Shelby Martin To Attend USA Volleyball National Team Tryouts
February 26, 2018 | Volleyball
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GREENVILLE, N.C. – ECU freshman setter Shelby Martin, who was named the 2017 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year back in November, will make the trip to Colorado Springs, Colo., March 2-4 to participate in the USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Tryouts at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
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A total of 234 athletes from 89 colleges will attend the event, including 48 liberos, 50 middle blockers, 62 outside hitters, 31 opposites and 43 setters.
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"I am excited Shelby will be attending the national team tryouts," fifth-year Pirate head coach Julie Torbett said. "She had a great freshman campaign and has the ability to throw some gutsy sets up. I think once she gets out there and realizes the best players in the college game are just regular people just like her, she will be fine. There are about 240 players that will be vying for roster spots and it will be a competitive environment. I know it will be a great experience for her."
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The tryout will involve four sessions with three waves per session. Friday's first session goes from 2-8 p.m. MT, while Saturday's sessions are at 8 a.m. (focus on serve/receive and individual work) and 2 p.m. (middle-centered and out-of-system focus). The final session on Sunday begins at 7:30 a.m. MT with tournament style play, along with 16-18 athletes selected by the U.S. Women's National Team staff to participate in a "USA" training session. The Sunday session wraps up at 10:30 a.m. MT.
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Martin ended her first season as a Pirate averaging 9.34 assists per set, ranking her sixth among AAC setters. She was also sixth in the league in assists per set (9.83) in conference matches only. Martin ran an ECU offense that averaged 12.94 kills per set and turned in a .231 hitting percentage. She was vital in helping the Pirates finish alone in fourth place in the American Conference standings after ECU was picked 11th in the league's preseason poll. ECU recorded 22 victories this season – the most since 1982. It was also the first 20-victory campaign for the program since 2005.
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Martin produced eight double-doubles during the season – all of which occurred during conference play. She fell just three kills shy of the first recorded triple-double in program history Sept. 29 against SMU, notching seven kills, 49 assists and 11 digs in the narrow five-set loss to the eventual second-place Mustangs. Martin also tallied double-doubles against Tulsa, Tulane, then No. 21 Wichita State, UCF and Houston. She distributed a career-high 50 assists in the Pirates' 3-1 home victory over the Knights (Nov. 5). Martin enters her sophomore season with 1,084 assists, needing just 695 to break into the program career top 10 list.
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Three-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer Karch Kiraly and the U.S. Women's National Team staff will lead the tryout process.
GREENVILLE, N.C. – ECU freshman setter Shelby Martin, who was named the 2017 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year back in November, will make the trip to Colorado Springs, Colo., March 2-4 to participate in the USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Tryouts at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
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A total of 234 athletes from 89 colleges will attend the event, including 48 liberos, 50 middle blockers, 62 outside hitters, 31 opposites and 43 setters.
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"I am excited Shelby will be attending the national team tryouts," fifth-year Pirate head coach Julie Torbett said. "She had a great freshman campaign and has the ability to throw some gutsy sets up. I think once she gets out there and realizes the best players in the college game are just regular people just like her, she will be fine. There are about 240 players that will be vying for roster spots and it will be a competitive environment. I know it will be a great experience for her."
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The tryout will involve four sessions with three waves per session. Friday's first session goes from 2-8 p.m. MT, while Saturday's sessions are at 8 a.m. (focus on serve/receive and individual work) and 2 p.m. (middle-centered and out-of-system focus). The final session on Sunday begins at 7:30 a.m. MT with tournament style play, along with 16-18 athletes selected by the U.S. Women's National Team staff to participate in a "USA" training session. The Sunday session wraps up at 10:30 a.m. MT.
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Martin ended her first season as a Pirate averaging 9.34 assists per set, ranking her sixth among AAC setters. She was also sixth in the league in assists per set (9.83) in conference matches only. Martin ran an ECU offense that averaged 12.94 kills per set and turned in a .231 hitting percentage. She was vital in helping the Pirates finish alone in fourth place in the American Conference standings after ECU was picked 11th in the league's preseason poll. ECU recorded 22 victories this season – the most since 1982. It was also the first 20-victory campaign for the program since 2005.
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Martin produced eight double-doubles during the season – all of which occurred during conference play. She fell just three kills shy of the first recorded triple-double in program history Sept. 29 against SMU, notching seven kills, 49 assists and 11 digs in the narrow five-set loss to the eventual second-place Mustangs. Martin also tallied double-doubles against Tulsa, Tulane, then No. 21 Wichita State, UCF and Houston. She distributed a career-high 50 assists in the Pirates' 3-1 home victory over the Knights (Nov. 5). Martin enters her sophomore season with 1,084 assists, needing just 695 to break into the program career top 10 list.
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Three-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer Karch Kiraly and the U.S. Women's National Team staff will lead the tryout process.
Players Mentioned
Setter
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