Marshall, Ellis Earn Team USA Tryout Invites

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State volleyball players Mary-Kate Marshall and Kayla Ellis have both earned invitations to try out for USA National Collegiate Team, held March 3-5 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Marshall, a senior outside hitter in 2017, and Ellis, a libero who will be a junior next season, are two of 245 athletes from 82 colleges and 10 high schools that will be participating. The two will be competing for spots on the College National Team.

USA Volleyball will live stream the tryouts, starting at 1 p.m. PT on Friday. The stream can be found by visiting teamusa.org.

"This is a big deal for them, for sure," Oregon State head coach Mark Barnard said. "Mary-Kate found out, a couple years ago, when she made a collegiate team, is that volleyball is such a worldwide sport. It is a great chance for them to see how the sport is played in other countries.

"They will be able to compare themselves to some of the best players from other conferences, like the Big Ten, the Big 12, the ACC, SEC and others. And they'll get exposure with the national team coaches."

Marshall is two years removed from competing for the Collegiate National Team that toured China in 2015. She also played for Team USA during her senior year at Coppell High School in Texas.

Marshall is coming off an All-America season at Oregon State where she posted 443 kills and 260 digs. She was named an honorable mention All-American in addition to earning All-Pac-12 First Team honors. Marshall, a kinesiology major, was also selected as a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.

Ellis will join Marshall in Colorado Springs, aiming for her first appearance with Team USA. A libero, Ellis recorded 453 digs in 2017, giving her 810 in two seasons in Corvallis. She averaged 3.91 digs per set her sophomore season, adding 19 service aces and 87 assists.

Also a kinesiology major, Ellis was named a Pac-12 Academic Honorable Mention selection in 2016.

Fans are encouraged to follow @USAVolleyball on Twitter for updates throughout the tryout, including the hashtag #USAVTryout. The tryout takes place Friday through Sunday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverVBall, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateVolleyball or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverVBall.

OREGON STATE ATHLETICS' EVERYDAY CHAMPIONS CULTURE
Through the power of sport, we help people discover and pursue their passions, talents and purpose in order to live a life of balance and positive contribution.

Related News

Players Mentioned

Kayla Ellis

Mary-Kate Marshall

Related Videos