Sun Devils return from USA Volleyball Team tryouts

Last weekend saw 160 elite volleyball players all converge on Colorado Springs, Colo. as USA Volleyball conducted its three-day U.S. Women's National Team Open Tryout Feb. 20-22 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Included in those 160 athletes were ASU's own Sarah Reaves and Cat Highwater to vie for a spot on the U.S. Women's National Team, the U.S. Women's Junior National Team or the USA Women's Senior A2 Team.

Following the tryouts, Sarah Reaves, a junior outside hitter from Glendale, Ariz. said, "The tryouts were fun, but intense. Everyone there goes all out and plays with amazing skill and passion. They know what these tryouts can mean to your future in playing volleyball on the international stage and highest level of the sport."

Cat Highwater, a sophomore transfer from Long Beach State also attended with Reaves stating, "The tryouts were intimidating with a ton of amazing and talented athletes. You immediately knew you had to play your best stepping foot on the court. If you missed a ball you had to work that much harder to make up for it. You didn't feel like you had any room for error, you had to go out and push everyone as hard as they pushed you."

The Sun Devils will hear results from the tryouts in the next few weeks. Head Coach Jason Watson also added that "It's a great opportunity to send Sarah and Cat for them to expose them to playing at the national team level. The experience can only better them as athletes in seeing the progress they need to continue making to be the best."

For USA Volleyball press releases and photo galleries from the tryouts, please click here.

The Sun Devil Volleyball Team hits the courts again in the upcoming months for their spring season to begin preparations for the upcoming Fall 2009 campaign. A spring schedule will be posted shortly.