“VNL is consistently significant, especially this year whenever the group hasn’t had the chance to rival each other in longer than a year,” Speraw said. “Each match the group will play with one another is urgent to expand how we are playing going into Tokyo this mid year.”
USA Volleyball men’s Olympic-group mentor John Speraw has declared the 19 players that will involve his list for the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on May 28-June 27 in Rimini, Italy. It is the group’s just authority worldwide rivalry before the Tokyo Olympics, set to start July 24.
There are eight Olympians: Team commander and outside hitter Taylor Sander (2016); inverse Matt Anderson (2012, 2016), center blockers David Smith (2012, 2016) and Max Holt (2016); setters Micah Christenson (2016) and Kawika Shoji (2016); libero Erik Shoji (2016) and outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke (2016). The Shojis are siblings.
Fourteen players from the considerable rundown will be chosen for every three-day portion of the starter round. The competition will be directed in a safe “bubble” without any fans.
Six different players contended during the 2019 VNL primer round or potentially other 2019 competitions, including setter Josh Tuaniga, outside hitters TJ Defalco and Brenden Sander, center blockers Mitch Stahl and Taylor Averill, inverse Kyle Ensing and libero Dustin Watten. The lineup additionally remembers USA veterans for center blocker Jeff Jendryk, inverse Ben Patch and outside hitter Garrett Muagututia. There is one novice in Ohio State item Jake Hanes. Outside hitter Aaron Russell, a 2016 Olympian and individual from the 2019 USA VNL group, is as yet recuperating from hip medical procedure.
“We are coming into this Olympic summer with significantly more experience than we did going into Rio,” Speraw said. “So that is a major strength and we likewise have some fresher faces who weren’t with us last quad and I imagine that will emphatically affect our VNL experience.”
The USA took bronze in 2018 and silver in 2019. There was no competition a year ago.
As indicated by USA Volleyball, 16 groups will contend in three-day cooperative fragments during the five-week fundamental round May 28-June 23. Not at all like the past, just the best four groups will progress to the last round. The elimination rounds will be played June 26 and the award matches on June 27.
Jersey, Player (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
1 — Matt Anderson (OP, 6-10, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State)
3 — Taylor Sander (OH, 6-4, Huntington Beach, Calif., BYU)
4 — Jeff Jendryk (MB, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Chicago)
5 — Kyle Ensing (OP, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State)
6 — Mitch Stahl (MB, 6-8, Chambersburg, Pa., UCLA)
7 — Kawika Shoji (S, 6-3, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
8 — T.J. Defalco (OH, 6-5, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State)
9 — Jake Hanes (OP, 6-10, Orland Park, Ill., Ohio State)
11 — Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, USC)
12 — Max Holt (MB, 6-10, Cincinnati, Ohio, Penn State)
13 — Ben Patch (OP, 6-8, Layton, Utah, Brigham Young)
15 — Brenden Sander (OH, 6-4, Huntington Beach, Calif., Brigham Young)
16 — Josh Tuaniga (S, 6-3, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State)
17 — Thomas Jaeschke (OH, 6-6, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Chicago)
18 — Garrett Muagututia (MB, 6-5, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA)
19 — Taylor Averill (MB, 6-7, San Jose, Calif., Hawaii)
20 — David Smith (MB, 6-7, Sangus, Calif., UC Irvine)
21 — Dustin Watten (L, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State)
22 — Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)