USA VOLLEYBALL DISABLED VOLLEYBALL DIVISION

For information on the U.S. Women's Sitting Team at the 2008 Paralympic Games, go to http://volleyball.teamusa.org/event/event/640.

U.S. Women's Sitting Team Claims Bronze Medal at Intercontinental Cup

(April 29, 2008) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team defeated Ukraine on Tuesday to win the bronze medal at the World Organization Volleyball for Disabled (WOVD) Intercontinental Cup in Ismailia, Egypt.

The U.S. Sitting Women swept Ukraine, 25-18, 25-15, 25-14, and finished the tournament with a 4-2 record. Netherlands defeated Slovenia in the gold-medal match, 25-16, 28-26, 25-20. MORE

April 28, 2008: U.S. Women's Sitting Team to Play Ukraine for Bronze Medal
April 27, 2008: U.S. Women's Sitting Team Second in Pool; Moves on to Quarterfinals
April 25, 2008: U.S. Women's Sitting Volleyball Team Sweeps Lithuania
April 24, 2008: U.S. Women's Sitting Volleyball Team Competing in Egypt

Visit the event web site at www.volleyball08.com.

Read Assistant Coach Denise Van de Walle's blog.

U.S. Women's Sitting Team Downs Dutch in Final Exhibition

CBS2 in Chicago ran a story about the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team, view it by clicking here (it is dated March 18).

Click here to download a U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball photo roster.

Click here to download a guide to disabled volleyball.

The USA Volleyball sitting volleyball web site is at www.usavolleyball.org/Disabled/sitting.asp.

The U.S. Paralympic web site is at www.usolympicteam.com/paralympics/.

U.S. Sitting Women Sweep Netherlands in Exhibition

U.S. Women's Sitting Team Splits Two Matches with Netherlands

U.S. Women's Sitting Team to Host Netherlands in Chicago Area

(March 10, 2008) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team will begin its run up to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing by hosting the Netherlands Women’s Sitting Volleyball team for a training and scrimmage camp on March 17-20 in the Chicago area. Both Netherlands, the reigning world champion, and the United States have qualified for the eight-team Paralympic field. The U.S. Women are the defending Paralympic bronze medalists from 2004, when the Netherlands won silver. Prior to the Games, which will be Sept. 6-17, both teams will compete at the first World Organization Volleyball for the Disabled (WOVD) Intercontinental Cup on April 22-30 in Cairo, Egypt. More

U.S. Women's Sitting Team Qualifies for 2008 Paralympic Games

(Dec. 20, 2007) – – USA Volleyball has announced that the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team has qualified for the 2008 Paralympics on Sept. 6-17 in Beijing, China. More

U.S. Women's Sitting Team Holds its Own Against China

(Dec. 18, 2007) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team came away from its three-match exhibition tournament against China with positive feelings even though it won just one set against the world’s top-ranked sitting volleyball team. More

U.S. Women's Sitting Team Hosts China at Central Oklahoma

(Dec. 3, 2007) – The University of Central Oklahoma’s department of Disabled Sports and Events will host the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball team competition against China on Dec. 3-6. More

Brazil Stuns U.S. Men's Sitting Team in Gold Medal Match

(Aug. 19, 2007) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team was blindsided by Brazil in the gold-medal match on Sunday at the Parapan American Games and fell 2-3 (24-26, 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 9-15) in Rio de Janeiro. Besides the gold medal, the U.S. Sitting Men also missed qualifying for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. The Parapan Ams were their last opportunity. More

U.S. Men's Sitting Team to Play Brazil for Gold and Paralympic Berth

(Aug. 18, 2007) – The only thing between the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team and a trip to the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing is the Brazilian Men’s Sitting Team following Team USA’s 3-0 (25-8, 25-7, 25-10) sweep of Costa Rica in a semifinal match on Saturday at the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More

U.S. Sitting Men Emerge from Pool Play as No. 1 Seeds

(Aug. 17, 2007) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team overcame a large crowd and any pressure it might be feeling and defeated host country Brazil in three sets (25-20, 25-22, 28-26) on Friday at the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. More

U.S. Men's Sitting Team Dominates Costa Rica at Parapan Ams

(Aug. 16, 2007) – The U.S. Sitting Men’s Volleyball Team inched closer to the gold medal and a trip to the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing on Thursday with a dominant 3-0 (25-6, 25-10, 25-2) victory over Costa Rica at the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. More

U.S. Sitting Men Bring Down Canada at Parapan Ams

(Aug. 15, 2007) – Brent Rasmussen scored 10 points and Eric Duda and Edgardo LaForest each added nine as the U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team defeated Canada, 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-12) on Wednesday at the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More

