James Nedock/THE POST Amber Merrill of the women's volleyball team, practices blocks. She was getting some work in at The Convo yesterday.

There aren't too many people who can say they have scored on an assist from the U.S. women's soccer team's Mia Hamm, but that was the case for Lori Spitler, a midfielder/forward on the Ohio women's soccer team.

"You can play on my team any time," Spitler said was the response from the U.S. team captain.

For Spitler, the fact that it was only a practice was completely irrelevant.

Spitler had the opportunity to intern with the U.S. women's team Jan. 4 until after the dramatic shootout victory over China in the World Cup Finals.

"It was unbelievable," she said. "I still have a hard time believing that everything actually happened."

Not only was Spitler flown from the team's office in Florida for the game, but she was able to see the win from the 21st row and hang out with the team in the events following Brandy Chastain's penalty kick past Chinese goalkeeper Gao Hong for the U.S. victory.

She said she was even able to join in the media frenzy afterward. During an interview with the team members on CNBC, she was called up with the team and introduced by team members. She also said her name appeared in USA Today.

Along with her daily duties of copying recordings of practices to make logs for the team, Spitler said she was able to brush up her own soccer skills with the best players in the world.

"Usually I just played (three on three) if they needed an extra player," she said. But one day when they were getting ready to practice in the Citrus Bowl, (U.S. team head coach) Tony DeCicco said, 'Hey Spit, go get your clothes on'."

She was able to practice just as if she was another member on the team, she said.

"The girls were super; the coaches were super," she said. "Just everyone there was great to me. The coaches were constantly asking if I was getting anything out it or if I was learning anything."

According to Ohio Head Coach Wendy Logan, she definitely has brought something back from the World Cup team.

"I've seen her doing things now that she never did in the past," she said. "Her touch on the ball and her composure with the ball in tight situations has definitely improved. I have no doubt that that's from playing, that that kind of control with the ball comes from playing with Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Michelle Akers."

Spitler wasn't the only one who had an opportunity to be around some of the best in her sport.

Ohio volleyball player Amber Merrill played among collegiate volleyball's elite as part of the national team in Colorado Springs, Co.

Merrill had to tryout for her position on the team, and was joined by 24 other women in the program that builds toward the national team, which becomes the Olympic team in the year that competition is held.

The national team trained in Colorado from June 28 until Aug. 1. For the first four weeks, Merrill said it worked on skills in two a day practices. For the fifth week, the team played in a tournament against Puerto Rico, Canada and Japan, The U.S. Squad defeated the Japanese team, though the tournament was not about winning, but about training talent for the future.

For Merrill, the experience was about learning, and bringing back that knowledge to share with the team.

"I wanted to make our team defense and passing better," she said. "I hope that it has improved, though I'm never really satisfied with what I do."

Ohio Head Coach Ellen Dempsey and Merrill both said that the player has returned with more confidence in herself. In addition, Dempsey said she sees a more poised Merrill on the floor, one who is better able to deal with her mistakes.

"She still makes mistakes; she's not perfect," she said. "But it's how she handles the mistake now. She handles them better than last year."

Dempsey credits Merrill's successful move from an outside hitter to the middle to the player's experiences over the summer.

"Last year she wouldn't have been able to handle that change mentally," Dempsey said. "We're pretty happy with her; we need a strong middle."

Merrill played the middle in the Virginia tournament last weekend,, helping the team go 2-1 after she posted 25 kills.

"She settled in pretty well," Dempsey said.

While Merrill was playing for the national team, Ohio soccer midfielder Nicki Pendleton was playing for a national title with her club team, the Cardinal Premier.

Pendleton competed in the under 19, under 20 and under 23 age brackets, which had her training for three teams at the same time.

"All summer I didn't have time to do anything," she said. "W e were practicing everyday, and I was either working or playing soccer."

In the under 20 and under 23 groups, Pendleton's teams fell in the regional finals. The club was mostly focusing on the under 19 bracket however, and it was there that they were able to capture the title.

The Cardinal Premier beat the Texas Challenge 3-2 in a round robin style championship in Orlando, Fl. The Challenge beat the Premier in the first match between the two clubs, but Pendleton's club was able to beat the other team's they faced, setting up the teams' fight for the title.

"We came out kind of flat the first time, so we knew we had to come out harder," Pendleton said of the title game. "We had to come out ready to play. I mean it's the national final, you have to be ready."

The Premier scored first in the final, only to see the Challenge tie it, then score again to take the lead. Another goal by the Premier tied the game at two goals apiece at halftime.

Neither team was able to score in the second half, forcing the teams to double overtime Pendleton said. When neither the Premier or the Challenge was able to score in the overtime periods, the game went to a shoot out.

"We made (the first goal), they missed," Pendleton said. "Then I missed, and everyone else made it, so we went to a sudden death shoot out. Our player made it, theirs, missed so we won."

The win has given Pendleton confidence in her play at Ohio, Logan said.

"She really improved a lot last season as the season went on, and she carried that confidence over to the summer," Logan said. "Obviously her team did really well. When players are that successful, (they) know how to win, and I think she'll bring things to our team that will help us win."

The win was amazing, Pendleton said.

"It was weird, like a picture book," she said. "It was sudden death, I don't know, it was just amazing. I can't describe it."