7/18/2008

VOLLEYBALL

Wopat leads U.S. girls volleyball to gold medal

NEWS-PRESS STAFF REPORT

July 18, 2008 7:22 AM

Carly Wopat of the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club had five kills, two blocks and an ace while helping the U.S. Girls' Youth National Team sweep Mexico 25-17, 25-14, 25-20 in the gold-medal match of the NORCECA Girls' Youth Continental Championship held Thursday evening at Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

Wopat, a Dos Pueblos High student, started at the opposite hitter position.

With the victory, Team USA will be considered among the top teams qualified for the 2009 FIVB World Championships to be held Aug. 5-16, 2009, in India. The NORCECA Continental Championship, held every other year, qualifies the top three teams to next year's World Championship.

"This team was a wonderful group of athletes to work with and I'm very happy for them that they have qualified for the World Championships next year," U.S. Girls' Youth National Team Head Coach Jim Stone said. "Even in the short practice time, I felt they improved both individually and as a team."

BEACH VOLLEYBALLl

• Carly Wopat and her twin sister, Samantha, tied for third place with Santa Barbara High's Hadley Simmons and Eve Ettinger in the girls 18s division of the California Beach Volleyball Association's first round of youth tournaments at East Beach.

A total of 31 teams competed, with Puerto Rico's Yamans Merced and Idalia Andino beating Andrea Regan-Allison Armstrong in the girls 18s final.

San Marcos High's Emma Campbell and Santa Barbara's Lauren Capritto took the girls 16s title over Caroline Colbert and Emily Redfield.

Tristan and Taylor Racich won the girls 14s while Katie Spieler and Dani Rottman were runners-up.

In the girls 12s, Caroline Grande-Olivia Zelon beat Madison Wilcox-Hayley Hodson in the final.

In the boys 18s final, Puerto Ricans Rafael Melendez and Manuel DeJesus defeated Trevor Salas and Allen Casas.

Gavin Trudeau and Sean Reed won the 16s, while Nick Clark and Casey Slaught won the 14s. The 12-year-old team of Cole Micek and Trevor Cooper moved up to the 14s and took second. Tied for third were Grady Lee-Ruben Carter-Alford and Ian Robertson-Ian Narine.

The tournament series will resume on Tuesday, with registration at 8 a.m.