How did US women’s volleyball team became the number one team in the world?
The US women’s national volleyball team is the national volleyball team of United States of America, which is currently staying on top in FIVB World Ranking.
The Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) last updated the ranking chart in November 2011, soon after the completion of FIVB World Cup in Japan. The US team bagged a total of 285 points at the end of season and got hold of the top position, while
Brazil and Japan finished second and third with 265 and 228 points respectively. In 2010, Brazil was on top but the South Americans could not hold onto the number one position in 2011. On the other hand, the US team performed amazingly well and improved on
to the top slot.
The US women’s national volleyball team is governed by the USA Volleyball (USAV) and has strong presence at the international events.
Most recently, the American team participated in the 2011 FIVB World Cup. US team, under the visionary command of Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon, put up a wonderful effort and finished with an overall record of 9-1.
The World Cup was hosted by Japan and local Japanese team proved to be a detractor for US team in their last match of the tournament. USA dropped the decision to Japan in straight sets and settled for second position in competition. Italy emerged as top
team of the tournament, while USA and China finished second and third, respectively.
The 2011 edition of FIVB World Cup was of extreme importance as it served as the qualifying tournament for the upcoming Summer Olympics in London. The US team ended up second but managed to earn the Olympic tickets along with Italy and China.
Earlier in the season, the US team actively took part in the 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix. Americans entered the competition with a label of defending champions and maintained their dominance in the game. They exhibited an up-to-mark performance and secured
the title for the second time in a row. It was overall the fourth Grand Prix title for the American women. Destinee Hooker, the opposite, settled for the award of Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the competition.
Likewise, the US team did exceptionally well at the other national and international events such as Pan American Volleyball Cup, NORCECA Championships, and Montreux Volleyball Masters. The overall good performance enabled the team to top the world rankings.
In 2011, the roster of women’s national volleyball team featured following 14 players, who competed at different tournaments. It included:
Destinee Hooker – Opposite Foluke Akinradewo – Middle Blocker Logan Tom – Outside Hitter Jordan Larson – Outside Hitter Heather Bown – Middle Blocker Alisha Glass – Setter Nicole Davis – Libero Jennifer Tamas – Middle Blocker Tamari Miyashiro – Libero Megan Hodge - Outside Hitter Cynthia Barboza - OH Lindsey Berg - Setter Tayyiba Haneef-Park – Opposite Danielle Scott-Arruda – Middle Blocker
Undoubtedly, the 2011 season brought a lot of luck for the American squad. They saw their rise as the top team in the world with most number of points. In the next run, the team is hopeful to carry the same momentum into 2012 season and has the ambition
to win the Olympic Title.
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