Leaf and Michel Both Earn Spots on British Volleyball Team
June 29, 2012
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT | OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE
SHEFFIELD, England – Savanah Leaf and Ciara Michel, both of whom have ties to the University of Miami volleyball program, have each made the roster for Team Great Britain during the Olympic Games, the British Olympic Association (BOA) announced Friday. The two are part of a 12-player roster that will compete for the host nation in hopes of earning a medal for their country.
“We are extremely proud to have two Miami volleyball players make the British Olympic Team,” said UM head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch. “Ciara and Savanah have seized this opportunity to represent their country at the highest level on the biggest stage. This will be an incredible experience for both of them and we look forward to following them in the London.”
It will be the first time that Great Britain has ever fielded a volleyball team for the Olympics, having earned an automatic bid to the tournament as the host.
“Both the British men’s and women’s teams will be targeting progression to the knock-out stage, as well as providing memorable moments for the home crowd as they look to lay the foundations for a successful future for volleyball in Britain,” according to a press release from the BOA.
Leaf, the youngest member of the squad at age 18, was born in London and moved to California was she was eight. A two-time MaxPreps California Division V First Team All-State selection at Marin Academy, she matriculated to San Jose State University last year and competed as a freshman for the Spartans. She led the team with 257 kills in 87 sets played, while finishing second with 230 digs (six double-doubles). After transferring to UM following the season and participating with the Hurricanes in the spring, she started training with her national team in April.
“I only came in this year and the coach [Audrey Cooper] said ‘Just work as hard as you can because it is going to be tough to get into the team because everyone is so tight,’” she told MSN Sport on Friday. “I feel like I have fitted in well and everyone was open in allowing me to be part of the team. I gave it all and I am so proud it paid off so I can represent my family and the country. I have not been able to do that because I have been in America for so long.”
Michel finished her career as Hurricane in 2007 as one of the best players in program history. The middle blocker still holds the school record with 573 blocks in addition to being seventh all-time with 962 kills. Born in Taunton, Somerset, England, she ventured to Australia following graduation to spend two-and-a-half years earning a Master’s Degree from the University of Melbourne, while working for a non-profit organization, Foundation for Young Australians, which provides scholarships and education opportunities to underprivileged youth. In the meantime, she found time to play professionally for the Melbourne University Team. She also played professionally for the Alemannia Aachen in Germany, signing a contract in 2010.
The Summer Olympics will be the second time Michel will represent her country, having competed for Great Britain last summer in the Latina Cup in Peru.
“I was asked to be part of the summer 2011 team, and I got much more acquainted with the team and the system of play, which must be unique in order to compete with long-standing programs from other nations such as Brazil or Japan,” she told HurricaneSports.com in May. “Tragically, just before I joined, all funding from the government was cut, and the program could have been terminated.”
However, the local support and the dedication of the team’s coaching staff help save the program, allowing it to now compete on the largest athletic stage in the world.
“A wave of emotion sweeps over you when you realize you’re competing with an entire nation of support behind you,” Michel said. “It’s honestly a little bit overwhelming, but just so exciting.”
Great Britain is in Pool A of the 12-team tournament and will play five other countries in a round-robin format to begin. The team will start with a match against Russia on July 28 and will compete every other day against the following teams in order: Algeria, Italy, Dominican Republic and Japan.
The top four teams out of the two pools will advance to the quarterfinals in a single-elimination bracket, with the gold medal match scheduled for Aug. 11. Brazil won the gold medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome both the men’s and women’s volleyball squads into Team GB for the London 2012 Olympic Games,” said BOA chief executive Andy Hunt Friday in a statement. “All of these athletes have worked tremendously hard to make this a possibility and we’re confident that we have two squads ready to put on a great display and give a fantastic account of themselves in London. The volleyball players and everyone involved have had to make huge sacrifices to make this a possibility so we all share in their excitement now that the Olympics Games are less than a month away and their selection is made official.
“Most importantly, the home Games should act as a springboard for the sport in Britain and allow Team GB to build for the next Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and beyond. It is a superb opportunity to showcase volleyball in this country and I hope that these players can inspire many more youngsters to get involved in the sport and create a lasting legacy from London 2012.”
Follow Miami volleyball on twitter (@CanesVB) for the latest news and information on the program and for updates from the London Olympics.
