News

Colorado, USA, May 9, 2005 - “Jenny” Lang Ping stepped onto the court for the first time as the head coach of the USA women’s national Volleyball team when she held her first practice at the United States Olympic Training Complex on Monday.

The atmosphere in the gym was a little more quiet than it normally will be considering only eight players were in attendance on the first day: 2004 Olympic alternate Cynthia Barboza, Shonda Cole, Jane Collymore, Nicole Davis, Marcie Hampton, Angie McGinnis, 2004 Olympian Nancy Metcalf and Sophia Milo.

But as the days go on more and more players will slowly filter into camp. Olympians Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Elisabeth Bachman, Lindsey Berg and Tayyiba Haneef are scheduled to begin training next week, followed by 2004 AVCA co-Player of the Year Ogonna Nnamani and three-time Olympian Danielle Scott in subsequent weeks.
Pic: (Courtesy of USA Volleyball) Lang Ping in her first training session
“We won’t have all of the players together for a while,” admits Lang Ping, who was named Team USA head coach on Feb. 7. “I have never seen most of them. I just have to tell myself to be patient and get to know all of our players.”

The United States, which will be competing in the 2005 World Grand Prix, the 2006 Women’s World Championships and the NORCECA Championships later this summer, opens the 2005 season with three matches against World Grand Prix champions Brazil in the USA on June 2, June 4 and June 6.

“It’s not really about results this year,” added Lang Ping, a member of China’s Olympic gold-medal winning team in 1984 and an inductee into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2002. “It’s a true learning experience. I have to figure out what kind of teamwork we will have for the future. I can’t decide anything right now until I learn the situation.”