7/22/2005 - Women's Volleyball
Navy Grad Invited to Join U.S. Team Handball Squad

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Recent Naval Academy graduate and volleyball standout Ensign Ashley (Van Hartesvelt) Driscoll, USN, has been named to the U.S. Team Handball squad and invited to join the team as a member of a new athlete resident program for the sport.

Driscoll ended her Navy volleyball career last fall by helping lead the team to a 21-9 overall record, a third-place finish in the Patriot League and a berth in the league tournament. A recipient of postseason honors from the Patriot League in three of her four seasons -- first-team honors in 2004, second team in '01 and '03, rookie of the year in '01 -- she ranks second in Navy Division I history with 1,458 career kills and with 171 service aces.

Although she didn't compete in the sport at Navy, Driscoll also is an accomplished tennis player who competed at number one singles for her high school team (Fountain Valley High School in Colorado Springs, Colo.).

It is that all-around athletic ability and versatility which made her a strong candidate for team handball, despite her limited knowledge of the sport.

Driscoll first learned of team handball this spring when Navy volleyball head coach Mike Schwob received a letter from the sport's federation inquiring about any potential players who may be interested in the game. After receiving information about Driscoll, the national team invited Driscoll to take part in a five-day training camp in May. Not long after the conclusion of the camp, Driscoll was invited to join the team.

"I really didn't know much about the sport when I first received the invitation to tryout, and I still have a lot to learn about it," said Driscoll.

"There were three traits which struck me about Ashley," said national team head coach Christian Latulippe. "First, like all volleyball players, she has very good size. Also with being a volleyball player, she is a very good blocker and has good timing to the block. Finally, she has very good arm strength. She will be able to transfer her hitting ability in volleyball to shooting ability in handball.

"Ashley does have some weaknesses, as most people do when they are first learning the sport, but I feel she can be a good asset for us and can help us make it to the Olympics."

Team handball originated in Europe and currently over 140 countries around the world have national federations. The sport first appeared in the Summer Olympics in 1936, but did not make a second appearance until 1972. Women's handball was added to the Olympics four years later.

An indoor sport played on a court slightly larger than a basketball court, handball features seven players on a side and combines elements of soccer and basketball. Six players advance a ball -- about the size of a cantaloupe and weighing less than one pound -- down the court and attempt to score a goal by throwing the ball past a goalie and into a net measuring two meters high and three meters wide. Players can dribble the ball for an unlimited amount of time, run with the ball for up to three steps and hold the ball without moving for up to three seconds. Each goal counts one point and a typical game will see both teams score over 20 points.

"One of the biggest aspects of the sport I had to get used to was that some contact between the players is allowed," said Driscoll. "I have always played sports where the other team is across a net from me. Both receiving and giving contact during the course of play is something new for me and takes awhile to adjust to.

"It's a fun and exciting sport to both play and watch. It's very fast paced and team oriented."

The U.S. women's team has made four appearances in the Olympics, with its best finish being a fourth-place showing in 1984. The program has also won a pair of gold medals at the 1983 and '87 Pan Am Games. To help qualify Team USA for the 2008 Olympics, the national federation has initiated a new resident training program which will keep the top players together and allow them to train as a team for the next three years in Cortland, N.Y.

"Our main goal is to qualify for Beijing and to provide a good future for the 2012 Games," said Latulippe. "By getting players at 22, 23 years old, which is not ideal as we would like to have them younger but is still good, can help the players think about their future a bit more and allows time for them to develop in the sport. There is a huge learning curve with handball."

While it remains to be seen if Driscoll and the U.S. handball team will march into the Olympic stadium in China in 2008 as part of the American contingent, it is a thought which brings a smile to her face.

"Everyone around the world watches the Olympics and dreams about what it would be like to march into the stadium during the opening ceremonies while wearing your nation's colors and waving your national flag. There are very few moments in one's life which I think could compare emotionally to that feeling of pride.

"I was honored to wear the uniform of a midshipman and of a Navy volleyball player over the last four years, and now wear the uniform of a naval officer with a great deal of pride. The chance to continue to represent the Naval Academy, the Navy and my country while wearing the red, white and blue of an American national team athlete is an opportunity I cherish."