COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Utah volleyball will have three players and head coach Beth Launiere representing their country this summer with the U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team, USA Volleyball announced.
 
Dani Drews, Kenzie Koerber and Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres all made the U.S. Women's Collegiate Team – Japan.
 
In all, 12 players made the team and the other nine will be setter Mica Allison (University of Illinois, White Heath, Illinois). The other opposite selected is Taylor Bannister (LSU, Missouri City, Texas). The libero will be CC McGraw (University of Minnesota, Prior Lake, Minnesota). Middles selected to the elite CNT-Japan squad are Heather Gneiting (Brigham Young University, Pleasant Grove, Utah), Taylor Morgan (University of Minnesota, Blaine, Minnesota) and Katie Myers (University of Maryland, Westerville, Ohio). The outside hitters named to the roster are Brooke Botkin (University of Southern California, Houston, Texas), McKenna Melville (UCF, Egan, Minnesota) and Jacqueline Quade (University of Illinois, Fort Wayne, Indiana).
 
Drews is the only player with previous experience in the CNT program as she was part of the 2018 CNT-Detroit roster.
 
The squad will tour May 19-30 in Japan where it will have a series of training sessions and matches. The tour is unique in that the U.S. will play against Nippon Sport Science University, one of the best collegiate volleyball teams in Japan, as well as Japan's Women's 20 and World University Games teams.
 
Athletes were selected through the U.S. Women's National Team Open Tryouts held March 1-3 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. All CNT programs are considered second tryouts for the U.S. Women's National Teams under NCAA rules.
 
Launiere will serve as the assistant for the U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team World University Games. She will be heading to Napoli, Italy from June 30-July 13.
 
Launiere also coached for USA Volleyball during each summer from 2009 through 2011. She coached the USA/BIP Team at the 2011 European Global Challenge in Belgrade, Serbia and Pula, Croatia and was head coach of the USA National A2 Program in May of 2010 at the Open Division of the USA Open National Championships in Phoenix, Ariz. Launiere was also on the sidelines as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Team at the 2009 FIVB World Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Li Miao, Chinese Taipei and Bangkok, Thailand.
 
Full details along with tour schedule in Japan can be found at https://go.usav.org/32519CNTJ.