Feb. 22, 2011

Colorado Springs, Colo. - Five current Illinois players and one signee have been invited to Colorado Springs this weekend to open tryouts for the U.S. Women's National Team and the U.S. Women's National A2 program. The tryouts will be held Feb. 25-27 in Sports Center II at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC).

Junior opposite hitter Michelle Bartsch, freshman libero Jennifer Bonilla, junior setter Annie Luhrsen, freshman outside hitter Jazmine Orozco and junior outside hitter Colleen Ward will represent the University of Illinois at the tryouts as well as Liz McMahon, a 6-6 opposite hitter and 2011 incoming freshman. Bartsch, Bonilla and McMahon are also eligible for participation on the U.S. Junior National Team. Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly is among the evaluators.

The projected 36-member A2 squad will be announced in late March with the program tentatively scheduled for May 23-June 1 in Dallas. This will include training and competition in the USA Volleyball Open National Championships, which will be May 28-31.

Illinois has had recent success in landing players on the then 24-member A2 team. In 2009, Bartsch, Johannah Bangert, Laura DeBruler and Ashley Edinger were named to the team with DeBruler returning to the roster in 2010. Lisa Argabright (2002), Erin Virtue (2004) and , Rachel VanMeter (2006), and Vicki Brown (2007) have also earned that distinction. Edinger, Bartsch and Bonilla, meanwhile are recent members of the U.S. Junior National Team.

"It has sort of become a tradition for us to have several players involved in USA Volleyball," Hambly said. "Many of our players have been involved in the system for several years. As a result, they know what it's like to play at a high level."

• In other Illinois volleyball news, volunteer assistant coach Scott Leserman has been named an assistant coach at Loyola University of Chicago.