It’s times like this when Team USA coach Karch Kiraly tries to remember to be grateful to have these kinds of problems.
Kiraly knew he had a wealth of talent going into this week’s World Grand Prix Finals, which would make it difficult to narrow the U.S. roster to 14 for the World Cup in Japan in August, a key qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
After a big week in Omaha, Karsta Lowe gave the coach another tough decision to make. The 6-foot-4 opposite hitter continued her strong rookie campaign by leading the team in scoring during the Americans’ undefeated run to the World Grand Prix title. The UCLA product averaged 4.65 points per set and led the U.S. in scoring in three of the five matches in Omaha.
“I think each match, the team builds more trust in her,” team captain Christa Dietzen said. “She just came to the team this year, so she’s a new face. But, man, she is just cracking those balls that we toss up to her. She’s certainly not playing like a rookie out there. We’re excited to have her as a part of our team and excited for her future with USA volleyball.”
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The emergence of the 22-year-old Lowe, the team’s youngest player, means Kiraly has a tough call to make in selecting two opposite hitters for the World Cup. After a week off, Team USA returns to training camp in Southern California, where Kiraly said his staff will go through a “long and deliberate process” to select from a group of Lowe and veterans Kelly Murphy and Nicole Fawcett to take to Japan.
Murphy played well as the team’s second opposite hitter in Omaha, while Fawcett led the Pan American Games team to a gold medal in Toronto, totaling a match-high 21 points in the final against Brazil on Saturday night.
It’s been a whirlwind rise for Lowe, who led the NCAA in kills last season as a senior and made her U.S. debut in June in a series of matches against China. A powerful left-hander ideal for the opposite hitter spot, Lowe signed to play professionally next season with Yamamay Busto Arsizio of Italy. She ended her week in Omaha with a team-high 17 points to cap Team USA’s undefeated run to the Grand Prix title and said she likely couldn’t have done much more to make her case to join the team at the World Cup.
“Performing well in this tournament was going to be really big. It means a lot to Karch,” Lowe said after Sunday’s match while cradling the World Grand Prix championship trophy. “This time last year, I was probably sitting on the beach doing nothing. This is a little different.”
Kiraly and his staff will review performances from this summer’s USA Volleyball Cup friendly series with China, the World Grand Prix and the Pan American Games to make the final picks for the World Cup roster within the next couple of weeks. Lowe’s strong run through the monthlong Grand Prix adds another decision to Kiraly’s list, but the coach said he’d accept having these kinds of dilemmas any time.
“She is showing the world she is going to be very difficult to defend,” Kiraly said. “We really threw her into about the deepest end of the pool that we could, playing against the world, being on a long trip far away from home for the first time with USA and a bull’s-eye, a target on our backs, and she handled it really well.”
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