Cassie Busse

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MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: 2008 – Tour of China. 2007 – Pan American Cup (Fourth Place), Pan American Games (Bronze Medal), World Grand Prix (Eighth Place)…NORCECA Championship (Silver Medal)...FIVB World Cup (Bronze Medal). 2006 - Pan American Cup (Fourth Place), World Grand Prix (Seventh Place), World Championships (Ninth Place). 2005 – World Grand Champions Cup (Silver Medal).

INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 2008 – Scored 18 points in limited action during a three-week, eight-match exhibition series in China. 2007 – Charted 2.82 points per set during the Pan American Cup, including a 2.55 kill average…Reached double-figure points in four of the seven Pan American Cup matches, including an international career-high 15 points against Dominican Republic on June 23…Added 13 points versus Argentina on June 21...Totaled 27 points in starting all five matches at the Pan American Games…Tallied seven points in bronze medal match against Peru on July 19…Situational substitution in 19 sets of the World Grand Prix, totaling eight kills on 21 swings…Started all five matches at opposite for the U.S. during the NORCECA Championship…Averaged 2.69 points, 2.25 kills and 0.38 aces per set at the NORCECA Championship…Led Team USA in scoring versus Trinidad & Tobago with 13 points on Sept. 17, then tied for match-high honors with 11 points versus Mexico on Sept. 18…Played in 23 sets with one match start during FIVB World Cup…Averaged 0.91 points, 0.78 kills and 0.09 blocks per set primarily as a late set substitution at the World Cup…Started versus Italy on the final day of World Cup in match of top two teams, compiling 11 points on nine kills, one ace and one block in three sets. 2006 – CCompeted against Poland on May 26 at Chicago, tallying 11 points in three sets…Played a total of 13 sets in eight matches of the World Grand Prix…Tallied seven kills with a .417 attack percentage and an ace versus China on Aug. 25…Played in three sets during World Championships, recording a block against Kazakhstan on Oct. 31.2005 – Selected as a member of the USA Women’s National Team that captured the silver medal at the season-ending FIVB World Grand Champions Cup in Japan in November…The United States finished the tournament with a record of 4-1 as it earned wins over Korea, 2004 Olympic gold medalist China, Poland and Japan along the way.

PRO HIGHLIGHTS: Paced Toa Baja to the 2009 regular season and playoff championship in the Puerto Rico Super League.

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS: Busse gained national recognition in 2003-04 by receiving America Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) First Team All-America honors and Big Ten Player of the Year honors…During the 2003 NCAA Tournament, she was named the Pacific Region's Most Outstanding Player and was named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team after recording 23 kills against the eventual national champion USC…Busse finished her career ranked sixth on the Minnesota kills list with 1,502…She became only the fourth player in school history to record over 600 kills, recording the fifth-highest total in school history at 614…Busse excelled both on and off the court as she became the first Minnesota Volleyball player to receive First Team Academic All-American honors…She also was given the Golddigger Award from the Minnesota Volleyball Booster Club, awarded to the player who demonstrates a positive attitude during competition and also helps promote a positive image for the University of Minnesota…Busse was one of two recipients of the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor for the 2003-04 academic year. The Medal of Honor is the highest award bestowed upon a student-athlete in the Big Ten Conference…Each Big Ten school selects a senior student-athlete who represents the very best achievements in all areas: academic excellence, athletic achievement and leadership.

PERSONAL: Full name is Cassandra Lee Busse...Born in Shakopee, Minn…Parents are Jim and Nancy Busse…Has an older sister, Nicole, and a younger sister, Melissa…Earned a bachelor’s degree in Family Social Science in the spring of 2004 at the University of Minnesota…Enjoys horseback riding and hanging out with her friends and family in her spare time…Raised on an ostrich farm…Graduated in a high school class of six from Prior Lake Christian School in 2000…Did not know what a middle blocker was until her junior year of high school…Enjoys listening to a lot of country, R&B, Christian and relaxing music…Hobbies include reading, hanging out with family, boyfriend and friends, horse back riding…Favorite television shows are Friends and Lost…Roles are “My parents – They are the most hard-working, loyal and loving people I know. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for giving me the two best parents in the world.”…Considers herself unique in “I have come a long way from the small town, ostrich farm girl who didn’t even know what a middle blocker was until I was 17. I have worked hard to get where I am today, and every day I wake up knowing I have been blessed beyond measure.”

20 Questions with Cassie Busse

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love to read and spend time with family and friends

What do you envision doing as a career after competing for the national team?
I would love to own a coffee shop.

Who was your club coach prior to going to college?
Maurice Batie

Where would you like to spend a week's vacation?
Hawaii, I have been there only for volleyball purposes. I would love to go there, relax and enjoy the islands.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Anywhere my family is

What is your favorite room in your house and why?
The kitchen, I love being around the hustle and bustle as meals are made. Especially in my family, there is never a dull moment.

Rank the following types of television programs in order you like best:
Sit-Coms, music television, crime dramas, reality TV, game shows, sports, cable news

What is your favorite television program?
Friends

Who is the funniest player on the women's national team?
Between Jen, Katie W, and Sarah...we know each other so well, and we all have so much fun together and we can always make each other laugh

Are you a morning person, afternoon person or a night person?
It depends on what I am doing. Mostly a night person now, since that is when my free time is.

On an airplane, would you rather, sleep, read, work on a computer or talk with the person sitting next to you?
I try to catch up on sleep, but mostly end up reading

What is the best thing about competing on the USA Women's National Team?
being able to play for my country and traveling the world

What is your favorite volleyball drill?
a game called Tennis we do before the actual practice. It always gets us fired up.

What is your favorite food?
Ice cream :-) mmmmm

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing that you would buy or pay for?
A nice long vacation for my family and close friends.

If you could have one super power, what would it be?
to be invisible

If a movie was made about your life, which actor or actress would you want to play you?
Julia Roberts...she's my favorite

If you could live in another time period for a week, which one would you choose?
The late 1800's in England. A teacher of mine would give me books that I read set in that time period. I always wondered what it would be like...but just for a week.

What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Honest, Loyal, and Easy-Going

What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas

What is your favorite season - winter, spring, summer or fall?
Definitely, hands-down, SUMMER. I can't stand being cold.

What is your pet peeve?
When people chew with their mouth open.

What communication tool do you use most often - text messaging, talking on the cell phone or e-mail?
I am the text messaging queen...or so my firends say.

Posted and updated: June 1, 2009