Pitt rising sophomore setter Rachel Fairbanks earned a spot on the 2022 U.S. Women’s Under-21 National Team for the upcoming U21 Pan American Cup.
Fairbanks is one of just 12 players on the team, making her one of the best young players in the country. She is the only member of the team from the ACC.
Pitt head coach Dan Fisher is coaching the team for the tournament, with BYU head coach Heather Olmstead and New Mexico State head coach Jon Newman-Gonchar joining as assistants.
Fairbanks made the team, competing against 20 players who trained at Centenary Collegiate in Shreveport, La. She and Fisher travel to the U21 Pan American Cup in La Paz, California Sur, Mexico, taking place June 7-12.
The team starts off pool-play in Pool C against Costa Rica on Tuesday, June 7 at 5 p.m., then takes on Canada on Wednesday, June 8 at 5 p.m. and finishes off against Argentina on Thursday, June. 9 at 7 pm. The weekend starts off with quarterfinals on Friday, June 10, semifinals on Saturday, June 11 and finished with the final on Sunday, June 12. All times of the games are in Pacific Time.
This tournament is a qualifier for the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championship. Fisher will work with his team, including Fairbanks, to bring the U.S. to qualify for the world championship next year. Ten teams total play in pool play, which also includes Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Honduras, Cuba and Chile.
