Spartans O'Reilly gearing up for world championships

LANGLEY, British Columbia – For Trinity Western University setter Lauren O’Reilly, the summer of 2010 will be placed securely in her memory bank and labeled, “Do Not Forget.”

And, guess what? It’s only just begun.

So far, O’Reilly’s summer has consisted of making Canada’s senior national indoor  team in May, training in Winnipeg with the best women’s volleyball players in Canada and travelling to Mexico for the 2010 Pan American Cup where she helped the maple leafed ones to a seventh place finish. Then, O’Reilly and her teammates will be going to South America for an exhibition trip in September followed by their final destination of the season: The 2010 FIVB World Championship in Japan from Oct. 29 to Nov. 14.

And for O’Reilly – who was fifth in Canada West last year with 9.16 assists per game with TWU – unlike last year when 5-foot-11, Langley product was just trying to learn the red and white ropes, this year O’Reilly knew exactly what to expect going in and has subsequently taken her game and her role on the team to the next level.

“This year, I've been able to play more of a starting role compared to last year which gives me confidence in my ability and my training and in turn allows me to be a help in the team's success,” said O’Reilly, who – while competing with Carla Bradstock to be the starting setter – received the majority of playing time at the Pan American Cup. "I felt so much younger last year because everything was new to me, but this summer I'm able to step up and be a leader on the court which adds a strong component as a setter.”

Since the team was formed in May, O’Reilly and her teammates have always had one overarching goal in mind: success at the world championships. And with Volleyball Canada setting a goal of making the top 10 in both the men’s and women’s championships, the training has been hectic right from the word ‘go.’  

“This last month has been totally focused on strength and conditioning while still getting the same amount of on-court workouts,” O’Reilly said. “I think this will definitely help us in the coming months as we enter the half way point of the summer season because it’s so important just to have the stamina to keep training hard for the months leading up to worlds.

“The Pan American Cup had a very similar schedule to what worlds will be like because we played seven games in 9 days and didn't take a day off for about three weeks. As we got used to that schedule, it was great preparation for the worlds.”

But before the craziness of the second half of the summer begins, starting this week, O’Reilly and her teammates will have one last chance to catch their collective breathes.

For the next two weeks, O’Reilly will be back on the West Coast where she’ll take a few days to relax before going to Kelowna to play in the Center of Gravity 3-on-3 mixed volleyball tournament from July 30 to Aug. 1 with fellow Spartans Rudy Verhoeff and Paul Lindemulder, as well as UBC’s libero Blair Bann.

She’ll also be presenting medals at the BC Summer Games on Sunday, July 25th.

O’Reilly will fly back to Winnipeg at the beginning of August where the team will continue getting ready for their South American exhibition trip to Argentina, Costa Rica and Peru from Aug. 28 to Sept. 16 and, ultimately, the world championships.

About TWU:

Trinity Western University, located in Langley, B.C., is a not-for-profit Christian liberal arts university enrolling over 4,000 students this year. With a broad based, liberal arts and sciences curriculum, the University offers undergraduate degrees in 41 major areas of study ranging from business, education and computer science to biology and nursing, and 17 other graduate degrees including counselling psychology, theology and administrative leadership. For more information, visit TWU's Official Athletics site at gospartans.ca.

About CWUAA:

"Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year since 1997-98. Comprised of 13 schools, from Manitoba to B.C., the CWUAA produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in events such as the Olympics or Universiade Games."

Source:

Trinity Western Sports Info