CEDAR CITY, Utah - March 3 - Southern Utah libero Courtney Lelepali recently had an opportunity to play with some of the nation's elite as the freshman received an invitation to tryout for the US National team in Colorado Springs.  Lelepali participated in a three-day tryout from Feb. 19-22 and was numbered with 175 of the best volleyball players in the nation.

"It was really fun, but very intense," she said of the experience.  "The speed of play was so fast, but it was fun to play with players from national powers like Texas and Penn State.  It was a great chance to meet people from all over the country."

Lelepali was one of only a group of 20 liberos that attended the camp consisting of various drills and a mini tournament.  The entire field of 175 will be whittled down to a traveling team with training beginning in May.  The team will then compete at international tournaments at the end of June.

"I thought this was exciting for Courtney and great for our program," SUU volleyball head coach Debby Baker said.  "It shows the strength of the kids we recruit at Southern Utah and the direction that we want to take the team."

Lelepali finished her freshman campaign with a team-high 390 digs while finishing second on the team in service aces (30) and assists (59). The Waianae, Hawaii native also finished in the top ten of the Summit League in digs per set and eighth in the league in service aces per set.

Southern Utah will begin its second season on Saturday, August 21 when the Thunderbirds host the Red & White Scrimmage.