Buffaloes Send Three to USA Volleyball Tryouts

BOULDER – Last weekend the University of Colorado women's volleyball sent three individuals to compete at the USA National Team tryouts at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

The Buffaloes sent freshman setter Jenna Ewert, junior libero Rachel Whipple and redshirt junior Leah Clayton to represent CU at the tryout which featured 300 of the best collegiate players across the nation.

"I am really proud that we have the opportunity to send players to the national team tryout every year," said head coach Jesse Mahoney. It is a really good experience for each one of them. Each one comes back really excited about competing at the highest level. They're looking forward at having the opportunity to compete this summer."

Colorado-native and upcoming senior Rachel Whipple competed as a libero last weekend. Whipple led the team with 419 digs last season and was second on the team with 19 aces. She also dished out 110 assists.

"It is definitely humbling," said Whipple on the experience. "It was an awesome experience that I feel very lucky to have. There are a lot of Colorado girls that grow up wanting to play at the Olympic Training Center. Getting that opportunity, I am so grateful for it and didn't take it for granted."

"Definitely a new experience," said Whipple. "You get 300 girls that have never played together before but you have played against them before so you understand some of their tendencies as players. All playing together it is absolute chaos at the beginning and then you figure out how to get your feet in the water. It ends up just being really fun and I don't think you get that type of experience from conference play or any other volleyball. It was super awesome and I think we made a lot of friends so going into next season and seeing those girls across the net that we played against at the training center will be awesome to see them again."

Ewert earned her first trip to the tryouts as a setter for the Buffaloes after leading the team with 864 assists. The freshman because just the second setter to post 10 blocks in a match in school history and also had more than 250 digs and 17 aces after beginning the season splitting time at setter.

"It is definitely an honor, I wasn't expecting to go or anything," said Ewert. "I've done it before but not representing my college. Playing with a bunch of other girls from places like Stanford and Minnesota makes it like a dream come true. I am here representing my college at the national tryouts, it is an unreal experience."

"I was able to learn a lot," said Ewert. "You are going and it is very chaotic and playing with a bunch of players you haven't played before. Everybody has a different style but everybody was very supportive. You are learning how to interact with people that you haven't interacted with before. It helped learn to be a good teammate and be easier to work with and run smoother."

Clayton also entered the tryouts for the first time as a Colorado Buffalo. The redshirt junior transfer came to Colorado from East Tennessee State University where she was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year. She recorded 503 kills and helped ETSU to a 28-7 record and first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. Clayton also competed at the tryouts last season.

"I felt more confident this year than last year," said Clayton. "Just physically and mentally I felt more prepared. I felt more prepared because I knew what I was getting into. The volleyball aspect was a little lighter this year than last year, but it was still a lot of competing and effort."

"I think it is just kind of overwhelming at the beginning just because there are so many different colleges, some people I know and some I don't know," said Clayton. "You kind of have that rivalry in the mix of it but you also get the chance to see somebody you haven't played against. I am new to the Pac-12, so being able to play against those girls every year was something I wanted to emphasize on."

The Buffaloes begin spring competition on March 16 at the University of Denver. Colorado will host CSU, Denver and Northern Colorado in April to close out their spring schedule.

Players Mentioned

Leah Clayton

Jenna Ewert

Rachel Whipple

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