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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, January 23, 2009

Berg is USA Player of Year

Advertiser Staff

USA Volleyball announced yesterday that Punahou School alum Lindsey Berg has been selected as the 2008 USA Volleyball Women's Indoor Player of the Year.

Berg and her 2008 Olympic Games teammates earned the silver medal in Beijing. She played a key role as one of the two setters — along with McKinley High and University of Hawai'i alum Robyn Ah Mow-Santos — and the co-captain by helping to stabilize the squad.

"Obviously, I am thrilled and thankful to have received such a huge individual honor as selected by our coaching staff," Berg said. "Throughout the year, I simply concentrated on working hard to make our team better as a unit, whether on the court or off. One of the main roles of a setter is to bring court leadership and be an all-around influence on the game in intangible areas such as serving. As a setter, I still need to depend on the pass to get as good a set as possible to as many available hitting options as possible, and that definitely takes teamwork. I am thankful to my coaching staff and teammates, who all played a role in this honor and our team's success in 2008."

Berg, competing at less than full strength on a left knee that required surgery last September, played in 25 of the 33 sets during the Olympic Games in which the squad turned in a .250 team hitting efficiency and a 41 percent kill ratio.

"Lindsey is our co-captain and a player who brings incredible energy to the team," said 2008 U.S. Women's Olympic team head coach "Jenny" Lang Ping. "She pushes her teammates to work hard and stay focused. She is a smart, experienced player who brings great insights. During the Games, every time she came to the court she made a positive difference with her energy and determination."

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