Women's Volleyball | 6/27/2018 12:52:00 PM

DENVER (DU/USA Volleyball) — Rising senior Becca Latham (Austin, Texas) recently returned home after a trip to China with the 2018 USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team. By the end of the tournament, Latham was starting and leading an American offense in their final two matches on a roster that included four AVCA All-Americans and the 2017 Gatorade National Player of the Year.
 

During the 10-day trip to China, Team USA competed against five professional teams that play in the top division of the Chinese Volleyball League.
 
"The experience was unlike anything I've ever done," Latham said. "It was great to play with these girls that I've never played with in a country I've never been to. I liked everyone on the trip, and it was a super awesome experience. Off the court, my biggest takeaway from this is that I have so much to be thankful for. There were times on the trip that I stopped and felt so blessed to be where I was, playing volleyball."
 
Lathan and the U.S. played in three matches in four days to begin the tournament, matches that saw the Denver senior combine for six kills on 19 attempts, a block and a service ace.
 
Following a 2-1 start to the visit to China, Team USA ended the trip with two four-set wins over Beijing BAIC and Hebei. In match four against Beijing BAIC, Latham led the United States in scoring with 18 points, including 16 kills on 29 swings and two blocks. A couple of days later in the Americans' win over Hebei, Latham led the squad with 16 points on 14 kills (23 attempts) and two blocks. In the final two games combined, Latham hit at an impressive .558 clip, combining for 30 of her 36 kills in the tournament.
 
"One of the many special aspects of our program is our players' ability to compete on an international level while representing the University of Denver, and our country," DU head coach Tom Hogan said. "Not only has Becca's game grown through this experience, but she has grown as a person as well. We are very thankful to our administration for providing support for these opportunities, and we cannot wait to see how they transfer to the court this season."
 
In addition to the play in the gym, the team took visits to Beijing, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.
 
Denver Director of Volleyball Operations Jessica Aschenbrenner was with Latham in China as the program's Technical Coordinator on Illinois head coach Chris Tamas' staff.
 
USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team China Roster Schedule and Results
May 22
Scrimmage vs. Shanghai Bright Ubest (W 25-22, 17-25, 17-25, 25-20, 15-8)
May 24
vs. Zhejiang Jiaxing Xitang in Jiashan (L 25-21, 18-25, 17-25, 21-25)
May 25
vs. Zhejiang Jiaxing Xitang in Pinghu City (W 25-12, 25-23, 25-9)
May 29
vs. Beijing BAIC Motor in Beijing (W 25-23, 18-25, 25-21, 25-23)
May 30
vs. Hebei in Beijing (W 25-11, 25-20, 19, 25, 25-19)
 
2018 Schedule: On June 19, Denver announced a 2018 schedule that includes 17 home game inside Hamilton Gymnasium. View the full release here. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
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