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USAV Announces Men’s VNL Preliminary Roster

ANAHEIM, Calif. (May 7, 2018) – The U.S. Men’s National Team has just revealed its 26-man preliminary roster for the highly anticipated 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL). As excitement builds for this inaugural event, the team will make its final selection of 21 players by May 15. Each weekend, coaches will choose a 14-man travel team from this pool of 21.

What is the Volleyball Nations League?

This year marks the first edition of the Volleyball Nations League, featuring 12 core teams and four challenger teams. These teams will compete over the course of five weekends in a round-robin format. The top five teams, along with the host country of France, will then advance to the Final Round, which will take place from July 4-8 in Lille, France.

Returning Olympians and Brotherly Bonds

Highlighting the preliminary roster are nine Olympians from the 2016 Games in Rio. These include Matt Anderson, Taylor Sander, Aaron Russell, Thomas Jaeschke, Micah Christenson, Kawika Shoji, Max Holt, David Smith, and Erik Shoji. Additionally, the roster boasts two sets of brothers: Erik and Kawika Shoji, as well as Taylor and Brenden Sander.

College Standouts

Notably, three players on the roster still have another year of college volleyball ahead of them. T.J. DeFalco, Kyle Ensing, and David Wieczorek will be balancing their national team commitments with their college careers. DeFalco and Ensing recently won the NCAA Men’s National Championship with Long Beach State, while Wieczorek represents Pepperdine.

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The Road Ahead

As the second-ranked team in the world, the U.S. Men’s team will also have the opportunity to showcase their skills on home soil. They will host the Volleyball Nations League from June 15-17 at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Matches against Serbia, Poland, and Iran await the American squad. Notably, three players on the preliminary roster hail from the Chicago area: Thomas Jaeschke, Jeff Jendryk, and David Wieczorek.

USAV Men’s Preliminary Roster

Below is the complete preliminary roster for the U.S. Men’s National Team:

  1. Matt Anderson (Opp, 6-9, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State)
  2. Aaron Russell (OH, 6-9, Ellicott City, Md., Penn State)
  3. Taylor Sander (OH, 6-4, Huntington Beach, Calif., BYU)
  4. Jeff Jendryk (MB, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola of Chicago)
  5. James Shaw (S, 6-8, Woodside, Calif., Stanford)
  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. Carson Clark (Opp, 6-6, Santa Barbara, Calif., UC Irvine)
  10. Dan McDonnell (MB, 6-6, Phoenix, Ariz., UC Irvine)
  11. Micah Christenson (S, 6-6, Honolulu, Southern California)
  12. Max Holt (MB, 6-10, Cincinnati, Ohio, Penn State)
  13. Ben Patch (Opp, 6-8, Provo, Utah, BYU)
  14. David Wieczorek (Opp, 6-8, Chicago, Ill., Pepperdine)
  15. Brenden Sander (OH, 6-4, Huntington Beach, Calif., BYU)
  16. Jayson Jablonsky (OH, 6-6, Yorba Linda, Calif., UC Irvine)
  17. Thomas Jaeschke (OH, 6-6, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola)
  18. Jake Langlois (OH, 6-10, San Jose, Calif., BYU)
  19. Taylor Averill (MB, 6-7, San Jose, Calif., Hawaii)
  20. David Smith (MB, 6-7, Saugus, Calif., UC Irvine)
  21. Dustin Watten (L, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State)
  22. Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
  23. Jonah Seif (S, 6-6, Thousand Oaks, Calif., UC Santa Barbara)
  24. Michael Brinkley (L, 5-10, Huntington Beach, Calif., UC Irvine)
  25. Miles Johnson (Opp, 6-6, Carlsbad, Calif., Ohio State)
  26. Kyle Ensing (Opp, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State)
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FAQs

Q: What is the Volleyball Nations League?
A: The Volleyball Nations League is a brand new tournament featuring some of the world’s strongest national teams. It will be played over the course of five weekends, with the top teams competing in the Final Round.

Q: Who are the returning Olympians on the U.S. Men’s National Team?
A: The U.S. Men’s National Team welcomes back nine Olympians from the 2016 Games in Rio. These include Matt Anderson, Taylor Sander, Aaron Russell, Thomas Jaeschke, Micah Christenson, Kawika Shoji, Max Holt, David Smith, and Erik Shoji.

Q: How many players will be selected for the final travel team each weekend?
A: Coaches will choose a 14-man travel team from the pool of 21 players for each weekend of the Volleyball Nations League.

Summary

The U.S. Men’s National Team has announced its preliminary roster for the exciting 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League. This inaugural edition of the tournament will bring together top teams from around the world in a thrilling display of volleyball prowess. Led by nine returning Olympians, the team is poised to make their mark on the court. With matches both at home and abroad, fans of the sport have plenty to look forward to. Stay tuned for more updates and make sure to support the team as they represent the nation with pride. To learn more about the team and upcoming events, visit Alpinetgheep.com.