U.S. Men's Sitting Team Prepared for Parapan American Games

(Aug. 13, 2007) – Talk about pressure. The 2007 Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro are the U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team’s last chance to qualify for the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. The competition runs Aug. 15-19 and nothing less than gold will do if Team USA hopes to get a ticket to Beijing. More

Johnson Becomes Third U.S. Volleyball Player to Carry Flag

(Aug. 12, 2007) – USA Volleyball hit the trifecta for flag bearers at multi-sport events in 2007 on Saturday when it was announced that Brad Johnson would be the U.S. flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2007 Parapan American Games on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. U.S. team captains named Johnson the flag bearer in a meeting on Saturday. Earlier this year, U.S. women’s volleyball player Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, La.) was named the U.S. flag bearer for the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro and U.S. men’s volleyball player David Smith (Saugus, Calif.) carried the U.S. flag for the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand. More

U.S. Sitting Women Defeat Mongolia, Japan, But Fall to China

(July 16, 2007) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team defeated Japan and Mongolia, but lost to China in the final of the Shanghai Invitational on Sunday at the Shanghai Center for Disabled Persons in China. The U.S. Women’s Sitting Team defeated Japan and Mongolia 3-0 in each match. China then swept the U.S. Women’s Sitting Team in the final, 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-8). More

U.S. Women's Sitting Team Trounces Australia

(July 14, 2007) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team defeated Australia 3-0 (25-9, 25-3, 25-8) in its first match at the Shanghai Invitational on Saturday at the Shanghai Center for Disabled Persons in China. More

U.S. Women’s Sitting Team Defeats the Dutch, 3-0

(June 29, 2007) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball team rebounded from two straight losses to the Netherlands earlier this week by sweeping the Dutch 3-0 on Thursday at the Wellness Center on the campus of University of Central Oklahoma. More

U.S. Women's Sitting Volleyball Puts Up Fight Against Netherlands

(June 28, 2007) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball team pushed the Netherlands to five sets both Tuesday and Wednesday, but was unable to capitalize for the victory, dropping two close matches to the Netherlands at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Wellness Center. More

Players Nominated for U.S. Men's Parapan American Sitting Volleyball Team

(June 27, 2007) – USA Volleyball and U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, have announced the nominees for the men's sitting volleyball team that will represent the U.S. at the 2007 Parapan American Games, Aug. 12-19 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More

U.S. Women’s National Sitting Volleyball Team Facing Netherlands This Week

(June 25, 2007) – The University of Central Oklahoma’s Department of Disabled Sports and Events will host a series of matches between the U.S. Women’s National Sitting Volleyball Team and the Netherlands on June 24-29, at the UCO’s Wellness Center in Edmond, Okla. The match-up features the first visit to the United States by a foreign team to compete in sitting volleyball. More

U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team Plays in Sarajevo Open

(June 14, 2007) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team recently returned from the Sarajevo Open, an eight-team tournament held in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina from May 25-27. With nine members of the squad returning from the 2006 World Championships Team that finished ninth in Roermond, The Netherlands, the team finished the tournament in eighth place. More

Team Data Project Wins Oklahoma City Sitting Tournament

(May 11, 2007) – The last club tournament for 2007 was held May 5 at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla. Eight teams participated in the tournament with each team consisting of both disabled and able-bodied players. More

USA Volleyball Paralympians, Staff Help at Military Summit

(Oct. 27, 2006) – Sharing compassion and a sport that they love, U.S. Paralympic sitting volleyball players Brent Rasmussen and Lori ] Daniels served as coaches and mentors at the 4th Paralympic Military Summit on Oct. 19 at the Fort Carson Army installation in Colorado Springs. Brent’s wife, Kim Rasmussen and John Kessel, USA Volleyball’s Director of Membership Development & Disabled Programs, also helped at the Summit. More

Read Lori Daniels' Volleylog from the World Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 28, 2006) – Lori Daniels of Roanoke, Texas, was one of the veteran players on the 2006 women's sitting world championship team. Read about what she was thinking before, during and after the tournament in Roermond, the Netherlands. More

U.S. Women's Sitting Team Places Fifth, Men Place Ninth at Worlds

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 23, 2006) – The U.S. women collected their third and fourth victories at the 2006 Sitting Volleyball World Championships on Friday in Roermond, the Netherlands, en route to a fifth-place finish, while the U.S. men beat Iraq in the ninth-place match. More

U.S. Men to Face Iraq; Women Lose in Quarterfinals

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 22, 2006) – The U.S. men collected their second win at the 2006 Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Roermond, the Netherlands on Thursday, while the U.S. women lost to Lithuania in the quarterfinals. More

Women's Sitting Team to Play for Paralympic Berth

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 21, 2006) – The U.S. women head into quarterfinal action at the 2006 Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Roermond, the Netherlands, on Thursday with a chance to qualify for the Paralympic Games, despite a loss on Wednesday, while the U.S. men will play for ninth place. More

