COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. August 5, 2004 - USA Volleyball and the United States Paralympic Committee are pleased to announce the members of the first-ever USA Women’s Sitting Volleyball Paralympic Team that will be competing in Athens, Greece, next month.

Team members include: Allison Ahlfeldt (Costa Mesa, Calif.); Allison Aldrich (Schuyler, Neb.); Bonnie Brawner (Carrollton, Texas); Lori Daniels (Bedford, Texas); Kendra Lancaster (Sheridan, Ind.); Hope Lewellen (Chicago, Ill.); Brenda Maymon (Sellersberg, Ind.); Gina Ann McWilliams (Flower Mound, Texas); Erica Moyers (Athens, Ala.); Penny Ricker (Green Bay, Wis.); Deb Vosler (Eyota, Minn.); and Lora Webster (Cave Creek, Ariz.).

Mike Hulett (Des Plaines, Ill.), who served as head coach of the 1996 and 2000 USA Men’s Sitting Volleyball Paralympic Teams, is now in his second year as head coach of the USA women. Denise Van De Walle (Bowling Green, Ohio), head coach of the women's volleyball program at Bowling Green State University, serves as the assistant coach of the women's sitting team. John Kessel (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Volleyball’s Director of Beach Volleyball, Disabled, Grassroots and Education Programs, will serve as the team leader for the USA Women.

The women qualified for September’s Paralympics in Athens, Greece, by capturing the gold medal at the Para Pan American Games over Brazil in Argentina last December. The two teams were playing a best three-of-five series to determine the women’s Pan American representative for the first-ever women’s sitting volleyball competition at next

Team USA, which has been traveling and training for most of the summer (including trips to the Netherlands, Georgia and Texas), continues its Paralympic preparations with a pair of eight-day training sessions this month at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Aug. 8-15 and Aug. 22-29).

About Sitting Volleyball

Sitting volleyball is played with athletes sitting on the floor. All team members have some type of disability to their lower body such as paralysis from polio, or single- or double-amputation. The net is about three feet high and the court is 10 meters by 6 meters with a 2-meter attack line. The only major differences between the standing game and sitting game besides the smaller court and lower net are: 1) players can block the serve; and 2) one "cheek" must be in contact with the floor when a person makes contact with the ball.

About U.S. Paralympics U.S. Paralympics is a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee and is dedicated to becoming the world leader in the Paralympic sports movement and promoting excellence in the lives of persons with physical disabilities. For more information on U.S. Paralympics, visit www.usparalympics.org.

2004 USA Women’s Paralympic Sitting Volleyball Team Quick Facts

Years 2004 (First Year as a Paralympic Sport)

Multiple Paralympians 2—Hope Lewellen (2000, Wheelchair Tennis; 2004, Sitting Volleyball)

First-Time Paralympians Allison Ahlfeldt Allison Aldrich Bonnie Brawner Lori Daniels Kendra Lancaster Brenda Maymon Gina McWilliams Erica Moyers Penny Ricker Deb Vosler Lora Webster

Paralympians by State Texas (3): Bonnie Brawner; Lori Daniels; Gina McWilliams Indiana (2): Kendra Lancaster; Brenda Maymon Minnesota (1): Deb Vosler Alabama (1): Erica Moyers Arizona (1): Lora Webster California (1): Allison Ahlfeldt Illinois (1): Hope Lewellen Nebraska (1): Allison Aldrich Wisconsin (1): Penny Ricker

Paralympians by College Cameron University (1): Deb Vosler Indiana University Southeast (1): Brenda Maymon Lewis University (1): Hope Lewellen Texas-Arlington (1): Lori Daniels Texas Lutheran College (1): Bonnie Brawner UC Irvine (1): Allison Ahlfeldt Wisconsin-Oshkosh (1): Penny Ricker ________________________________________