🏐 Bien Named to USA Volleyball U21 National Training Team for Second Consecutive Year
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Kansas outside hitter Caroline Bien has been selected as one of 18 top junior volleyball players who will comprise the 2023 Women’s Under-21 (U21) National Training Team for USA Volleyball.
The team will train from May 14-21 at the Anaheim National Team Training Center. Twelve players will be chosen to compete at the 2023 Women’s U21 NORCECA Pan American Cup on May 23-28 in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
"Training with Team USA is always such a cool experience because you get to learn from the best of the best and play with the best of the best. I can’t wait to get better and represent KU during training!"
Caroline Bien
Bien was a standout for the Jayhawks last fall. Throughout the 2022 season, she appeared in 107 of 111 possible sets, starting all 29 matches. Bien ranked second on the team with 274 total kills, averaging 2.55 kills per set.
During her freshman campaign, she was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) after also being selected as the AVCA Regional Freshman of the Year and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Bien led the Jayhawks with 336 kills, an average of 2.95 per set, while finishing with an attack percentage of .216 for the season.
Bien was also a two-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week, earning the honor in back-to-back weeks in September 2021. She was named to the Pittsburgh All-Regional Team following her performance in the NCAA Tournament as she helped the Jayhawks to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in program history.
"Caroline is very familiar with the expectation there, and I think they're very comfortable with her. Internationally, the six-rotation outside is critical because of the substitution policy, so she fits that mold very well. She's a very skilled volleyball player, so I'm sure she will represent herself, the volleyball program and the athletic department in a great way."
Kansas Head Volleyball Coach Ray Bechard
A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Bien is one of six players on the U21 Training Team roster listed at the outside hitter position. This is the third USA Volleyball opportunity for Bien since coming to Kansas. She previously competed in last year’s U21 Training Camp in May, as well as the U.S. Women’s National Team Open Program in February 2022.
