Getting to know Heather Bown, the American middle blocker
Yorba Linda California native, Heather Bown is one of the senior players of U.S. Women’s national volleyball team. She plays at middle blocker’s position and has an influential role in the team. She joined the national team in 2000. Since then, she has played
an instrumental role in helping the team to touch the heights of fame. She was part of the American national team, which took part in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Furthermore, Bown actively participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, when the
team clinched fifth position in the tournament. Likewise, the US team earned silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Bown was part of the US crew and it was her third straight Olympic appearance with the team.
In her very first year with the national team, she proved her talent in a match against the tough team of Russia. It was also the first international appearance for Bown. She did exceptionally well and scored 10 kills, six digs, and a block in the contest.
She further improved on tours to Japan and Brazil, and emerged as top force for American team. The year 2000 brought a lot of luck and success for Bown and helped her turned many heads around.
Bown took her legacy into the next year and showed remarkable performance at the 2001 NORCECA Zone Championships. She earned the Best Attacker’s award.
In 2002, she enabled the team to secure Silver medal at the Women’s Volleyball World Championship. She supported her team with 34 blocks and also averaged 12 points per match. The same year, she recorded an outstanding .500 hitting percentage, while playing
at the World Grand Prix.
The American national squad received tremendous amount of help from Heather at the 2003 Women’s Volleyball World Cup. The team finished third and also earned Olympic Tickets. During the World Cup, Bown did an amazing job on the attack side and did equally
well on defence. She made her second straight Olympic appearance in 2004 and fought for the better status of US team. Bown took a break from volleyball in 2005 and went back to school, in order to complete her degree.
The passionate player returned to action in 2006 and made her presence felt once again. She represented US team at the Pan American Cup and helped the team to capture fourth position. She was also part of the team, which competed at the World Grand Prix
and World Championship.
The silver medal at the NORCECA Championship was the main highlight of the American team in 2007. Along with other players, Heather Bown also received recognition for her hard work. She competed at the FIVB World Cup and contributed to the overall success
of her team when they took bronze medal victory.
She travelled with US team to Beijing, in order to take part in the Olympic Games. Heather Bown played an active role in leading her team to silver medal victory at the Olympics. Most recently, she was in the front row to fight for American team at the 2011
FIVB Grand Prix. The US team worked its position up to the top and got hold of the title trophy.
Apart from the national team, she represents Azerbaijan’s club team of Azerrail Baku.
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