First Team all-Big Sky selection, Vandal volleyball junior outside hitter and Filer, Idaho native Sarah Sharp will reportedly compete for a spot on the USA Women’s Volleyball National Team this weekend.
The tryouts, directed by three-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer Karch Kiraly and the U.S. Women’s National Team staff, will begin Friday and end Sunday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“I feel pretty honored to be able to attend something like this,” Sharp said in a news release. “It is really cool to see all of the hard work being paid off. It will be really fun to travel there and play against some of the top talent in the country.”
Over 200 athletes representing 90 colleges will partake in the tryouts. Sharp, along with 60 other outside hitters, will look to earn a spot on either the U.S. Women’s National Team or the U.S. Collegiate National Team.
Sharp set career-high marks across the board this season, leading Idaho to an 18-11 finish and a share of the Big Sky North title before it was knocked out in the Big Sky Tournament semifinals by North Dakota.
Sharp led Idaho and ranked fourth in the conference in kills per-set, at 3.66, and slammed home .255 of her attacks, another career-best. Her 24 kills against North Dakota also matched her career-high.
The tryouts are structured by sessions, each containing three waves focused on different facets of the game. The first begins Friday at 1 p.m. and runs until 7 p.m. Saturday’s starts at 7 a.m. and Sunday’s session, which includes tournament-style matchups with 16-18 U.S. National Team staff members, begins at 6:30 a.m.
Sharp will keep a daily blog to update Idaho fans throughout the tournament.
Colton Clark can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @coltonclark95