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Gateway Region Alum Selected to US Women's National Team

By Linus Shyu, 09/21/18, 7:30PM CDT

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St. Louis area Native Representing USA at World Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 21, 2018) – Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (Champaign, Illinois) is one of 14 players selected to the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team that will represent the United States at the FIVB World Championship Sept. 29 to Oct. 20 in Japan. Team USA, ranked second in the world, will be attempting to defend its World Championship title won in 2014 in Italy.

Bartsch-Hackley, an outside hitter for Team USA, has had a dominating 2018 season after being named the 2017 USA Volleyball Female Indoor Most Improved Player of the Year. She was named most valuable player of this year’s FIVB Volleyball Nations League after leading Team USA to the gold medal. During the VNL, Bartsch-Hackley averaged a team-leading 4.59 points per set after starting 13 of the 19 matches. She held a .345 hitting efficiency for the tournament with a 46.2 kill percent and 3.95 kills per set in also being named Best Spiker of the tournament. Further, she averaged 0.27 aces, 0.37 blocks and 1.76 digs per set.

Related: U.S. Roster Preview for Worlds | U.S. Women’s National Team Home Page | 2018 U.S. Women’s Schedule/Results

For the season, Bartsch-Hackley has started 15 matches and contributed 4.46 points per set. In addition to the VNL, she started two matches on the exhibition tour of Brazil where she tallied 38 points in 10 sets played.

“Bartschy’s having her best year yet with USA, including making a huge positive impact with an MVP performance during the first-ever Volleyball Nations League tournament - and her versatility was big during some key moments in that tournament,” U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly said.

Path to the Podium: Joined Southwest Illinois Volleyball in 2001 -> Member of 2006 U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team -> University of Illinois -> Joined U.S. Women’s National Team full-time in 2016

More on Michelle Bartsch-Hackley: Bio | Instagram | Twitter

The FIVB Women’s World Championship is played every four years in the second year of the Olympic quadrennial. The Americans begin defense of their 2014 title in Kobe, Japan, as they face Azerbaijan (Sept. 29), Trinidad & Tobago (Sept. 30), Korea (Oct. 2), Thailand (Oct. 3) and Russia (Oct. 4) in the first-round Pool C. The top four teams in Pool C advance to the second round (Oct. 7-11) in Osaka. The top three teams from the two second round pools move on to the third round held Oct. 14-16 in Nagoya, followed by the semifinals and medal matches on Oct. 19-20 in Yokohama.

The U.S. qualified for the FIVB World Championship as the defending champion. The U.S. is 26-4 overall in 2018, including gold medals at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League and Pan American Cup.

FloVolleyball.tv, a subscription streaming service, will stream all FIVB World Championship matches in the United States per an exclusive rights deal signed with the FIVB. To sign-up for a discounted FloVolleyball.tv subscription, visit http://bit.ly/2Oe5HZj. To see the full World Championship schedule that FloVolleyball.tv will stream, visit http://bit.ly/2CLn1Dr.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster for FIVB World Championship

# - Player (Position, Height, College, Hometown)

1 – Micha Hancock (S, 5-11, Penn State, Edmond, Oklahoma)

3 – Carli Lloyd (S, 5-11, California, Bonsall, California)

5 – Rachael Adams (M, 6-2, Texas, Cincinnati, Ohio)

6 – Tori Dixon (M, 6-3, Minnesota, Burnsville, Minnesota)

8 – Lauren Gibbemeyer (M, 6-2, Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota)

10 – Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Nebraska, Hooper, Nebraska)

12 – Kelly Murphy (OPP, 6-2, Florida, Wilmington, Illinois)

13 – Sarah Wilhite Parsons (OH, 6-2, Minnesota, Eden Prairie, Minnesota)

14 – Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (OH, 6-3, Illinois, Champaign, Illinois)

15 – Kim Hill (OH, 6-4, Pepperdine, Portland, Oregon)

16 – Foluke Akinradewo (M, 6-3, Stanford, Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

17 – Megan Courtney (L, 6-1, Penn State, Dayton, Ohio)

23 – Kelsey Robinson (L, 6-2, Nebraska, Manhattan Beach, California)

24 – Karsta Lowe (OPP, 6-4, UCLA, Rancho Santa Fe, California)

Head Coach: Karch Kiraly

Assistant Coaches: Luka Slabe, Tama Miyashiro

Technical Coordinator: Jeff Liu

Physiotherapist: Kara Kessans

Team Manager: Jimmy Stitz

Doctors: Dr. Christopher Lee and Lori Boyajian-O’Neill

Consultant Coaches: Marv Dunphy

Scout Coach: Giuseppe Vinci

Mental Performance Coach: Traci Statler

2018 FIVB World Championship Schedule for Team USA

First-Round Pool C at Kobe, Japan

Sept. 29: USA vs. Azerbaijan, 3:10 a.m. ET

Sept. 30: USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 12:40 a.m. ET

Oct. 2: USA vs. Korea, 6:20 a.m. ET

Oct. 3: USA vs. Thailand, 6:20 a.m. ET

Oct. 4: USA vs. Russia, 6:10 a.m. ET

Second Round at Osaka, Japan (Must finish top 4 in Pool C to advance)

Oct. 7-11

Third Round at Nagoya, Japan (Must finish top 3 in Second Round to advance)

Oct. 14-16 (two pools of three teams)

Semifinals and Medal Rounds in Yokohama, Japan (top two finishes in both Third Round Pools)

Oct. 19-20