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Toshi Yoshida is not one to let success go to his head. And he’s not about to let the USA Women’s National Volleyball Team rest on the laurels of a 2003 season that saw the United States capture the gold medal at the NORCECA Zone Championships, bronze medals at the World Grand Prix and World Cup, finish the year with a No. 2 world ranking and qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games. While Yoshida, now starting his fourth full season as head coach of the women’s team, is pleased with the progress his team made in the last three seasons, he is quick to remind his players to keep their eyes on a bigger prize, which this year is the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Team USA capped a successful 2003 season by finishing third at the first Olympic Qualifier of the quadrennium, the World Cup in Japan. That was good enough for the squad to reserve its spot for the 2004 Olympics. Overall, the team finished with a record of 29-15 and emerged as one of the best teams in the world. The Americans briefly held the No. 1 world ranking following its bronze-medal finish at the Grand Prix but saw China take over the top spot after the Chinese won the World Cup with a perfect 11-0 record. Together with World Cup silver medalist Brazil, the three teams are on a collision course for the top spot on the podium in Athens. Heading into the 2002 World Championships, the 2002 campaign was a season of struggles for Yoshida. Considering the team had a season record of 7-17 to start the 2002 World Championship tournament, the unexpected success of the United States in advancing to the finals caught many observers off-guard. Even without an injured Keba Phipps in the lineup, the United States found itself tied with Italy, 9-9, in the fifth and deciding set of the gold-medal match. That’s when tournament MVP Elisa Togut took control, powering home three straight winners to give Italy the lead for good. Another Togut kill ended the match and Team USA’s 10-match winning streak in the tournament. The team built upon its surprising fourth-place finish at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, by reestablishing itself as a world power in 2001. The women did not lose a game in qualifying for the 2002 World Championships with sweeps over Mexico, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. The USA then captured the gold medal at the World Grand Prix, posting wins over the top-four teams in the world — Brazil, China, Cuba and Russia (three times) — in the process. To prove that the Grand Prix was not a fluke, the women then beat Cuba (Olympic champions in 1992, 1996 and 2000) two more times in posting a 4-0 record en route to the NORCECA Zone Championship. Overall, the U.S. finished the 2001 season with a 21-10 record. In November 2000, Yoshida was named the head coach of the USA Women’s National Volleyball Team, replacing Mick Haley, who returned to collegiate coaching after the 2000 Sydney Olympics and is currently at the helm at USC. Yoshida served as the assistant coach of the USA women from 1979-83 and again from 1998-2000. He helped the team improve from a No. 10 world ranking to a fourth-place finish at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. During his tenure, the team posted victories over No. 3 Brazil, No. 4 China and No. 5 Korea to improve to a No. 6 world ranking. "This is the most exciting moment I have ever had in my life," Yoshida said of the hiring. "It is a great honor to be named the head coach of the USA women’s national team. I know this job is not easy and there are very high expectations, and I am also aware of the great history of USA volleyball. I will do my very best to make this a dignified world-class team using my passion, experience and confidence." Yoshida brings a wealth of experience, enthusiasm and mastery of the game to the U.S. camp. He was a star player in Japan before becoming the trainer for the Hitachi Club Team in 1976. The Hitachi Club formed the nucleus for the 1976 Japanese Women’s Olympic Team, which captured the gold medal. He joined the USA Women’s National Volleyball Team in September 1979 as an assistant coach, helping the team place third in the 1982 World Championships, and fourth in the 1979 Pan American Games and the 1981 World Cup. Yoshida returned to Japan in 1983 to lead the Hitachi LTD Club to the 16th Japanese League title in 1982-83. From 1983-97, Yoshida was head volleyball coach and associate professor at Tokyo Gukugei University. He also served as the head coach of the Japanese World University Games teams in 1985 (gold) and 1995 (silver). Yoshida spent two years as the head coach of the Tierp Volleyball Club of Sweden before rejoining the USA women’s national team staff in 1998. Yoshida and his wife, Shoko, are the parents of a 20-year-old daughter, Yoko. |
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