University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Babcock & Bayless To Represent Team USA at 2023 U19 Pan Am Cup
5/8/2023 2:59:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH?– Pitt incoming freshmen Olivia Babcock and Blaire Bayless are among the 12 players selected by the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program (NTDP) to compete at the 2023 Girls U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup on May 9-15 in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. The 12 athletes were chosen from a roster of 20 U19 National Team athletes who trained April 30-May 6 at the Anaheim National Team Training Center.
Babcock, an AVCA and volleymag.com First-Team High School All-American, was rated as the No. 43 recruit in the country for the Class of 2023 by prepvolleyball.com and No. 27 by prepdig.com. She led her high school, Sierra Canyon, to its first Division 1 girls volleyball championship with a team-high 22 kills in the championship match.
Bayless comes to Pitt as the No. 5-ranked recruit in her class from the volleyball hotbed of Texas and the No. 42-ranked recruit in the country according to prepvolleyball.com. She led her high school to a District 6-6A championship last season, earning district MVP honors after being named First Team All-District in 2021 and the district Newcomer of the Year after her sophomore campaign. She also earned a place in the 2022 Under Armour All-American match.
Two players on the roster return from the 2022 team that won the Girls U19 Pan American Cup in Tulsa, Okla., and qualified for the 2023 FIVB U19 Girls World Championship: outside hitter Julia Blyashov and setter Izzy Starck. Blyashov also played on the 2021 Girls U18 Team that won bronze at the 2021 FIVB U18 World Championship. In late April she was named MVP of the 18 Open division at the USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship, where her club team captured the title.
In addition to Blyashov and Starck, players headed to Puerto Rico are outside hitters Blaire Bayless, Kaci Demaria, Teraya Sigler and Abby Vander Wal, and middle blockers Lizzy Andrew, Jaela Auguste and Calissa Minatee. Olivia Babcock plays at opposite and Logan Parks plays setter/opposite. Ava Falduto is the libero.
Alternates for the team are outside hitters Suli Davis, Brooklyn DeLeye and Kelly Kinney, middles Taylor Harvey and Alec Rothe, setters Reese Messer and Taylor Yu, and libero Ryan McAleer.
Other teams competing at the Pan Am Cup are Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The 2023 Girls U19 Pan American Cup was a late addition to the NORCECA calendar and USA Volleyball looks forward to participating in both the Pan Am Cup and the 2023 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship. The roster for the 2023 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship (Aug. 1-11 in Croatia and Hungary) will be determined later this year.
Team USA 2023 U19 Pan Am Cup
Name (Position, Height, Birth Year, Hometown, School, Region)
Lizzy Andrew (MB, 6-5, 2005, Ridgefield, Wash., Ridgefield HS, Columbia Empire)
Jaela Auguste (MB, 6-2, 2006, Spring, Texas, Grand Oaks HS, Lonestar)
Olivia Babcock (OPP, 6-4, 2005, Los Angeles, Calif., Sierra Canyon HS, Southern California)
Blaire Bayless (OH, 6-2, 2005, Plano, Texas, Plano West Senior HS, North Texas)
Julia Blyashov (OH, 6-3, 2005, San Diego, Calif., Cathedral Catholic HS, Southern California)
Kaci Demaria (OH, 6-4, 2007, San Pedro, Calif., Palos Verdes HS, Southern California)
Ava Falduto (L, 5-7, 2006, Elmhurst, Ill., IC Catholic Prep, Great Lakes)
Calissa Minatee (MB, 6-0, 2005, Kansas City, Mo., University of Minnesota, Heart of America)
Logan Parks (OPP/S, 5-11, 2006, Overland Park, Kan., Blue Valley North HS, Heart of America)
Teraya Sigler (OH, 6-2, 2006, Horizon HS, Scottsdale, Ariz., Arizona)
Izzy Starck (S, 6-1, 2006, Colorado Springs, Colo., Rampart HS, Rocky Mountain)
Abby Vander Wal (OH, 6-3, 2006, Elmhurst, Ill., Timothy Christian HS, Great Lakes)
Head Coach: Keegan Cook
Assistant Coach: Krista Hendrickson
Assistant Coach: Cursty Le Roux
Performance Analyst: Virginia Pham
Athletic Trainer: Cherryl Bueno
Team Lead: Courtney Smith
U.S. U19 Pan Am Cup Schedule
Tuesday, May 9 (all times PT)
11 a.m.: USA vs. U.S. Virgin Islands
Wednesday, May 10
11 a.m.: USA vs. Costa Rica
Thursday, May 11
1 p.m.: USA vs. Mexico
Babcock, an AVCA and volleymag.com First-Team High School All-American, was rated as the No. 43 recruit in the country for the Class of 2023 by prepvolleyball.com and No. 27 by prepdig.com. She led her high school, Sierra Canyon, to its first Division 1 girls volleyball championship with a team-high 22 kills in the championship match.
