West Aurora’s Carlini makes U.S. national team

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Rick Armstrong, Beacon-News columnist

Updated: September 29, 2011 12:50AM

We’re guessing she won’t need to bring coach Kari Nicholson a note.

The first practice of the coming season for West Aurora and all other high school volleyball teams in Illinois is Aug. 10, but Blackhawks’ standout Lauren Carlini won’t be there. In fact, she should miss the first 12 days of the team’s practices.

That’s because Carlini will be representing her country in an international competition in Turkey. On Sunday, she was one of 12 girls named to the 2011 U.S. Girls Youth National Team by USA Volleyball. They are scheduled to compete from Aug. 12-21 in the FIVB Girls Youth (U-18) World Championships in Ankara, Turkey.

“I’m definitely excited,” Carlini said Monday morning after returning from a three-day tryout/training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo., at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

“I’ve already been online checking out what the weather will be like. And I learned it’s a 10-hour flight from Montreal to Turkey. Hope I can sleep.”

Carlini was one of two setters named to the team by head coach Jim Stone, who made his selections for the team from 25 players who had advanced from tryouts held at various sites around the country.

“It’s definitely tough,” Carlini said of the process. “You have to learn how to adapt to people more quickly and show you can adapt to everyone. As a setter, you want to know (the hitters’) rhythm and learn how they attack.

“We all went to a meeting room (Sunday afternoon) and (Stone) talked about what he expected from us and what he wanted to do and then just announced the 12 names. I think I was the fifth or sixth girl named.”

Carlini was selected for a U.S. team scheduled to compete in Singapore last summer only to have the offer withdrawn later because USA Volleyball found out the governing body directing the competition wouldn’t allow girls to “play up” in the event. Carlini and several teammates were under age and had to be replaced with other players.

“I’m excited for her and it’s a great opportunity for her,” Nicholson said. “I know she was bummed from her previous experience. I also knew she was excited and nervous (about the tryouts). Lauren really is an excellent player, but she’s still a 16-year-old kid.”

The process doesn’t get any easier.

“Every time I go it’s so intimidating,” Carlini said. “There were some big-name players there, people you’ve heard about but people you don’t get to play with or against very much. I was very nervous. Everyone was playing at such a high level.”

Carlini was one of three players from the class of 2013 (juniors-to-be) selected for the team. Eight will be seniors this fall (class of 2012) and one is a senior from 2011. Four have previous international experience.

“It’s a pretty athletic group,” Stone said in a press release issued by USA Volleyball. “However, they still need to learn the whole game — hit, pass, serve and dig — as the international game has limited subs. That part has to work out in a short period of training time.”

Carlini should be ideal, then, considering she also has strong hitting skills as well as a strong jump serve.

It will be a busy summer for her with training and a prep tournament from July 20-30 in Tucson, Ariz., followed by 10 days of training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., before departing for Turkey.

“We’ll have five days of training and five days of playing (in Arizona) and then training really focused on us (in New York),” said Carlini, who committed to a scholarship at the University of Wisconsin during her freshman school year.

And Nicholson will be happy to have her back, whatever the date.

“The girls love having Lauren as a teammate. She’s a lot of fun,” Nicholson said. “… I’m just super excited she gets this opportunity this summer.”