Long Beach State University Athletics
Former 49er Standouts Named To Team USA
10/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
Former Volleyball Standouts Named To Team USA Roster COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Long Beach State University alumni Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, La.) and Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Laguna Hills, Calif.) have been selected to the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team roster for the FIVB World Cup held Nov. 2-16 in Japan. The FIVB World Cup, held every four years in the preceding year to the Olympics, is the first of three Olympic qualification steps for Beijing 2008. The top three teams at the World Cup qualify for the 2008 Olympics. Teams not making the World Cup medal stand will have two other opportunities to qualify for the Olympics with continental qualification tournaments in December 2007 and the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in May 2008 at Japan. Team USA departed the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs Oct. 26 for Japan and the World Cup, which is a 12-team round robin event staged in four rounds in various Japanese cities. The World Cup field includes the five continental champions, the four best Continental vice-champions based on the 2007 FIVB World Ranking as of Jan. 15, 2007, host country Japan and the two wild cards as chosen by the FIVB and Japan Volleyball Association. The U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team earned its spot into the FIVB World Cup as the NORCECA Continental Championship silver medalist. Scott-Arruda will be making her fourth FIVB World Cup appearance (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007). She has competed in three previous Olympic Games and is attempting to match the U.S. record of four Olympic volleyball team rosters held by Tara Cross-Battle (Houston, Texas). The Team USA roster for the Olympics will be determined during the summer of 2008. During 2007, Scott-Arruda has competed in three tournaments. She has averaged 3.10 points per set, including 2.24 kills and 0.75 blocks per set while hitting .386 on 298 attacks. Scott-Arruda was selected as the flag bearer for the entire U.S. delegation at the 2007 Pan American Games Opening Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on July 13. Normally a middle blocker, she shifted to outside hitter during the NORCECA Continental Championship gold medal match against Cuba and notched 14 kills, three blocks and an ace in a five-set loss. Haneef-Park, a 2004 Olympian who has shown versatility in playing either opposite or outside hitter at the international level, has been one of the most consistent scoring forces for Team USA in 2007. She averages a team-leading 3.52 points per set this season in three tournaments. Haneef-Park has compiled a .398 attack percentage to go with set averages of 3.20 kills, 0.23 blocks and 0.23 aces. Haneef-Park has led the U.S. in scoring in eight matches this season, including a season-high 22 points in an upset of top-ranked Russia on Aug. 4. She earned Best Server at the 2007 Pan American Games with a 0.56 service ace average. Starting all nine matches during the 2007 World Grand Prix as an opposite hitter, she finished second among all players in the 12-team field with 146 points. A full bio of Scott-Arruda can be found at http://www.usavolleyball.org/National/profiles/women/player.asp?number=2, while a complete bio on Haneef-Park can be located at http://www.usavolleyball.org/National/profiles/women/player.asp?number=3. |
