USA VOLLEYBALL RELEASE
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fighting Illini volleyball junior Brandi Donnelly has been selected as one the 36 players who will train and complete as part of the U.S. Collegiate National Team-Minneapolis (CNT-Minneapolis) program, USA Volleyball announced on Monday (May 1).
31 of the 36 players were announced on Monday, with five spots remaining open for the CNT-Minneapolis program pending the final outcome of the U.S. Women's Junior National Team's results at the women's U20 Pan American Cup held in early May.
"I want to congratulate Brandi on her selection," said head coach Chris Tamas. "She has worked hard during her career and this is well deserved. She has the drive and the work ethic that is valued in the USA program and I look forward to what she will learn this summer with the team."
"I am so happy to get the chance to represent the University of Illinois and the Fighting Illini volleyball program through USA volleyball," said Donnelly. "I hope to make the best of this great opportunity and look forward to gaining some valuable experience with this program."
The CNT-Minneapolis squad, which is part of USA Volleyball's High Performance pipeline and is considered a second tryout for the U.S. Women's National Team, will train from June 22-26 at the University of Minnesota. Afterward, the athletes will be assigned to one of three 12-member teams and compete in a round-robin format at the Minneapolis Convention Center from June 27-30. The matches are being held in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships under the same roof.
The CNT-Minneapolis will have Rod Wilde of Madison Elite, NC State University Assistant Coach Nicki Holmes and West Hills College Head Coach Jeff Wanderer as the program managers and administrators. The head coaches for the three teams will be UCF Head Coach Todd Dagenais, East Tennessee State University Head Coach Lindsey Devine and Trinity Western University (Canada) Assistant Coach Dennis Janzen.
One of four liberos chosen for the CNT-Minneapolis program, Donnelly earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention accolades, American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-America and AVCA All-Northeast Region Honorable Mention honors following her junior season. She paced the Big Ten in both overall and conference matches with an overall 4.46 digs per set mark during the regular season and a 4.63 clip in league play. The MVP of the Billiken Invitational, Donnelly's passing allowed the Illini to hit at a .251 percentage, while also tying for the team-lead with 17 service aces and ranking second on the team with 76 assists. She totaled seven matches with 20 digs or more and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17.
Athletes in the CNT program were selected through the U.S. Women's National Team Open Tryouts held March 3-5 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
For more Fighting Illini volleyball news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow the team on Twitter (@IlliniVBall), Instagram (@IlliniVBall) and like Fighting Illini Volleyball on Facebook.
2017 U.S. Collegiate National Team - Minneapolis
Name (Position, School, Height, College Eligibility Remaining, Hometown)
Symone Abbott (OH, Northwestern University, 6-1, 1, Northville, Michigan)
Tita Akiu (L, Texas Tech University, 5-2, 2, Honolulu, Hawaii)
Sherridan Atkinson (OPP, Purdue University, 6-5, 2, Long Beach, California)
Jasmine Bennett (M, University of Louisville, 6-2, 2, Paducah, Kentucky)
Olivia Dailey (S, University of Kentucky, 5-10, 2, Trussville, Alabama)
Brandi Donnelly (L, University of Illinois, 5-8, 1, Williamsville, Illinois)
Faith Dooley (M, University of North Dakota, 6-3, 1, Wheatland, North Dakota)
Ashley Evans (S, Purdue University, 6-1, 1, Liberty Township, Ohio)
Lauren Fuller (OH, University of San Diego, 6-3, 2, Clarendon Hills, Illinois)
Angel Gaskin (OPP, University of Maryland, 6-1, 2, Tampa, Florida)
McKenna Granato (OH, University of Hawaii, 6-0, 2, Kailua, Hawaii)
Amanda Green (OPP, University of Louisville, 6-1, 3, Skokie, Illinois)
Leah Hardeman (OH, Coastal Carolina University, 5-10, 1, Clarkston, Georgia)
Deja Harris (M, San Diego State University, 6-2, 1, Las Vegas, Nevada)
Monique Harris (S, Iowa State University, 5-9, 1, Clinton, Iowa)
Kirstie Hillyer (M, Colorado State University, 6-6, 3, Bayfield, Colorado)
Veronica Jones-Perry (OH, BYU, 6-0, 2, West Jordan, Utah)
Darrielle King (M, University of Florida, 6-3, 3, DeSoto, Texas)
Taryn Kloth (OH, Creighton University, 6-4, 2, Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
Kristyn Nicholson (S, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 6-0, 1, Lewisville, Texas)
Kelsey O'Neill (M, University of Pittsburgh, 6-1, 1, Skokie, Illinois)
Brooke Peters (L, Purdue University, 5-9, 2, Avon, Indiana)
Kayla Principato (OPP, University of Denver, 6-3, 1, Rockville Centre, New York)
Casey Schoenlein (OPP, Washington State University, 6-5, 1, Bellevue, Washington)
Julia Scoles (OH, University of North Carolina, 6-1, 3, Mooresville, North Carolina)
Taylor Tashima (S, Northwestern University, 6-0, 1, Wilmette, Illinois)
Brittany Thomas (L, Lipscomb University, 5-4, 1, Overland Park, Kansas)
Holly Toliver (OPP, Michigan State University, 6-2, 1, Berrien Springs, Michigan)
Stephanie Williams (OH, University of Pittsburgh, 6-0, 3, Eastlake, Ohio)
Amber Witherspoon (M, Syracuse University, 6-4, 2, Chicago, Illinois)
Lynsey Wright (M, Missouri State University, 6-0, 1, Glen Carbon, Illinois)
Program Managers and Administrators: Rod Wilde (Madison Elite), Nicki Holmes (NC State University assistant coach), Jeff Wanderer (West Hills College head coach)
Head Coaches: Todd Dagenais (UCF head coach), Lindsey Devine (East Tennessee State head coach), Dennis Janzen (Trinity Western assistant volleyball coach)
Assistant Coaches: Jay Van Vark (Grand Canyon University assistant coach), Lindsey Gray-Walton (University of Kentucky assistant coach), Marie Zidek (University of San Diego assistant coach)
Technical Assistants: Rachel Ferguson (Grand Canyon University director of operations) and Jon Wong (Bradley University assistant coach)
