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US-based Soulsby set to go Turkey with Kiwi volleyballers
Tuesday, June 21st, 2005
HIGHLY rated Arkansas State University captain Pip Soulsby will head New Zealand’s women’s volleyball challenge at the World University Games in Turkey. The Taranaki player will be joined by senior New Zealand representatives Rebecca Reidy and Susan Blundell in Grant Harrison’s 12-strong squad for the August 11-21 Games in Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city.
Blundell forms half of New Zealand’s No 1 ranked beach volleyball team while Reidy, Otago University’s Mel Parnell and Victoria University’s Emma Preston will attend their second successive Summer Universiade after helping NZ to a creditable 13th place in Daegu, Korea two years ago.
Coach Harrison is confident of another strong showing in Izmir after the Kiwis upset Great Britian in their final game in Korea. “We’re ranked 21 of the 24 teams this time but we’d certainly be confident of getting our ranking down into the low teens again,†Harrison said. “We’re certainly stronger than last time.â€
New Zealand have drawn hosts Turkey, Thailand, Canada, the Czech Republic and Estonia in pool A and Harrison knows the competition will be fierce. “It will be Thailand’s full national team and for Canada you can’t make the national team unless you go through the university system so six or seven of them will be from the national team,†he said. “And the Eastern bloc countries are no longer associated with the armed forces, they’re now associated with universities so that when they finish their time they’ve got something to fall back on. In the old iron curtain days they had nothing because they weren’t really in the forces.â€
New Zealand are to compete in eight of the 13 sports on the Izmir programme - athletics, fencing, gymnastics (artistic), soccer (women), swimming, tennis, volleyball (women) and yachting.
The 2003 World Student Games in Daegu, Korea attracted more than 6500 athletes from 160 countries, including a 70-strong delegation from New Zealand.
New Zealand’s team for Izmir is expected to top 100 athletes and officials.
New Zealand team for World University Games, Izmir, Turkey (August 11-21): Pip Soulsby (Arkansas State University), Rebecca Reidy (Massey Uni), Mel Parnell (Otago Uni), Nicole Yardley (Otago Uni), Susie Wickham (Otago), Rebeccah Howarth (Otago Uni), Emma Preston (Victoria Uni), Susan Blundell (Massey Uni), Kim Wong (Victoria Uni), Collete Shearer (Otago), Kim Tootell (Massey Uni), Jodi Skeels (Otago Uni). Head coach: Grant Harrison.
New Zealand’s pool A schedule: Aug 12 v Turkey, Aug 13 v Czech Republic, Aug 14 v Thailand, Aug 15 v Estonia, Aug 16 v Canada.
