ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – Two UCF student-athletes and a trio of UCF Volleyball staff members will represent the Knights at the 2020 USA Volleyball women's open tryouts, taking place from February 21-23 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Junior McKenna Melville and incoming freshman Mary Beth Headley will vie for spots on the U.S. Women's National Team and the U.S. Collegiate National Team. Headley is also eligible for the U.S. Women's Junior National Team that will compete in the 2020 NORCECA Women's U20 Continental Championships in Edmonton, Canada.
Headley will compete as an outside hitter and Melville will try out as a libero, a position she is comfortable with as it was her primary position in high school.
"Both of these athletes have demonstrated their ability to compete on a national level," said UCF Volleyball head coach Todd Dagenais. "I look forward to them having the opportunity to go out and showcase their skill set in the national team gym. Last year, McKenna was selected and that was a big boost for her and led to her having a great year."
Melville earned first team All-Conference honors for the second year in a row following the recent 2019 season. She was also named to the AVCA All-Region team and earned All-American Honorable mention honors. The Eagan, Minn., native averaged 4.49 kills per a set with 548 kills throughout the season. Defensively, Melville recorded 3.13 digs per set and tallied 56 blocks. She is ranked top ten nationally in attacks per set and is ranked 12th nationally for points with 612.5.
"Being able to compete at the USA Olympic Training Center is an experience like no other. It is an amazing experience to be able to compete and play with some of the best volleyball athletes in the country," said Melville. "This is super exciting for me because I get to learn more about the game from coaches from all over the nation."
Officially signing with the Knights back in November and stepping on to campus for the first time this spring, newcomer Mary Elizabeth Headley has already showcased her outstanding potential. Headley posted a hitting percentage of .361 her junior year in high school and averaged 3.90 kills per a set. The Newman, Ga. native received Under Armour Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2019.
In addition to Melville and Headley, Dagenais will also send three of his staff members to the tryouts for the second year in a row. Associate Head Coach Brian Doyon will serve as an evaluator while Director of Operations T.J. Read will work as a DataVolley inputter and Lenore Chenard will assist with the live streaming production that Team USA is implementing this year.
Doyon completed his third season at UCF in 2019 and his second season as the associate head coach. His primary role is to oversee player and skill development for UCF. He plays a prominent role in structuring the Knight's game plan with the staff.
Read finished his second season with UCF after joining in the summer of 2018. Read manages the DataVolley analytics and assists with video operations for the coaching staff, in addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the program.
Chenard spent her first full season with the Knights in 2019, serving in a Volunteer Assistant capacity.
The tryouts will feature 214 athletes from 94 colleges across the country for spots on the U.S. Women's National Team and the U.S. Collegiate National Team. Four athletes will be trying out for the 2020 U.S. Women's Junior National Team. The breakdown will include 48 liberos, 37 middles, 26 opposites, 66 outside hitters and 37 setters.
U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly will be directing the entire tryout process. The tryout will involve four sessions with three waves per session. Melville and Headley will all be participating in different waves.
Friday's session goes from 2:00 pm–8:00 pm MT, while Saturday's session will take place from 8 am–8 pm MT. The final session on Sunday begins at 7:30 am MT with Tournament style play, along with 16-18 athletes being selected by the U.S. Women's National Team staff to participate in a USA training session.
The Friday and Saturday sessions will be stream live at https://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/video
USA Volleyball will use #USAVtryout as the event hashtag for photos, notes, quotes and stories posted to its social media platforms.