U.S. Women Improve to 2-0 at Sitting Worlds; Men are 1-3

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 20, 2006) – The U.S. women were undefeated after two matches at the 2006 Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Roermond, the Netherlands, while the U.S. men fell to 1-3 on Tuesday. More

Women Win First Match at Sitting World Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 19, 2006) – The American women are hoping to continue their winning streak at 2006 Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Roermond, the Netherlands, after defeating the Ukraine on Monday, while the men are hoping to rebound after a three-game loss against Croatia. The men will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the second round of World Championship action on Monday afternoon. The team will also face Brazil and Russia on Tuesday and Germany on Wednesday. More

U.S. Women Aim for World Championship Medal

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 16, 2006) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team is aiming for the podium at the 2006 Women’s Sitting Volleyball World Championships, which start Monday in Roermond, Netherlands. The goal is to secure the United States a spot at the 2008 Paralympic Games by finishing in the top three at the World Championships, head coach Mike Hulett (Bethany, Okla.) said. Hulett coached the women to a historic bronze medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. The team has not competed internationally since. More

U.S. Men Prepare for Sitting World Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 16, 2006) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team hopes to clinch a spot at the Paralympic Games by winning a medal at the 2006 Men’s Sitting Volleyball World Championships next week. “We have been training to finish in the top three at the World Championships, which will qualify us for the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing,” Head Coach Bill Hamiter (Bethany, Okla.) said. “That is our primary goal and task.” More

World Championship Roster Announced for USA Men's Sitting Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 27, 2006) – Seven 2004 Paralympians are on the United States roster for the 2006 Men’s Sitting Volleyball World Championships, USA Volleyball announced Thursday. The 2004 Paralympians on this year’s World Championship roster include: Rene Aquino (Chicago, Ill.), Eric Duda (Gainesville, Fla.), Joey Evans (Springville, Utah), Essam Hamido (Nashville, Tenn.), Brent Rasmussen (Omaha, Neb.), Chris Seilkop (DeLand, Fla.) and Bill Steen (Westminster, Colo.). Brad Johnson (Pompano Beach, Fla.), a member of the 2000 USA Paralympic Sitting Volleyball Team, returns to the court after he earned a bronze medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in sailing. Newcomers to the squad include Josh Franklin (Houston, Texas), Matthew Johnson (Omaha, Neb.), Edgardo Laforest (Puerto Rico) and Jose Zabala (Puerto Rico). More

World Championship Roster Announced for USA Women's Sitting Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 27, 2006) – Five 2004 Paralympians are on the United States roster for the 2006 Women’s Sitting Volleyball World Championships, USA Volleyball announced Thursday. The 2004 Paralympians on this year’s World Championship roster include: Allison Aldrich (Schuyler, Neb.), Lori Daniels (Roanoke, Texas), Kendra Lancaster (Sheridan, Ind.), Brenda Maymon (Sellersburg, Ind.) and Lora Webster (Cave Creek, Ariz.). Newcomers to the squad include Katie Holloway (Lake Stevens, Wash.), Nichole Millage (Champaign, Ill.), Kari Miller (Champaign, Ill.), Sarah Panzau (Belleville, Ill.) and Tatiana Rivera Torres (Bayamon, Puerto Rico). The World Championship, scheduled for June 18-26 in Roermond, the Netherlands, will be the first event for the USA Women since they captured the bronze medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. More

Webster Wins Cosmopolitan Magazine's "Fun Fearless Female" Search Contest

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 26, 2006) – Lora Webster, a cancer survivor who has a smile that lights up a room and a bronze medal from the 2004 Paralympic Games, is also a "Fun Fearless Female," according to Cosmopolitan magazine. Webster (Cave Creek, Ariz.), one of the stars of the USA Women's National Sitting Volleyball Team, was recently named the winner of Cosmo's "Fun Fearless Female Reader Search" contest (sponsored by Maybelline New York and Garnier). The 19-year-old freshman at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix was selected from a group of four finalists by a panel of Cosmo editors and is featured in the current (February 2006) issue of the magazine. More

The University of Central Oklahoma Becomes Official Training Site for USA Men’s National Sitting Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 27, 2005) – USA Volleyball and the University of Central Oklahoma have reached an agreement for the university to be the official training site for the USA Men’s National Sitting Team during the 2005 to 2008 quadrennium. UCO will supply three training courts, conditioning facilities, office space and room and board, as well as numerous support services for the team. This agreement has set a new standard for the disabled program. More

Sitting Teams & Clubs Being Formed

Sitting Volleyball teams are being formed in cities throughout the US. The teams are formed with a full team of disabled athletes, able-bodied athletes or a mixture of each. Teams can be made up of males, females or can be co-ed. Adult Teams, Junior Clubs, Rehabilitation Centers, Hospitals, Universities, Cities, Regions, Military Bases, etc. can establish teams. Tournaments are hosted by the various Sitting Teams in the cities they represent. These tournaments are a wonderful way for disabled athletes to enjoy the game of volleyball, although the game is fun for everyone. Sitting Volleyball is a fast paced game with a significant amount of net play. The Sitting Club season runs from January to the 1st of June concluding with the National Sitting Tournament held at the US Open Nationals. USA Volleyball can provide help in organizing a team in your city or provide training tips for teams. Contact John Kessel for additional information.

