The U.S. women's volleyball team completed its five-city sweep of Team Canada at the Baltimore Arena last night, winning, 15-6, 15-13, 16-14. The United States lost only four sets on its weeklong eastern swing.
It was an encouraging tour for coach Terry Liskevych, who is preparing his team for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
But Liskevych said he will make a fairer assessment of the team's progress after competing in March against traditional powers like Cuba and Brazil in the Pan-American Games, and in the Canada Cup, where the United States will face Ukraine and (( China.
"Right now, we know we have a very good team on our hands," said Liskevych, who led the United States to a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympics. "I'm happy with what we've done so far, since we've only been together for a month.
"But we'll be able to judge a lot better after the Pan-Ams. I'm looking for us to play Cuba for the gold medal."
Liskevych will continue to audition a number of top collegians and former Olympians like Leanne Sato, Caren Kemmner, Paula Weiskopf and Janet Cobbs, but he plans to have his 12-player squad set by early 1996.
"I'll probably look at another 10 girls or so," he said. "But volleyball is a consummate team sport. We need to bring people together as soon as possible. Our young players are making a major adjustment.
"It's analogous to going from college to the pros. Everyone is bigger, faster and hits harder in this competition. Heck, even Michael Jordan struggled a bit his first year in the NBA."
His squad has a balance of veterans and newcomers, with six holdovers from the 1992 Olympic team.
Olympians Teee Williams, Tara Cross-Battle and promising "rookie" Danielle Scott provide ample firepower, and veteran setter Lori Endicott supplies leadership and excellent playmaking.
"What impressed me most on this tour with Canada was how many blocks we got," the coach said, praising Bev Oden and Scott, who repelled a number of Canadian shots last night.
"We really out-stuffed them. We won't always be a great passing team. Our strength is at the net, hitting and blocking, and we go after every ball. That's a real American trait," Liskevych said.
Williams, who gave herself the unusual name Teee in preference to her given name of Tanya, had the crowd of 2,745 applauding her big-time hits as she was credited with 16 kills.
"We had a lot of big hitters on our '92 Olympic team," said the slender Long Beach (Calif.) native who was twice voted college Player of the Year while attending the University of Hawaii. "The difference is that myself and Tara Cross-Battle and Lori Endicott are a lot more experienced. We know what we're doing now. And we're not going to settle for anything less than a gold medal in Atlanta."
The team will reassemble at training camp in San Diego and will practice the next three weeks in preparation for the Pan-Am Games, which begin March 6 in Mar del Plata, Argentina.