THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Ryan’s bid to make Junior National volleyball team runs into COVID roadblock

This summer has the potential to be quite the eye-opening one for Lakeland High rising senior Katy Ryan.

Or, much like the spring where, for many athletes, spent wondering what could have been.

RYAN INTENDED to try out for the U.S. Junior National volleyball team, but due to coronavirus, those plans had to be altered.

“Usually you try out in person, but I had to send a 20-minute video of me playing,” Ryan said. “I didn’t have anything prepared or anything like that because I was planning on doing an in-person tryout.”

So she sent the video and a few weeks later, Ryan, a lefty swinging 6-foot-5 opposite hitter, was named to the 21-player roster. After tryouts, 12 players will be selected to compete on the team.

“It was definitely a shock,” said Ryan, who has verbally committed to Washington State, and who plays club volleyball for T3 Volleyball based in Coeur d’Alene. “We just found some game footage from some club tournaments. They asked for 20 to 30 minutes, not highlights, but of us just playing. So I took about 7 to 10 minutes from three different matches. It actually worked out a lot better than we thought it would.”

The U.S. was scheduled to compete in the NORCECA Women’s U20 Continental Championship May 10-17 in Edmonton, Alberta. The tournament served as a qualifier for the 2021 FIVB U20 World Championship, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has been postponed with no rescheduled date as of yet. When the tournament does get rescheduled, the U.S. roster will come from the Junior National team.

Ryan was scheduled to try out at the Junior National team training period set for July 4-10 in Colorado Springs, but that was also canceled due to COVID-19. No rescheduled date has been announced.

“Honestly, I wasn’t even sure with everything going on that it was going to happen,” Ryan said. “It’s all still up in the air to see if they follow through with it.”

Dan Fisher, the head coach at Pittsburgh, was selected to coach the junior team.

“It really hasn’t set in for me yet that I’ll get to do this,” Ryan said. “I might be able to get to play with some of the best players in the nation and coached by some great coaches as well.”

TO STAY ready if and when the time comes, Ryan, has practiced hitting with her mother (Lorain) in the back yard at home, playing at the park near her home and doing Zoom workouts with her club and high school teammates at Lakeland. She has been able to practice in-person with her club team for the past month.

In 2019, Ryan was named the 4A Inland Empire League MVP as the Hawks placed fourth at state, the program’s first trophy at state since 1991, and finished 19-12.

“This will definitely help me for the school season,” Ryan said. “Getting chosen for something at this level will really motivate me. I’m hoping we can do well at state again this year.”

That is, if the season isn’t impacted due to COVID-19.

“I’ve been thinking about that happening,” Ryan said. “We don’t know if we’re going to have limited practices, or nothing at all. I really hope we’re able to get to do something. I’ve played with these girls at Lakeland for a long time, and I’m close with a lot of them. It would kind of be a blow if we’re not able to play.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com.