Who Can Play Sitting Volleyball?

Sitting Volleyball is a team sport which can be played by disabled and able-bodied, by youth, juniors, adults and seniors, in any combination. The game can be played by persons with minor disability, as well as people who are more severely handicapped. Sitting Volleyball will test your volleyball skills in a very fast paced, high energy game. It can be played to enhance your skills for the standing game or just because it is fun and exciting to play. To find a team or to create a team contact John Kessel.

2004 Paralympic Archives

Women's National Sitting Volleyball Team

CLICK HERE for the USA Volleyball Women's National Sitting Volleyball Team Paralympic Home Page, including the latest results, schedules, standings, links and more!

Men's National Sitting Volleyball Team

CLICK HERE for the USA Volleyball Men's National Sitting Volleyball Team Paralympic Home Page, including the latest results, schedules, standings, links and more!

John Kessel's Paralympic Updates From Athens

USA Women Win Paralympic Bronze Medal

ATHENS, Greece (Sept. 27, 2004) – The USA Women's Sitting Volleyball Team made history Monday when they captured the bronze medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games with a 3-1 win over Slovenia. The medal is the first of any kind at the Paralympics for any of the disabled volleyball programs (sitting or standing, men's or women's). Lora Webster (Cave Creek, Ariz.) scored a team-high 19 points in the 25-20, 10-25, 25-18, 25-20 victory for the United States, which finished the tournament with a record of 4-3. Allison Aldrich (Schuyler, Neb.) added 12 points and team captain Gina McWilliams (Flower Mound, Texas) chipped in 10 points in the milestone match. More – USA Women's Paralympic Roster

USA Men Finish Sixth at Paralympics

ATHENS, Greece (Sept. 27, 2004) – The 2004 Paralympic Games ended on a sour note for the USA Men's Sitting Volleyball Team as it lost to Finland in Monday's fifth-place match, 3-0. Chris Seilkop (DeLand, Fla.) scored a team-high eight points for the United States in the 14-25, 16-25, 20-25 loss at Helliniko Olympic Complex. Brent Rasmussen (Omaha, Neb.) tallied seven points and Bill Steen (Westminster, Colo.) added six points as Team USA still earned their best-ever finish at the Paralympics with their sixth-place. More – USA Men's Paralympic Roster

Disabled Division Background

Many associate disabled sports with the Special Olympics. That world-wide program is the guiding organization for volleyball athletes with mental disabilities, but is only one of seven organizations recognized by the USOC in support of the disabled. Additional volleyball opportunities exist for the deaf, amputee, wheelchair, and other physically disabled athletes. Visit Disabled Sports USA Volleyball.

In October of 1998, U.S. House and Senate amended and renamed the Amateur Sports Act, to the current the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. The new Olympic and Amateur Sports Act now fully incorporates Paralympics, clearly reflecting equal status for disabled athletes. It continues the original focus of the Act to integrate disabled sports with non-disabled National Governing Bodies (NGBs). Because some disabled sports are unique, it allows the USOC to recognize Paralympic sports organizations if integration does not serve their best interests, or if an NGB objects to integration. Under the measure the USOC is officially recognized as the national Paralympic Committee. A 1994 US Census report showed that 21% of the population was disabled, a percentage certain to grow as the baby boomer population ages. In any case, USOC support, from grant giving to Olympic Training Center usage, will also grow.

This inclusion was mirrored in USA Volleyball, where we now have a Disabled Sport Division, led by Vice President Roger Neppl. He is assisted by the US Paralympic staff, Joe Walsh, staff liaison John Kessel, USAV Director of Education, Diabled, Grassroots and Beach Volleyball. Head Coaches Bill Hamiter, Men's sitting, Mike Hulett, Women's sitting, Dave Richards, Men's Standing and a support staff including coaches Dixie Collins for the men and Denise Van De Walle for the women, round out the Paralympic programming side. USA Deaf Team Director Peg Worthington, Greg Remakalus, USA Men's Deaflympic coach, Patrick O'Brien, USA Women's Deaflympic Head Coach also work with USAV's Disabled Division to find the best talent and training. In conjunction with the Disabled Sports Organizations, we will be working to get more athletes playing and strengthening our USA National Teams - Deaf, Sitting, Standing and other areas.

Download informational flyer (11x17) on Disabled Volleyball.