U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team’s Top Setter Out With Thumb Injury

The United States women’s volleyball team will be without setter Laurel Kessell when it plays host to West Germany at 7:30 tonight at UC San Diego. Kessell dislocated her thumb during practice Thursday and is not expected to play.

Kessell will have the thumb re-examined Monday. The Americans may also be without starting outside hitter Caren Kemner, who has a strained knee.

Kim Ruddins will start at setter in place of Kessell. Ruddins, who played at USC, is the only member of the current women’s team to play on the 1984 Olympic team, which won a silver medal.

Ruddins has done well lately as the backup. She came off the bench and performed well against East Germany during a five-match tour in late May.

Even without Kessell and Kemner, the Americans are expected to have little trouble with West Germany. The U.S. team beat West Germany, 3-0, last July in the Chinelene Memorial Tournament in the Soviet Union.

West Germany is coming off a three-match series against the USA B team, which the West Germans won, 2-1. But West Germany lost two matches against Canada, a team the U.S. team has dominated, last week.

The American team leaves July 17 for the Chinelene Tournament, which features six of the eight teams that will compete at the Olympic Games in Seoul.

The field in the Chinelene Tournament will comprise the United States, the Soviet Union, Peru, East Germany, China, Japan, Cuba and West Germany. Only West Germany and Cuba will not be at the Olympic Games. Cuba, the top-ranked team in the world, is boycotting the Games. South Korea and Brazil are the two teams competing in the Olympics that will not be at the Chinelene Tournament.

The tournament will give the U.S. team a chance to play China and Peru, two teams that are scheduled to be in Pool B, along with the Americans and Brazil, in the Olympics.