By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL – Illinois State sophomore Jaelyn Keene will compete at the USA Volleyball Women’s National Team Tryouts, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, beginning Friday.
The three-day tryout will feature approximately 231 college players from 88 different programs. Live streaming video of the event will be available at TeamUSA.org, as spots for the U.S. Women’s National Team, Collegiate National Team and U.S. Junior National Team are at stake.
“I am really excited about this opportunity to travel to Colorado and train with other college volleyball players. I expect it to be very competitive with a lot of hard-working athletes there,” Keene said. “It is going to be an awesome experience.”
The tryouts will be led by three-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer Karch Kiraly and the U.S. Women’s National Team staff.
Illinois State last sent players to the tryout in 2014, when Sierra Burris, Kaitlyn Early, Emily Orrick, Ashley Rosch and Emily Schneider represented the Redbirds on the national stage.
“I can’t wait to meet many of the other players and make some new friends,” Keene said. “This is a great opportunity to show what I can do and to get better in many different areas of my game.”
Keene recently finished her sophomore season as a member of the Illinois State volleyball team, earning AVCA All-Region and All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Team honors. She broke Illinois State’s single-season hitting percentage record (.420) and will enter her junior season in 2016 as Illinois State’s career hitting percentage leader (.384).
The sophomore middle hitter averaged 2.94 kills and 1.02 blocks per set in 2015, as the Redbirds posted a record of 22-10.
Fans can receive updates from the tryout by following @USAVolleyball, and are encouraged to use the hashtag #USAVTryout, on Twitter.
