After going 1-2 in Week 1, the U.S. Women are back at it as they prepare to compete in Week 2 of the World Grand Prix from August 7-9, in Li Miao, Chinese Taipei. Their first match will be against Dominican Republic (August 7th), followed by a match against Netherlands (August 8th), and a match against Germany (August 9th). Karch Kiraly posted a thoughtful piece today on his blog on how the players reacted to the rigors of international competition and a grueling 33 hour trip to Taiwan, and how things are shaping up for this talented but young group of players:

Being Good Under Any Condition
by Karch Kiraly. Taiwan, August 05, 2009

“I was impressed at how well the players handled it – normally a group this young might find more to gripe about, though that would be a mistake, since complaining never made any trip go faster or more smoothly. Amazingly, all flights were on time; the only glitch was that 5 bags didn’t arrive, so there is some gear-lending until the bags show up, though that might be wishful thinking on our part to assume that they will show up. After just enough time to lug baggage upstairs, jump in the shower and eat lunch at our surprisingly luxurious hotel, we got right back to work in the gym. And that’s what Hugh told the players to begin practice: ‘Let’s get right back on that horse.’” More from Karch’s blog at usavolleyball.org.

Of special interest to Penn State fans, Nicole Fawcett is the seventh-leading scorer in the tournament after week one. Here’s a link to FIVB’s listing of the Best Scorers in the tournament to date. Click on “Best Players” on the left-hand side of that page for other categories.

Also, check out the FIVB Photo Gallery for photos from USA v. Germany, USA v. Puerto Rico, and USA v. Brazil.