Lausanne, Switzerland, September 5, 2018 – USA coach John Speraw has picked a squad that features eight Olympic medallists for the Italy-Bulgaria 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.
Captain Taylor Sander, Matt Anderson, Aaron Russell, David Smith, Max Holt, Micah Christenson, Kawika Shoji and Erik Shoji were part of the squad that won bronze at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.
They will aim to help the USA to a first world title since 1986, and a first World Championship medal since they won bronze in 1994.
It is a highly experienced squad and Jeff Jendryk is the only player not to have played one professional season overseas.
“We are very excited by the roster we are sending to the World Championships,” Speraw said. “We believe that, considering all factors, this team will provide us the best opportunity to bring home the gold.”
The USA have already claimed one international medal in 2018 having won bronze at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League.
They begin their campaign on September 12 against Serbia in Bari, Italy. They then face Australia, Russia, Cameroon and Tunisia.
Before the start of the World Championship, Speraw and his team will compete against Slovenia, Canada and Iran in a three-team warm-up tournament in Ljubljana, Slovenia from September 6-8.
“We’re in a position where we have some players who have played together for quite some time,” Speraw said. “We are strong from a leadership and team-dynamic perspective. We just need to go out and execute.”
USA Squad
1 Matt Anderson,
2 Aaron Russell
3 Taylor Sander (captain)
4 Jeff Jendryk
7 Kawika Shoji
10 Dan McDonnell
11 Micah Christenson
12 Max Holt
13 Ben Patch
18 Jake Langlois
19 Taylor Averill
20 David Smith
21 Dustin Watten
22 Erik Shoji
Head Coach: John Speraw
Assistant Coaches: Rob Neilson and Brian Thornton
Team Manager: Nate Ngo
Technical Coordinator: Nate Ngo
Athletic Trainer: Aaron Brock
Team Psychologist: Andrea Becker
Team Doctors: Andrew Gregory and David Dyck
Scout Coach: Jon Parry
Consultant Coach: Mike Wall
Strength Coach: Tim Pelot
