USA Volleyball made the announcement on its official website today.

Earlier, USA Volleyball Chief Executive Officier, Doug Beal, told a Chinese news agency in a telephone interview, saying USA Volleyball is honored to have Lang Ping as the next coach.

"Lang Ping is perhaps the most decorated, successful women's volleyball personality in the world, and I am excited that we are going to be able to have her leading our women's national team for the next quadrennial. She has been uncommonly successful in every phase of her career as a player and a coach, and her accomplishments are unequaled," Beal said.

The 44-year-old Lang was a member of the Chinese women's national team that stood on the podium five times in world championships, World Cups and Olympics in the 1980s.

As coach, she led China to a silver medal at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and has been successfully coaching in Italy for many years.

"I am very excited to work for USA Volleyball," Lang was quoted by USA Volleyball as saying. "I will do my best to make the program even stronger. I am sure we will have a lot of work to do in order to build up the team. Our first goal is to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games. Of course, our journey will be very difficult, but I also think we have a great future."

Lang, whose 12-year-old daughter Lydia, lives in Tustin, California, with her father, will also be able to be closer to her daughter.

"I have responsibility to help her and watch her grow up. It's a great thing for me to be able to do both," she added.

Since leaving China's national team in 1999, Lang has been a head coach for a number of championship teams in the Italian League. She is currently under contract as the head coach of the Pieralisi Volleyball Club.

The United States won their second-straight NORCECA Championship in 2003 for the first time in 20 years and also earned bronze medals at the World Grand Prix and at the first Olympic qualifier, the World Cup in Japan.

In Athens 2004, the United States finished fifth after losing to Brazil 3-2 in the quarter-finals.

The team's 2005 schedule features the NORCECA World Championship Qualifying Tournament August 13-19 in Puerto Rico and the NORCECA Championships September 2-9 in Trinidad and Tobago.

The United States will be the defending champions at the NORCECA Championships, which also serves as the qualifier for the Grand Champions Cup tournament in Japan November 15-20.