USA Women's National Team Takes Second Place In USOC Team Of The Month Voting
7/14/2010 12:00:00 AM
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Olympic Committee
(USOC) announced softball player Alissa Haber and tennis star John
Isner as its June Athletes of the Month, while the USA Softball Women's
National Team was awarded Team of the Month honors.
Haber (Newark, Calif.), made her presence known in
her first appearance at the International Softball Federation (ISF) Women's
World Championships in June. Haber set several records while helping Team USA to
a seventh consecutive World Championship on July 2. Haber's most impressive
performance at Worlds came on June 17 against 2008 Olympic bronze medalist
Australia. She went 3-for-3, hitting two doubles, with one run and four
RBI.
In total for the month, Haber played seven games,
starting all in the outfield. She went 14-for-20 at the plate with one walk for
a .700 average (.615 for the event overall). Even excluding the two World
Championship games that fell in July, Haber set the record for most RBI in a
World Championship, scoring 19 (20 overall) to push her past Jessica Mendoza's
(Camarillo, Calif.) 16. She ranks fourth for most career RBI at Worlds, trailing
three-time World team member Mendoza by only 10 RBI. Haber is now tied for first
for the most doubles in a single Worlds, hitting all seven in June, and is
second for most hits with 14 of 16 also coming in June.
Isner (Tampa, Fla.) went 1-1 in only two matches
played during the month of June, but he took part in perhaps the most remarkable
match in the history of tennis. Isner's first round Wimbledon match against
Nicolas Mahut spanned more than 11 hours over three days, before Isner finally
won 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68. The match was the longest in the history
of tennis in both time lapsed and games played, and Isner broke the record for
aces in a single match with 113.
Heading into the summer hard-court season, Isner is
currently ranked a career-high No. 18 on the ATP World Tour, making him the No.
2 American behind Andy Roddick.
The USA Softball Women's National Team went 8-0 in
June, en route to winning a seventh-consecutive and ninth-overall International
Softball Federation (ISF) Women's World Championship on July 2 by shutting out
2008 Olympic champion Japan in Caracas, Venezuela. The USA outscored opponents
84-6 in June (95-6 overall), highlighted by a 7-0, five inning win over host
country Venezuela and a 20-0, three inning victory over Botswana. Four June
victories were shutouts.
In June, the Americans went 79-for-186 at the plate,
averaging .683 as a team. The team hit 18 doubles, seven by Haber, nine triples,
three by Kaitlin Cochran (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and four home runs, three from
Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.). USA batters were walked 30 times and even more
impressive, struck out only 21 times in 186 at-bats.
Each National Governing Body may nominate up to but
no more than one female, one male and one team per discipline. The winners are
then voted on from that pool of nominees.
Taking second place in this month's female category
was Serena Williams (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) who won five straight
singles matches in June en route to capturing her fourth Wimbledon title and
also captured the doubles title with sister Venus at the French Open. During the
last week of June, Williams did not lose a single set en route to winning
Wimbledon (the final took place July 3). Williams is now sixth all-time in Grand
Slam titles with 13, surpassing Billie Jean King. On June 4, Serena teamed with
sister Venus to win the French Open doubles crown for the Williams' 12th Grand
Slam doubles title. With the win, the sisters ascended to No. 1 in doubles for
the first time in their careers, which made Serena just the sixth player in
history to hold the No. 1 rankings in both singles and doubles at the same
time.
Coming in third place was Kayla Harrison
(Middletown, Ohio). Harrison went undefeated in two World Cups in June to win
back-to-back gold medals. She won all five of her matches en route to earning
titles at the Venezuela and El Salvador World Cups where she defeated top
players such as 2008 Olympic medalist Yalennis Castillo (CUB), 2009 Pan American
champion Kaliema Antormachi (CUB) and nine-time Pan Am medalist Lorena Briceno
(ARG).
Coming in second place in the Male Athlete of the
Month voting by the slimmest of margins was Matt Emmons (Grand Rapids,
Minn.). Emmons took home gold at both the USA World Cup and Belgrade World in
June in the men's 50m rifle 3 position and added a second medal at the USA event
in the men's 50m rifle prone event. He was a fourth-place finisher in the event
at the Belgrade World Cup and also earned Olympic selection points with his
performance.
Taking third was Nick Delpopolo (Westfield,
N.J.) who made his first two World Cup medals gold ones when he won both the
Venezuela and El Salvador World Cups in June. Delpopolo went 4-0 in El Salvador
where he defeated 10-time Pan Am medalist Ludwig Ortiz (VEN) in the final. At
the El Salvador World Cup, Delpopolo won his first two matches to advance to the
final where he avenged a loss at the 2010 Senior Nationals against three-time
World Cup medalist Michael Eldred who Delpopolo threw to win gold.
Placing second in the team voting was the USA
Women's Water Polo National Team. The team went undefeated (3-0) in June en
route to winning a gold medal and their fifth World League Super Final in the
last seven years. The No. 1 ranked team in the world defeated Australia once,
Greece twice, Canada and Russia en route to the title match. USA's Brenda Villa
was named MVP of the tournament, Betsey Armstrong top goalkeeper, and Kami Craig
top center-forward for their play during the tournament.
Coming in third place was Venus and Serena
Williams (Palm Beach Gardens, Calif.), the world's No. 1 doubles team. The
sister pair won their 12th Grand Slam doubles title by capturing the French Open
doubles crown on June 4. Without dropping a single set the entire tournament,
Venus and Serena defeated Katarina Srebotnik and Kveta Peschke 6-2, 6-3, in the
final for their fourth consecutive Grand Slam title. With the win, the sisters
ascended to No. 1 in doubles for the first time in their careers, which made
Serena just the sixth player in history to hold the No. 1 rankings in both
singles and doubles at the same time. Later in June, the Williams' won four
matches at Wimbledon to reach the doubles quarterfinals.
Women:
- Alissa Haber, Softball
- Serena Williams, Tennis
- Kayla Harrison, Judo
Men:
- John Isner, Tennis
- Matt Emmons, Shooting
- Nick Delpopolo, Judo
Team:
- USA Softball Women's National Team
- USA Women's Water Polo National Team
- Venus and Serena Williams, Tennis
Women's National Team