Following in the footsteps of many Bruins, sophomore outside hitter for the women’s volleyball team Kelly Reeves traded in her blue and gold uniform to don the red, white and blue. Reeves captained the United States Women’s Junior National Team at the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Women’s Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru to a fourth-place finish.
Reeves has prior experience with the Women’s Junior National Team, capturing the gold medal in July 2010 at the NORCECA Women’s Junior Continental Championship in Tijuana, Mexico.
Although she is not new to international play, there were still some adjustments that Reeves had to make. Transitioning from collegiate play to that of international was necessary after competing as a Bruin for the past year.
“For international rules, the protocol is very different. Something that was really different was the ball we played with,” Reeves said. “The ball was a little more challenging, as it was harder to pass and stuff, but overall the speed and tempo is faster and the game is played at a faster rate in international competition.
“We were at a disadvantage because most of the international teams had been playing together year round while we only got to train for about a week and a half.”
However, Reeves was successful in adapting to the international style of play and helped the Women’s Junior National Team to a 4-0 start, putting away Belgium, Poland, Korea and the Dominican Republic. Over those four matches, she averaged 3.15 kills per set while also tallying seven aces and six blocks.
The team faced trouble in the second round of pool play, concluding those matches with back-to-back losses to Italy and Peru. Reeves continued her strong play through this round with an average of 3.18 kills per set, second most on the team.
Despite these losses, the United States found themselves qualified for the semifinals. The team had high hopes for the tournament, expecting to emerge with the gold medal.
“Our goal going into the world championships was to win. Every day we would train and go in with the mindset that we would become the world champions,” Reeves said.
However, the United States fell to Brazil in the semifinal game. The United States and Brazil came into the tournament as the top ranked teams, but the Brazilians got the best of them this time.
The United States found itself in the bronze medal game facing China. Despite an impressive performance from Reeves where she had 13 kills, seven digs, a block and an ace, the United States fell to China in four sets.
“We had our opportunities to get the bronze medal playing against Italy, Brazil and China, but we did not play well,” coach Robert Browning said in a press release. “They really deserve this medal.”
At the conclusion of this tournament, Reeves tallied 115 points, second most for the United States, consisting of 97 kills, nine blocks and nine service aces. She tied for 15th in aces, sixth in kills, and 18th in digs out of the entire playing field.
Not only did she have a great showing in the tournament, Reeves made the most of her opportunity and enjoyed serving as the captain.
“I had no idea I was going to be captain but I was honored to represent our country,” Reeves said. “I learned to lead and put the team on my back.”
Compiled by Chris Nguyen, Bruin Senior sports staff.