Breaking Through the Ice - Two Alaska Girls Slide Into USA Volleyball High Performance Camps

Amanda Dahl
Intern, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: amanda.dahl@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 13, 2007) - Just over 663,000 people reside in Alaska among amazing wildlife and breathtaking scenery, as it spans 663, 267 square miles. Known as The Last Frontier state, it is home to USA Volleyball’s Alaska Region. Set aside from the the large numbers, Alaska only has 89 high schools involved in volleyball, 22 of which are classified as 4A (401 or more students enrolled).

Over the past four years (2003-07) nearly 2,000 girls have tried out for USA Volleyball High Performance teams and camps from the state of California, while only four have from Alaska. Half of that number came in 2007 as two girls, Margaret Dunn and Kasey Kavanaugh, tried out and were placed in camps respective to their age.

Dunn, a native of Anchorage, made the 48-player roster of the Girls’ Development A2 Camp held in Tacoma, Wash. The camp is designated for players born between 1990-91.

“It’s amazing to know that I am one of two girls that tried out for High Performance,” Dunn stated. “There are a lot of girls in Alaska that play volleyball.”

Dunn was unique to the camp with two characteristics. For starters, unlike the 47 other young volleyball players at the Development A2 Camp, Dunn has not been involved in club volleyball throughout her high school days. Not only that, but the camp was her first exposure to USA Volleyball.

“High school is definitely different from here at the camps,” Dunn said.

Dunn, who will be a senior at East High School in Anchorage, is a 5-9 setter for the Lady T-Birds. During the 2006 season, Dunn helped East to a 4A runner-up finish at the Alaska School Activities Association State Volleyball Championships.

Secondly, Dunn entered the camp as the lone player from the great state of Alaska. Intermixed among 26 California players, six from both Hawai’i and Washington, a pair from Texas and seven other single-state representatives, she stated that there are both pros and cons to her situation.

“Being in Alaska is a disadvantage as much as it is an advantage,” Dunn said. “The fact that we (Dunn and Kavanaugh) are from Alaska, it forces you to put self out there. It differs you from rest of group.”

Upon her graduation next spring, Dunn says playing collegiately is something she would definitely like to do. In order to catch the eye of college coaches, she has spent the summer ‘putting herself out there’ by attending camps around the country.

“It’s cool to see the different ways volleyball is played across the country,” she said. “In the lower-48, play is much faster compared to Alaska.”

Although she presents a younger perspective, Kavanaugh practically echoes the same thoughts as Dunn. Hailing from Chugiak, 20 miles northeast of Anchorage, Kavanaugh was one of 39 players to earn a spot on the Girls’ Select A2 Camp that was held in Colorado Springs, Colo., at the United States Olympic Training Center. This group caters to the younger, developing player that was born 1992-93 or later.

Kavanaugh is a 15-year old sophomore at Chugiak High School. The Mustangs made a state appearance last season, finishing fifth in the 4A division. In comparison to Dunn, Kavanaugh has played club volleyball before, but strangely enough it is almost a reflection of the high school season.

“There is only one other club team and they are the only team we ever play,” Kavanaugh explained. “It’s a bummer because they are the same high school girls we play too, so it is the same thing over and over.”

Outside of this competition, her club team doesn’t travel much. The premiere event on the team’s schedule is the Volleyball Festival in Reno, Nev., and even that is a stretch.

“We only train two months prior to the club season and practice is two days a week,” Kavanaugh said. “Sometimes we even have to recruit people to go play in that tournament because of the cost.”

Taking the next step by getting involved with USA Volleyball’s High Performance teams has been vital in the development of her skills because she was exposed to competition she had never seen before.

“It is different than Alaska because you get to see more competition,” Kavanaugh said. “Otherwise, you don’t get to see much out there since you play the same teams over and over. It shows that you’ve got a lot of work to do and you know what you up against when you go for college scholarships.

“I came back from the High Performance camp a different player. I hadn’t experienced a high-level of play and when I came back I felt I could do so much more. My hitting improved and I have more confidence.”

The camp also helped the 6-1 setter see what she could one day become, a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team.

“After hearing members of the team talk, I want to play overseas now,” Kavanaugh said. “It was fun watching the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team scrimmage against the National Team. It gave me something to work towards.”

Although she has a few years before she graduates from high school, Kavanaugh already knows that she would like to pursue volleyball in college. She has already attended college camps and has found herself enjoying the atmosphere.

Both Dunn and Kavanaugh learned immensely from attending their respective High Performance camps and expressed with enthusiasm that if they can, they will be back for more involvement with USA Volleyball.

“I wish I would have been in touch with it sooner because it really helped me with the basics, like core passing,” Dunn explained. “It has also helped me improve my setting and made me a more versatile player.”

One of the biggest things that Kavanaugh was able to take away from attending the camp was a glimpse as to how college could be for her in the future.

“It was good to travel out of state because I didn’t know anyone,” she said. “I made a lot of new friends and it gave me a preview of what college will be like because I won’t know anyone.”

When she is done jet-setting around the States, Dunn will be jumping right into her high school season which opened practice Aug. 6. From there it is onto the high school basketball season at East High School. Currently she has a 4.0 grade point average and she hopes to major in biomedical or chemical engineering when she gets to college in the fall of 2008.