ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 19, 1996 TAG: 9604190034
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
With 91 days to go before the Atlanta Olympics, coach Terry Liskevych is experimenting with his U.S. women's volleyball team. Tonight, the Roanoke Civic Center will become his laboratory.
The U.S. team will close the second of its three exhibition tours this year when it faces the Russian national team in a best-of-five match at 7:30 p.m. The match will be preceded at 5:45 by a matchup between the Virginia and Virginia Tech women's teams.
The Roanoke stop is the sixth and last of the U.S. team's current tour, and the Russians lead the current series 3-2. The Americans, however, have swept both matches when they have gone with their starters.
``We're still debating how we're going to go about it,'' Liskevych said Thursday before leaving stop No. 5, Tampa, Fla. ``I think we'll go with our starters mainly. We're going after the Russians, I promise you that.''
Some of the U.S. team's top performers on the current tour include team captain Tammy Liley, outside hitters Teee Williams and Tara Cross-Battle and setter Lori Endicott. Liskevych said Endicott had probably her best blocking night ever in a victory in Tampa.
Following the Roanoke match, Team USA will have a four-match set with China from May 8 through May 13 in California. The U.S. women will compete June 10-17 at the BCV Cup in Montreux, Switzerland, then take on the world at the Olympics from July 14 to Aug. 3 in Atlanta.
``We have several objectives,'' said Liskevych, in his 12th year as head coach. ``The only way we can gain experience is by playing an international team. Second, we need to look at our players. We have 15 players on our team, and 12 will be chosen. Third, it will give our starting unit a chance to jell.
``Next, it's a way to showcase volleyball live.''
USA Volleyball officials contacted Virginia Amateur Sports, Inc., in the fall of 1995 about sponsoring the match, and VAS jumped at the opportunity. ``We felt it was part of our mission to provide something like this,'' said Stu Israel, the director of development and marketing for VAS.
Approximately 2,000 tickets had been sold by Thursday afternoon, not a bad number considering the gate in Orlando, Fla., was 2,600 and only 2,200 attended an exhibition in Atlanta, of all places. Israel said he expects strong walk-up ticket sales, as well.
The Olympic team has made an effort to get into the community to spread the word. Middle blocker Paula Weishoff, a veteran of two Olympic Games, was in the area last week speaking at a Roanoke Valley Sports Club meeting and conducting three hours of clinics at Raleigh Court Elementary School. ``I guess it doesn't sell as well as the beach, bikinis and beer,'' Weishoff said of her beach volleyball brethren's growing popularity.
Both teams landed Thursday afternoon at Roanoke Regional Airport and were presented with keys to the city by Mayor David Bowers. Later, four American players conducted a clinic at Cave Spring High School.
``It's good for us,'' Weishoff said. ``It gets people fired up to support us. It's neat to get people involved.''
Tickets for the event are $8 and $12 and are available at the civic center box office.
Women's volleyball
Virginia vs. Virginia Tech at 5:45 p.m. followed by U.S. vs. Russian national team at 7:30 p.m. at the Roanoke Civic Center. Tickets are $8 and $12 and available at the civic center box office.
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