Feb. 11, 2012

Fullerton, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton outside hitter Kayla Neto and libero Gabrielle Dewberry are among 207 volleyball players currently participating in open tryouts for the U.S. Women's National Team taking place from Feb. 10-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Fullerton is one of 73 participating universities in the event.

The U.S. Women's National Team program is open to selected tryout athletes who have concluded their college eligibility and who wish to be invited to be a member of the U.S. Women's Volleyball National Team on a full-time basis. But also considered for training with the U.S. Women's National Team are be athletes who have remaining college eligibility; however, their participation will begin in mid-May or when their scholastic calendar ends for 2012.

Like Neto and Dewberry who will be seniors in 2012, athletes with collegiate eligibility remaining for the 2012 collegiate season not selected to join the U.S. Women's National Team may be invited to participate with the U.S. Women's Senior A2 program. This program is scheduled to take place in Columbus, Ohio, from June 26 through July 5. A projected 48 athletes will be invited to participate in the program, which will include training and competing at the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships from July 1-4.

Dewberry, one of 44 libero currently in Colorado Springs, played in all 111 of the Titans' sets in her first season as a full-time libero in 2011. She ranked fifth in the Big West Conference with 455 digs, the ninth-best single-season mark in Fullerton history. The Greenwood Village, Colo., native was one of three Titans to take home All-Big West honors this past year, earning an honorable mention.

Neto, one of 54 outside hitters at the training center, garnered her third consecutive All-Big West Conference First Team honor in 2011 as a six-rotation player. She tied for the league lead with Cal Poly's Jennifer Keddy in kills, blasting a career-best 442 of them as an outside hitter. From the back row, the Clarksburg, Calif., native sat percentage points out side the league's Top 10 in digs, scooping up 366 total attack attempts (3.30 per set). She amassed 496.00 points on the year, second to only Keddy, who was named the Big West Player of the Year.