Carpinteria’s Heather Olmstead, the former women’s volleyball coach at BYU, has been named head coach of the USA Volleyball Girls U17 National Team for the FIVB World Championships this summer.
Olmstead recently served as the assistant coach for the U.S. team at the NORCECA Girls U17 Pan American Cup in Honduras. Team USA won the gold medal.
Olmstead will take her team to Santiago, Chile for the FIVB World Championships, Aug. 6-16. In their tournament debut, the U.S. will compete in Pool A alongside host Chile, Türkiye, Egypt, Thailand and Czechia.
“Representing your country is a special moment in any athlete’s career,” Olmstead told USA Volleyball. “Our focus will be on growth, learning how to compete on the international stage, embracing challenges and building the habits required to succeed. I’m excited to work with this group and see how they develop throughout the process.”
Olmstead stepped down as BYU’s head coach last December after an 11-year run. At the time, she said she wanted to pursue new professional avenues.
U.S. Beach Volleyball
UCSB’s George Bruening and Santa Barbara High alum and current Pepperdine player Ford Harman have been selected to the USA Volleyball Beach Collegiate National Team.
The men’s and women’s teams have been training in Hermosa Beach for the opportunity to play in future international and professional competitions.
Bruening and Harman are among 26 male athletes being considered for selection to the team for the World University Championship, Sept. 17-22 in Figueira da Foz, Portugal.
Athletes born in 2004 or later will also be eligible for consideration for the U23 Beach National Team, with up to four athletes per gender potentially selected.
