ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Four University of New Mexico volleyball players will head to the U.S. Women’s National Team Open Tryouts this weekend, February 19-21 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Lobos Cassie House, Devanne Sours, Victoria Spragg and Carson Heilborn are among 231 athletes from 88 colleges and universities that are aiming for spots on the U.S. Women’s National Team and the U.S. Collegiate National Team program.
“It’s a great experience,” New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “They bring together over 200 of the top collegiate players in the country, so it’s a chance to have a weekend with a number of workout sessions, just playing and drilling with some of the best players from around the country.
“On top of that, you have the opportunity to move into one of the national team summer programs. Those have been a great experience for our players that made it in the past.”
House, a junior outside hitter/middle blocker from Rio Rancho, N.M., finished her junior campaign second on the team in kills (276) and third in total blocks (86). She recorded double-digit kills 14 times in 2015.
She is a two-time All-Mountain West selection, and competed for the U.S. Collegiate National Team in 2014.
Sours, a junior outside hitter from Tatum, N.M., is making her third straight appearance at the tryouts. She played in all 31 matches in 2015, seeing action in all 116 sets, and led the team in kills, tallying 355.
Sours ended the season ninth in the Mountain West in both kills per set (3.06) and aces per set (0.27).
“For Cassie and Devanne, they’ve been before,” Nelson said. “They know how it goes and what they can get out of it. I’m hoping they’ll both have great weekends and push for an opportunity. And even if they don’t, that they’ll get a really great experience out of it.”
Spragg, a redshirt freshman, is coming off a redshirt season in 2015, but was solid in her true freshman season in 2014. The 6-foot-5 middle blocker from Belen, N.M., played in 18 matches with four starts as a freshman, finishing with 28 kills and 37 total blocks.
Heilborn, a freshman setter from Auburn, Wash., saw limited action her first season in Albuquerque as she backed up Hannah Johnson, one of the most decorated setters in UNM history. Heilborn did play in six matches, notching 16 assists, three kills and eight blocks.
“This will be their first time going,” Nelson said of Spragg and Heilborn. “I think it will be real eye-opener for them. We’re counting on them to a do a lot for us next year, and I think this will be just another great experience for them.”
The Lobos have had success at the tryouts, with House, Johnson and alumni Chantale Riddle and Ashley Rhoades making teams in recent years.
The tryouts will be operated by three-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer Karch Kiraly and the U.S. Women’s National Team staff. Kim Hill, a Pepperdine alum and MVP of the FIVB World Championship, also will be in attendance.
Following the tryouts, the Lobos will be notified by early March if they will be selected for a team. USA Volleyball will announce the selections by the end of March once all the roster spots are confirmed.
To follow along this weekend, check out Twitter under the hashtag #USAVTryout or @USAVolleyball twitter handle, or on Snapchat under the @USAVolleyball handle. There will also be a live stream of Friday’s tryout, starting at 2 p.m. MT.