Kent’s Courtney Thompson, one of the country’s premier setters in international volleyball, has earned a spot on Team USA as it prepares for the Summer Olympic Games in London (July 27-Aug. 12).
Thompson, 27, a former Kentlake High and University of Washington star, will join ex-UW teammate Tamari Miyashiro, one of two liberos on the 12-member roster, it was announced this week. They are Washington’s first ever U.S. Olympians in women’s volleyball.
“I’m just extremely excited for Court, Tama and their families,” said UW coach Jim McLaughlin, who coached both players to All-American accolades. “It’s a big deal, it affects a lot of people. They’ve worked hard for it and earned it and it is gratifying to get a return for that work. But the work is still to be done, and they both understand that. They get to celebrate for a day and then get back to work.”
The 5-foot-8 Thompson, the 2005 Honda Award winner at UW and a Kent native, has been a consistent member of Team USA for several years, but this is her first time making the coveted Olympic roster.
She won the gold medal with Team USA last week in the FIVB World Grand Prix, which concluded in Ningbo, China. Thompson sparked Team USA in the final match against China, rallying the team from a 17-13 deficit
Thompson previously played in the 2011 and 2007 Pan-American Games, winning bronze both times, three Pan-American Cups, and two other World Grand Prix appearances.
Thompson, a three-time AVCA All-America First-Team selection playing for the the Huskies, set the Pacific-10 Conference record with 6,552 assists for third best in NCAA Division I history.
She concluded her career with a school-best 450 starts leading to three appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament national semifinals and one regional final.
As a junior, Thompson earned the Honda Sports Award for best volleyball player after leading the Huskies to their first national championship. She received an ESPY Top Female College Athlete nomination in 2005.
As a senior, she again was a finalist for the Honda Sports Award as she set the Huskies to a .281 team attack percentage on 14.50 assists per game.
Thompson is a three-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.
At Kentlake, Thompson earned valedictorian honors. She led the Falcons to three state championships, earning 2002 Washington State Player of the Year honors as well as all-state in basketball as a senior.
The U.S., ranked No. 1 in the world by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) since November 2011, qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in the first qualification tournament by claiming silver at the 2011 FIVB World Cup held in November.
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