Bayless comes to Pitt as the No. 5-ranked recruit in her class from the volleyball hotbed of Texas and the No. 42-ranked recruit in the country according to prepvolleyball.com. She led her high school to a District 6-6A championship last season, earning district MVP honors after being named First Team All-District in 2021 and the district Newcomer of the Year after her sophomore campaign. She also earned a place in the 2022 Under Armour All-American match.
Two players on the roster return from the 2022 team that won the Girls U19 Pan American Cup in Tulsa, Okla., and qualified for the 2023 FIVB U19 Girls World Championship: outside hitter Julia Blyashov and setter Izzy Starck. Blyashov also played on the 2021 Girls U18 Team that won bronze at the 2021 FIVB U18 World Championship. In late April she was named MVP of the 18 Open division at the USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship, where her club team captured the title.
In addition to Blyashov and Starck, players headed to Puerto Rico are outside hitters Blaire Bayless, Kaci Demaria, Teraya Sigler and Abby Vander Wal, and middle blockers Lizzy Andrew, Jaela Auguste and Calissa Minatee. Olivia Babcock plays at opposite and Logan Parks plays setter/opposite. Ava Falduto is the libero.
Alternates for the team are outside hitters Suli Davis, Brooklyn DeLeye and Kelly Kinney, middles Taylor Harvey and Alec Rothe, setters Reese Messer and Taylor Yu, and libero Ryan McAleer.
Other teams competing at the Pan Am Cup are Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The 2023 Girls U19 Pan American Cup was a late addition to the NORCECA calendar and USA Volleyball looks forward to participating in both the Pan Am Cup and the 2023 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship. The roster for the 2023 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship (Aug. 1-11 in Croatia and Hungary) will be determined later this year.
Team USA 2023 U19 Pan Am Cup
Name (Position, Height, Birth Year, Hometown, School, Region)
Lizzy Andrew (MB, 6-5, 2005, Ridgefield, Wash., Ridgefield HS, Columbia Empire)
Jaela Auguste (MB, 6-2, 2006, Spring, Texas, Grand Oaks HS, Lonestar)
Olivia Babcock (OPP, 6-4, 2005, Los Angeles, Calif., Sierra Canyon HS, Southern California)
Blaire Bayless (OH, 6-2, 2005, Plano, Texas, Plano West Senior HS, North Texas)
Julia Blyashov (OH, 6-3, 2005, San Diego, Calif., Cathedral Catholic HS, Southern California)
Kaci Demaria (OH, 6-4, 2007, San Pedro, Calif., Palos Verdes HS, Southern California)
Ava Falduto (L, 5-7, 2006, Elmhurst, Ill., IC Catholic Prep, Great Lakes)
Calissa Minatee (MB, 6-0, 2005, Kansas City, Mo., University of Minnesota, Heart of America)
Logan Parks (OPP/S, 5-11, 2006, Overland Park, Kan., Blue Valley North HS, Heart of America)
Teraya Sigler (OH, 6-2, 2006, Horizon HS, Scottsdale, Ariz., Arizona)
Izzy Starck (S, 6-1, 2006, Colorado Springs, Colo., Rampart HS, Rocky Mountain)
Abby Vander Wal (OH, 6-3, 2006, Elmhurst, Ill., Timothy Christian HS, Great Lakes)
Head Coach: Keegan Cook
Assistant Coach: Krista Hendrickson
Assistant Coach: Cursty Le Roux
Performance Analyst: Virginia Pham
Athletic Trainer: Cherryl Bueno
Team Lead: Courtney Smith
U.S. U19 Pan Am Cup Schedule
Tuesday, May 9 (all times PT)
11 a.m.: USA vs. U.S. Virgin Islands
Wednesday, May 10
11 a.m.: USA vs. Costa Rica
Thursday, May 11
1 p.m.: USA vs. Mexico
Players Mentioned
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