Dec. 7, 2005

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – “Jenny” Lang Ping, head coach of the USA Women’s National Volleyball Team, will miss next week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association Convention in San Antonio, Texas, after losing important travel documents in China.

Lang Ping, who was scheduled to headline the 2005 AVCA Pre-Convention Seminar with two three-hour clinic sessions on Tuesday, Dec. 13, is unable to leave China after losing a bag containing her green card, other travel documents and personal items.

Lang Ping traveled to Beijing, China, to visit family after guiding Team USA to the silver medal with wins over Korea, 2004 Olympic gold medalist China, Poland and Japan at the season-ending FIVB World Grand Champions Cup in Japan last month.

“It’s extremely unfortunate that the coaching community will not be able to hear Jenny speak at this year’s AVCA Convention, especially coming off such a wonderful performance at the Grand Champions Cup,” said Doug Beal, Chief Executive Officer of USA Volleyball.

“However, the amount of time necessary for her to replace those important documents will not allow her to return to the United States until late December or early January,” he said. “We regret the situation but look forward to her being available to present at next year’s convention.”

Former USA Men’s National Team head coach Bill Neville and Stanford’s women’s volleyball head coach John Dunning have been selected to take over Lang Ping’s scheduled sessions in San Antonio.

Neville, who founded USA Volleyball’s Coaching Accreditation Program (CAP) in the late 1980s, currently serves as USAV’s National Commissioner of Coaching Education. Dunning, who earlier this year was honored with USA Volleyball’s All-Time Great Coach Award along with Russ Rose of Penn State, is one of only two collegiate head coaches to have won national championships at two different schools (University of the Pacific in 1985 and 1986 and Stanford University in 2001 and 2004).

“The AVCA is saddened that Jenny will not be able to present at the AVCA Pre-Convention seminar,” AVCA Executive Director Katherine McConnell said. “The AVCA worked diligently with USA Volleyball to rectify the situation only to find out time was not on our side. However, we are thrilled that both Bill and John have chosen to step into the vacancy and our attendees will have a first-class learning event.”

“The pairing of Bill Neville and John Dunning offers the Pre-Convention Seminar attendees two of the most entertaining and successful coaches in our country,” said Beal. “John’s career success, including last year’s national championship, puts him at the very forefront of collegiate coaches in the United States.

“Bill’s history with our National Teams and experience over the last 30 years makes him one of the most sought-after clinicians in the world. I am sure those that are in attendance at this year’s seminar will be delighted by the material presented by these two speakers.”

Under the new AVCA Pre-Convention schedule, Neville’s session will run from 9 a.m. to noon, followed by Dunning’s session from 1:30-4:30 p.m. All refund requests for the AVCA Pre-Convention Seminar must be completed by 9 a.m. on Dec. 13.