Former Redondo Union volleyball standout Tiffany Morales is no stranger to international competition and the University of Michigan junior is looking forward to adding another country to her list this summer.
Morales, of Hermosa Beach, is one of 12 players recently selected by USA Volleyball to compete on its U.S. Collegiate National Team (CNT) that will tour China in June.
“I’m so excited to be able to go to China,” Morales said. “This will be the tenth foreign country I’ve competed in through club volleyball or HP (USAV High Performance). I always look forward to seeing the different architecture and experiencing the diverse cultures of other countries.”
Morales began her international competition in 2008 playing in Germany with the Southern California Volleyball Association High Performance Team. She has since played in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Spain, Singapore, Italy, Argentina and Brazil.
As part of USA Volleyball’s High Performance program, the 2015 CNT squad will play three matches in Changxing City from June 17-21 against the Chinese Women’s Junior National Team and a professional club team.
The CNT-China squad will then fly to Beijing to compete against the Chinese Women’s U-23 National Team and a professional club team June 21-26.
Athletes were selected through the U.S. Women’s National Team Open Tryouts held Feb. 20-22 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Morales, a 5-foot-6 libero, is the only player from the Los Angeles area to make the team and joins Michigan teammate sophomore middle blocker Abby Cole as one of six athletes from the Big 10 on the roster.
“Having half our team from the Big 10 shows how strong our conference is,” Morales said. “I was happily surprised when I found out I made the team. I received such great support from my coaches and teammates and I just went for it during tryouts. I’m glad the coaches saw something in me.”
Morales is coming off a junior season in which she played in every match for the Wolverines, recording double-digit digs in 22 matches. She was named Most Outstanding Libero at the Arkansas Invitational and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
After earning All-CIF honors at Redondo, Morales has started three consecutive seasons for Michigan. She enters her senior season in the fall with 1,468 digs, only nine shy of third place on Michigan’s career digs list.
Morales helped the Wolverines reach their first Final Four in 2012 making the All Big-10 Freshman Team. Despite playing through a shoulder injury in 2013, she was the first volleyball player in her school’s history to register her 1,000th dig as a sophomore.
In January 2014, Morales had the shoulder surgically repaired and, after extensive rehab, regained her starting position and was named the team’s Head Captain.
“We are so proud and excited about Tiffany being selected in the top tier of college volleyball athletes selected to represent USA Volleyball overseas this summer,” said father Louis Morales. “We know how hard Tiffany works and how determined she was to put forward her best effort at the tryouts. There’s no doubt it’s an uphill battle when you consider that 40 of the top active college liberos competed for only three spots on the 24 roster. USA Volleyball is making an excellent choice because we know that for Tiffany it’s all about what she can do for the team. It has been this way since elementary school.”
Morales is a Psychology Major and a Statistics Minor aspiring to becoming a Sports Psychologist. She also will have one year of eligibility for a different NCAA sport and has been cleared by Michigan to talk with other NCAA coaches about playing sand volleyball in 2017.
Competing on the beach, Morales was named the Amateur Athletic Union’s 2009 Player of the Year.
“I’d love to play sand volleyball in California,” Morales said. “Even though it’s a year and a half away, I’m going through the recruiting process all over again.”
Morales said she has not given much thought to playing indoor volleyball in future Olympic Games.
“I’m focused more on my goal of becoming a psychologist,” Morales said. “I would enjoy speaking to young athletes and help them reach the next level in their sport. But, if the opportunity to play in the Olympics comes around, I’ll keep my options open.”
