PROVO, Utah – BYU women's volleyball junior outside hitter Veronica Jones-Perry finished competition with the U.S. Collegiate Women's National Team in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week.
"Having the opportunity to wear and represent USA over the past week and a half was incredible," Jones-Perry said. "The week was one full of really good volleyball against some tough competition. Overall, this experience was one that taught me not only a lot about volleyball, but also a lot about who I am as an athlete and a person. It pushed my mind and body a lot harder than I expected it to and I'm grateful for that. I also made some friendships that I think will last a long time and I'm really excited to see how all of my teammates do during their own seasons. I'm grateful to have had this opportunity and I hope to have similar ones in the future."
Jones-Perry was one of just 36 players who trained and competed as part of the CNT-Minneapolis program. The selected student-athletes trained together from June 22-26 before being divided into three teams, competing against each other in a round-robin format from June 27-30. The program was a part of USA Volleyball’s High Performance pipeline and was considered a second tryout for the U.S. Women’s National Team.
Jones-Perry was selected to compete for Team Blue and was named a captain of the squad. Team Blue fell in three sets in its first and second matches; however, Jones-Perry excelled in each match. In the first, she collected a team-high 10 kills on 25 attempts. The following night, she added eight kills, three blocks and two aces.
After the first two matches, the teams competed in a mini-tournament. Jones-Perry helped Team Blue defeat Team White in five sets during the semifinals to set up a rematch with Team Red in the championship match. She had 18 kills and a block in the first match and 19 kills in the final to help her squad win the title.
"Throughout the week, I was constantly being asked by the other girls about BYU," Jones-Perry said. "This was really fun for me because it gave me a real chance to explain what I value and why BYU is the perfect fit for me. It also allowed me to help them to understand the values at BYU and the reasons that we do things the way that we do."
To read more of Jones-Perry's thoughts on her time with Team USA, visit the BYU women's volleyball blog. Additional match recaps can be found on USA Volleyball's site.