The U.S. qualified to compete in the Youth Olympic Games by winning the 2010 NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship played April 27 to May 2 in Guatemala. In addition, the NORCECA gold medal also secured the U.S. a spot into the 2011 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship to be held next year in Turkey.
Selected players for the U.S. Girls' Youth Olympic Team roster are middle blockers Samantha Cash (San Diego, Calif.), Madison Mahaffey (Vestavia Hills, Ala.) and Olivia Okoro (Carrollton, Texas). Outside and opposite hitters on the roster are Crystal Graff (Madison, Wis.), Natalie Hayes (Ozark, Mo.), Christina Higgins (Inglewood, Calif.), Elizabeth McMahon (Liberty Township, Ohio), Katherine Mitchell (The Woodlands, Texas) and Taylor Simpson (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
The two setters on the squad are Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) and Madison Kamp (Orland Park, Ill.). The libero is Tiffany Morales (Redondo Beach, Calif.).
U.S. Girls' Youth Games Head Coach Rod Wilde has selected Cash to serve as the team captain. She, along with McMahon, were part of the gold-medal winning 2010 NORCECA Women's Junior Continental Championship team that went undefeated without dropping a single set at the event held July 5-10 in Mexico.
Cash, Graff, Kamp, Mahaffey, McMahon, Okoro and Simpson were all part of the U.S. Women's Junior National Training Team that trained May 20-22 at the U.s. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The remaining 11 players were originally selected to the U.S. Women's Junior National A2 Team program.
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