be attempting to receive its first medal since earning a bronze in 2004.

Metcalf and Larson saw the majority of action during the Pan American Cup last month.  Metcalf, an Olympian in 2004, was Team USA’s leading scorer at the Pan American Cup with 93 points in her first action with the team since 2006. Larson, competing in her first senior-level international event for the U.S., added 77 points during the Pan American Cup and was the team’s second-leading scorer. Stalls, who has been a member of the USA program since 2003, will make her 2009 debut during the Grand Prix.