Melanie Crow spikes the ball during a Mississippi volleyball match on September 11, 2014. (File Photo | Harold Wells)
Crow selected to join U.S. Collegiate National Team
USA Volleyball announced Monday sophomore outside hitter Melanie Crow has been selected to join the U.S. Collegiate National Team program. The Rebel star was one of only nine hitters selected to participate in the program. She and 35 other players will prepare to compete in the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships beginning June 21 in New Orleans.
Crow’s 2014 season with the Rebels was remarkable. She started all 32 matches as a sophomore and every match except one as a freshman in 2013. This year, she set the single season ace record with 42. She ranked third in the SEC in service aces at 0.36 per set. She set a career-high record of 23 kills in the last match against Texas A&M and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Buffalo Classic in August. Crow’s leadership helped take Ole Miss to their first tournament title away from Oxford since the 2007 season.
Off the court, Melanie’s academic excellence also shines brightly. She was named to the Capital One Academic All-District VI Team, the SEC Athlete Academic Honor Roll and the Ole Miss Chancellor’s Honor Roll.
Crow tried out for the National Team last year but did not make it; however, she said she did not let that get her down. Instead, she allowed it to fuel her, and it paid off.
Crow had an extremely successful season with the Rebels. She helped lead Ole Miss to a 22-10 record and finished her sophomore season with 352 kills and 59 blocks.
“This is something that I had really hoped for, especially since going through the try-out last year and not making it, and this year having this awesome opportunity to get to play with some of the best college players in the country,” Crow said.
She will have the chance to play with some of the top collegiate athletes in the country as well as listen and learn from the nation’s best coaches.
“Going to something like this, you learn so much about volleyball. Playing with people that are the best in the country makes you have to step up to their level, so you learn about yourself, too,” Crow said. “You’re going to be working with coaches that have different ideas about the game, so you’re going to get a different perspective. I think I can learn a lot of stuff and gain things that I can bring back to this team and hopefully help me pursue my career even further.”
After leaving next week, Crow will not be able to work with her Ole Miss coaches before she heads to Louisiana. To stay in the swing of things, she will continue to train with her former high school team and ex-club coaches over the summer.
“I will probably go to about four practices a week and work on a lot of stuff that my coaches here, especially Ronnie, have told me to do to prepare: serve receive, serving, block moves and all of that kind of stuff,” Crow said. “I am also working one of the camps at a university back in St. Louis. I will be touching the ball and scrimmaging for about two weeks with men and other college players, so I think it will get me ready.”
