COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — LSU middle blocker Brittnee Cooper was one of 24 players selected to the 2009 U.S. Women’s National A2 Team Tuesday as announced by USA Volleyball.
The players, all of whom have remaining collegiate eligibility for 2009, were selected as part of the U.S. Women’s National Team Open Tryouts held Feb. 20-22 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. A record total of 160 athletes competed in the Open Tryout.
“We’re extremely excited and proud of Brittnee,” head coach Fran Flory said. “Her being named to the U.S. Women’s National A2 Team is a tribute to her hard work. Getting a chance to train and play with those players for a couple of weeks will do nothing but good for her.”
Cooper was key down the stretch as the Tigers won its fourth consecutive SEC Western Division championship and made its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. She powered home 226 kills on a .343 attack percentage in league play en route to All-SEC and AVCA All-South First-Team honors.
Cooper was a member of the 2008 USA A2 Red Team that won the Open Division Championship of the USA Adult Open Volleyball Championships last June. She joins Texas A&M’s Sarah Ammerman, Ohio’s Ellen Herman, Florida’s Kristy Jaeckel and Cal’s Carli Lloyd as repeat selections to the A2 roster.
The 2009 U.S. Women’s National A2 program is scheduled to train May 18-22 in Minneapolis before being split into two 12-player rosters to compete in the Open Division of the 2009 USA Adult Open Championships. The Open Division flight takes place May 23-26 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The 2009 roster includes four setters, 10 outside/opposite hitters, six middles and four liberos. The 24 players come from 19 different collegiate programs. Below is a complete roster of the squad
2009 USA Women’s National A2 Team Roster
Name (Position, College, 2009 College Eligibility, Hometown)
Sarah Ammerman (Outside Hitter, Texas A&M, Sr., Parker, Colo.)
Johannah Bangert (Middle Blocker, Illinois, Jr., Washington, Mo.)
Michelle Bartsch (Outside Hitter, Illinois, So., Maryville, Ill.)
Ashley Benson (Middle Blocker, Indiana, Jr., Bloomington, Ind.)
Haley Carroll (Libero, San Francisco, Sr., Gilroy, Calif.)
Ashlie Christenson (Outside Hitter, Baylor, Jr., Cleburne, Texas)
Brittnee Cooper (Middle Blocker, LSU, Sr., Houston, Texas)
Laura DeBruler (Outside Hitter, Illinois, Jr., Downers Grove, Ill.)
Whitney Dosty (Outside Hitter, Arizona, Jr., Tucson, Ariz.)
Ashley Edinger (Libero, Illinois, Sr., Michigan City, Ind.)
Neticia Enesi (Middle Blocker, Oregon, Sr., The Dalles, Ore.)
Lindsay Fletemier (Middle Blocker, Dayton, Jr., Garden City, Mich.)
Laurie Gonzalez (Libero, Albany, So., Carolina, Puerto Rico)
Ellen Herman (Outside Hitter, Ohio, Sr., Toledo, Ohio)
Kristy Jaeckel (Outside Hitter, Florida, So., Littleton, Colo.)
Carli Lloyd (Setter, California, Jr., Bonsall, Calif.)
Kaylee Manns (Setter, Iowa State, Sr., Topeka, Kan.)
Ashleigh McCord (Outside Hitter, Rice, So., Wylie, Texas)
Tarah Murrey (Outside Hitter, California, So., El Cerrito, Calif.)
Sarah Rumely (Setter, Kentucky, Sr., New Palestine, Ind.)
Christine Tan (Libero, Minnesota, Sr., Safety Harbor, Fla.)
Naomi Washington (Middle Blocker, Long Beach State, Sr., New Orleans, La.)
Paige Weber (Setter, Arizona, Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.)
Brooks Webster (Outside Hitter, Alabama, Sr., Baltimore, Md.)
Coaching Staff
Head Coaches: Suzie Fritz (Kansas State) and Jason Watson (Arizona)
Assistant Coaches: Scott Swanson (Minnesota) and Aven Lee (Pacific)