BROOKLYN, N.Y. --- LIU Brooklyn rising sophomore setter Piper Matsumoto has earned an invitation to the U.S. Volleyball Women's National Team Open Tryouts this weekend (March 2-4) at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Matsumoto, a 2017 Northeast Conference All-Tournament selection, is the only NEC representative among the more than 225 student-athletes vying for a spot in the National Team pipeline - either on the U.S. Women's National Team or the U.S. Collegiate National Team program
. The tryouts will be led by U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly.
In her first season in Brooklyn, the Fort Myers, Fla. native saw action in all 30 matches and made nine starts for the NEC champion Blackbirds. She was second on the team in total assists (571) and assists per game (5.95), with her per game average placing her in the top ten in the NEC. In the conference title match, Matsumoto recorded what is believed to the first triple-double in NEC Championship history, putting together a season-high stat line of 55 assists, 15 digs and 10 digs. The triple-double was also the ninth in LIU history and first since Dunja Milin posted one against UC Santa Barbara (57 assists, 10 kills, 10 digs) on August 25, 2007.
Selected athletes for the U.S. Women's National Team may begin their training in Anaheim, California, as early as the spring of 2018, or when an athlete's scholastic or professional club season has concluded.
The U.S. Collegiate National Team program has three competition options:
- U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team – May 20-31, CNT Asia (International)
- U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team – July 4-15, CNT Europe (International)
- U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team – June 22-July 1, CNT-Detroit, Michigan (Domestic)
Selections for the U.S. Collegiate National Teams will be made by the end of March.