Regardless of political preferences, USA Volleyball has a candidate that all volleyball fans can support. Vote for Karch Kiraly! As announced by the United States Olympic Committee, Kiraly (Santa Barbara, Calif.), the only volleyball player to win three Olympic gold medals, is one of 18 finalists for the USOC Hall of Fame Class of 2008. The public is invited to vote online at www.usolympichalloffame.com to help determine who will comprise the next class of inductees. Voting will be open until March 28. MORE

USA Volleyball has announced that the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis., and U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, Ill., will host the three U.S. stops for the 2008 FIVB World League, which will be the final Olympic warm-up for the U.S. Men’s Volleyball Team. The United States finished third at the 2007 World League, an exciting elite men’s volleyball competition in which the world’s best teams are divided into four pools and play for six straight weekends from June 13 to July 20. Winners from each pool will go to the final round on July 23-27 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, along with the host country and a pick from among the second-place teams in pool play. MORE

• USAV Information on World League MORE
• U.S. Men's National Team Home Page MORE

The U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team Open Tryouts concluded Feb. 24 as 113 athletes finished their fourth training session of the three-day event held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The athletes were trying out for spots on the U.S. Women’s National and Olympic Teams, along with the Senior A2 Team. The USA A2 Team, which will tentatively be two teams of 10 members each, will train and compete in the USA Open Championships in Atlanta between May 18-28. MORE

• Photo Galleries of Open Tryouts MORE
• U.S. Women's National Team to Train, Autograph at Crossroads MORE
• Stalls Awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship MORE
• U.S. Women's National Team Weekly Update for Feb. 25-March 2 MORE
• Getting to Know the U.S. Women's National Team MORE
• Poll Question of the Week on U.S. Women's National Team Page MORE

The NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit will have eight stops this year, a good sign of how fast is growing after the 2007 edition which had only three tournaments for both men and women. The Beach Volleyball Circuit starts in Santo Domingo on March 19-24 and continues in Guatemala (April 16-21) and El Salvador (April 23-28). MORE

• New Format for Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship MORE
• AVCA Collegiate Beach Home MORE
• Louisville on AVP Schedule MORE
• Branagh, Rosenthal Win AVP Winter Tour Finale MORE
• Ross, Keenan Top Portland Field MORE

USA Volleyball has opened an office location in El Segundo, Calif., to support the USA Volleyball Beach Programs. The office will be directed by USA Volleyball Volleyball Director of Beach Programs Ali Wood Lamberson. She will be assisted by Danalee Corso, who was recently hired as the USA Volleyball beach technical coordinator and master coach. An administrative assistant position will be added in the near future. MORE

• Misty May Still Queen, But Looking Toward Future Past 2008 Olympics MORE

USA Volleyball has announced the schedule for the 2008 edition of the popular USA Beach Junior Tour. Online registration begins March 1. The tour is produced and operated by the Elevation Group of Companies and is sponsored by Spalding and Hilton. The 2008 tour will include 10 exciting open events from coast-to-coast for all boys and girls two-person teams with players ages 10 to 20. There will also be an open championship, a tour championship, an international selection camp and a performance camp. MORE

USA Volleyball's High Performance Tryouts are in full swing. The HP Boys' Tryout schedule has only three remaining dates on the calendar, while the HP Girls' Tryout schedule has completed its first three of 32 opportunities. MORE

• HP Girls' Tryout Schedule MORE
• HP Boys' Tryout Schedule MORE

The 29th Annual USA Junior Olympic Boys’ Volleyball Championships Open Division fields are nearing completion with all but one Boys’ Bid Tournament being completed. Just over 25 percent (43 teams) of the Open Division spots are still available via the East Coast Championships held May 24-26 and at-large berths. MORE

• USA Junior Olympic Girls' Volleyball Championships Qualifier Schedule MORE

The NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee and the Playing Rules Oversight Panel has approved several rules changes to be implemented in 2008. The changes include following FIVB scoring standards of 25-point sets in the first four sets, followed by a fifth set to 15 points. In addition, substitutions have been decreased from 15 to 12 per set to maintain the previous ratio.

Based on extensive discussion at the 2008 annual meeting, the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee has developed a new directive regarding ball handling judgment, primarily on second team contacts. This is not a rule change, but a new approach to ball handling judgments that is intended to increase intensity and focus for the players and coaches, and improve fan understanding and involvement.

To view all NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Changes for 2008, click here.

NEXT IMPACT WEBINAR (#10) is March 5-6 from 7-9:30 pm EASTERN TIME on both nights. Click here to register!. For more information, click here.

CAP Level III Opportunity March 27-30 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs! More

IMPACT Clinic at Mid East Qualifier, March 13 or March 27 More

New Spring/Summer CAP Course & Webinar dates to be announced More

MORE INFORMATION

USA Volleyball announced Feb. 1 that it has launched an interactive video web component on its web site called “USA Volleyball Video Channel” and accessed at http://www.usavolleyball.org/video/default.aspx.

Essentially, the functionality allows users to upload volleyball-related video for USA Volleyball to review and post either directly “as-is” or in post-production format coming video segments similar to a television show or newscast.

The first project under the USA Volleyball Video Channel umbrella will be “Ask the CEO,” where the general public can upload their video questions to the site. USA Volleyball Chief Executive Officer Doug Beal will respond via a video-streamed format to selected questions on a monthly basis. The deadline for the first responses must be posted to the site by Friday, Feb. 15.

For the complete article, click here.

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USA Volleyball has posted two job opportunities. Click here for information on Communications, Media and Publications Intern. Click here for information on Sitting Volleyball Coordinator...John Speraw, an assistant coach with the U.S. Men's National Team, received a contract extension to continue coaching the men's collegiate program at University of California, Irvine through the 2012-2013 season. For details, click here...Adrienne Barnes has been hired as an administrative assistant in the USA Volleyball Indoor High Performance Office in Colorado Springs...In a project launched by FIVB, the first schools with volleyball courts are set to be built in Thailand within three months as part of the US$3 million project to help the affected Asian areas hit by the 2004 tsunami. For more information, click here...The American Volleyball Coaches Association is hosting the 2008 AVCA Men's Volleyball Championship Weekend May 1-3 in conjunction with the NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship in Irvine, Calif. The clinic offers educational sessions from elite presenters, social opportunities for networking and a chance to watch championship-level play. For details, click here...University of Southern California, behind 33 kills from Juan Figueroa's 33 kills, topped George Mason University in five sets to capture the Volleyball Hall of Fame Classic on Feb. 23 at Springfield, Mass. For more information, click here...To view coaching transactions, click here...The American Volleyball Coaches Associations has added the Massachusetts Girls Volleyball Coaches Association (MGVCA) and the South Dakota Volleyball Coaches Association (SDVCA) to its Affiliate Partner Program. For details, click here...Theresa Smith, coach of Stingray Volleyball Club and The Harker School in San Jose, Calif., is one of seven individuals to receive a 2008 National Youth Sports Double-Goal Coach®Award presented by the Positive Coaching Alliance. Award winners exemplify the characteristics of a Double-Goal Coach, one who strives to win while using sports to teach life lessons...If you see a "Bump It Back" container, please consider putting your gently used volleyball uniforms that you know use into the collection for redistribution through USA Volleyball to teams who cannot afford to buy uniforms. For more information, contact Julia Balzer at 419-872-1228.