FOUR REBELS JOIN USA WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM OPEN PROGRAM
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The UNLV volleyball team will send three student-athletes and one coach to represent the program this week, attending the US Volleyball Women’s National Team Open Program (WNTOP). The tryouts will take place from Friday, Feb. 23 through Sunday, Feb. 25 at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The student-athletes who will represent the Scarlet & Gray include Chloe Thomas, Caleigh King and Olivia Mikkelsen. Thomas already has international experience since arriving at UNLV, having competed in Europe for the Mountain West Global Challenge Team last summer. They’ll have a familiar face there in newly-hired assistant coach Brian Magbitang, earning a spot on the WNTOP staff this year. 2024 won’t be the first season that Magbitang will be part of the staff, working with them in the same role in 2022 alongside the other roles he’s had as part of the USA system.
Caleigh King had a strong freshman campaign with the Rebels, appearing in 30 different matches and a total of 107 sets. She led the team in digs with 258 over the course of the season, totaling double-digit numbers in the statistical category on 10 different occasions. The Southlake, Texas, native picked up Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors back on Sept. 18 in the 2023 season after helping the team go undefeated during the Rebel Challenge.
Chloe Thomas led the team in sets played over the course of the season with 122, playing in every set the Rebels faced off in. The Allen, Texas native totaled a .229 season hitting percentage off of 225 kills in 2023, also boosting the defensive side with 67 total blocks over the course of the season. Thomas’ high night came in the Rebels’ 3-1 win over Air Force, hitting 13 kills on 25 attempts with four block assists in the four-set match.
Olivia Mikkelsen appeared in 17 matches for the Rebels in 2023, recording 156 assists in her first season with the program. Her season-high reached 24 in the win versus San Jose State on Nov. 14, posting at least 10 assists in eight different contests. The senior also tallied 41 digs, nine service aces and a block assist.
The tryouts will be for both the Women’s National Team and also the Women’s Collegiate National Team (WCNT), as well as consideration for selection to the U21 Women’s National Team that will compete in the 2024 NORCECA U21 Continental Championship. Members of the Women’s National Team will compete in the following events: Volleyball Nations League, Pan American Cup, NORCEA Continental Championship and potentially the Pan American Games.
Outside of the workouts, the student-athletes attending will have several informative sessions that they can attend at the program. There they can learn in several informational sessions that include a general professional volleyball informational session as well as ones about the Pro Volleyball Federation, Athletes Unlimited and League One Volleyball. The program will also include a Q&A session with a Women’s National Team athlete.
Stay up-to-date on everything Scarlet & Gray at UNLVrebels.com as well as the team’s Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) accounts.
