U.S. Men's Junior Training Team Stacked with Talent

B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org

CORRECTION: This release was changed at 10:40 p.m. MT on May 4. Previous information regarding the timing of the selection of the 12-player roster was incorrect. USA Volleyball regrets the error.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 4, 2011) – USA Volleyball has announced the 19-player roster for the U.S. Men’s Junior National Training Team, which includes the players that will compete at the 2011 FIVB Men’s Junior (Under-21) World Championship in Brazil.

Twelve athletes will be selected from the 19-player roster to compete at the World Championship on Aug. 1-10 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The team will train at the GaREAT sports complex in Geneva, Ohio.

Eleven players return from the 2010 Men’s Junior National Team that won the NORCECA Men’s Junior Championship in Gatineau, Quebec. These include outside hitter Taylor Crabb (Honolulu, Hawaii), who was named the tournament’s best hitter and Micah Christenson (Honolulu, Hawaii) who was named the tournament’s best setter.

Also returning is outside hitter Taylor Sander (Norco, Calif.) of BYU who was recently named the AVCA Division I-II Men's Newcomer of the Year, the MPSF Freshman of the Year and was also named AVCA Division I-II Men's Second-Team All-America.

Other players who are back from the 2010 Men’s Junior National Team are setter Matt West (Seattle, Wash.), who is also on the 2011 U.S. Boys’ Youth National Team roster, outside hitters Brian Cook (Santa Cruz, Calif.) and Jeremy Dejno (New Berlin, Wis.), middle blockers Dylan Davis (Newport Beach, Calif.), Scott Kevorken (Westlake Village, Calif.) and Eric Mochalski (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and opposites Josh Taylor (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Maurice Torres (Riverside, Calif.).

Also returning from the 2010 team is Head Coach John Hawks, an assistant with the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team, and assistant coach Colin McMillan, an assistant at Penn State.  New to the staff this year is David Hunt, an assistant coach at Pepperdine University.

Hawks acknowledges that it could be tough for a new player to break on to the team, but says each of the eight newcomers brings something important and special to the court and this team.

“Naturally, it’s going to be tough because you’re in the second year of the cycle,” Hawks said. “These new kids are stepping into a team that’s already gelled and won a gold medal together; however, we do expect a seamless transition with the new athletes going forward.”

Among the new players looking to join the team is Connor Olbright (Orange, Calif.) a setter who played on the 2009 U.S. Boys’ Youth National Team and started most of the year for Long Beach State. Also on the roster are Henry Cassiday (Honolulu, Hawaii), a libero who will start for USC at the NCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship semifinals on May 5, and Grayson Overman (San Clemente, Calif.), a middle blocker who will start for Ohio State in the semifinals.

Outside hitter Jace Olsen (Chandler, Ariz.), who might see some playing time with Penn State in the NCAA semifinals, has competed for the United States at the 2009 and 2010 FIVB Beach Volleyball Youth World Championships.

The other players looking to make an impact with the team are middle blocker Jeff Ornee (Cypress, Calif.), outside hitter Robart Page (Victor, N.Y.), outside hitter Steven Irvin (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) and libero Michael Brinkley (Huntington Beach, Calif.).

“The new kids are here because they can improve what we’re doing and make us better at their respective positions. I want guys who are great teammates and can fit in and I want guys who can play the game at the highest level to help us prepare and help us win a gold medal. Of the 19 selected, most have played major roles for their collegiate teams and that experience is going to prove to be invaluable as we head to the world championships.”

No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown, HS Grad Year, Club/School, Region)
1 Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2011, Outrigger Canoe Club, Aloha)
2 Matt West (S, 6-5, Seattle, Wash., 2011, Space Needle VBC, Puget Sound)  
3 Connor Olbright (S, 6-5, Orange, Calif., 2010, Long Beach State Univ., Southern California)
4 Joshua Taylor (Opp, 6-7, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2011, Outrigger Canoe Club, Aloha)
5 Maurice Torres (Opp, 6-7, Riverside, Calif., 2009, Pepperdine Univ., Southern California)
6 Eric Mochalski (MB, 6-6, Manhattan Beach, Calif., 2010, Stanford Univ., Southern California)
7 Scott Kevorken (MB, 6-8, Westlake Village, Calif., 2009, UC Irvine, Southern California)
8 Dylan Davis (MB, 6-9, Corona del Mar, Calif., 2009, UC Santa Barbara, Southern California)
9 Grayson Overman (MB, 6-6, San Clemente, Calif., 2009, Ohio State Univ., Southern California)
10 Jeff Ornee (MB, 6-9, Cypress, Calif., 2009, Long Beach State Univ., Southern California)
11 Jeremy Dejno (OH, 6-5, New Berlin, Wis., 2010, UC Irvine, Badger)
12 Taylor Sander (OH, 6-5, Norco, Calif., 2010, BYU, Southern California)
13 Robart Page (OH, 7-0, Victor, N.Y., 2010, UCLA, Western Empire)
14 Brian Cook (OH, 6-5, Santa Cruz, Calif., 2010, Stanford Univ., Southern California)
15 Taylor Crabb (OH, 6-1, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2009, Long Beach State Univ., Aloha)
16 Steven Irvin (OH, 6-5, Pacific Palisades, Calif., 2010, Stanford Univ., Southern California)
17 Jace Olsen (OH, 6-7, Chandler, Ariz., 2010, Penn State Univ., Arizona)
18 Michael Brinkley (L, 5-10, Huntington Beach, Calif., 2011, Balboa Bay VC, Southern California)
19 Henry Cassiday (L, 6-3, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2010, USC, Southern California)

Head Coach - John Hawks (Long Beach State)
Assistant Coach - Colin McMillan (Penn State)
Assistant Coach - David Hunt (Pepperdine)
Head of Delegation - Shawn Patchell (San Diego, Calif.)
Technical Coordinator - Randy Nako (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Tags: 2011 U.S. Men's Junior National Training Team, Brian Cook, Connor Olbright, Dylan Davis, Eric Mochalski, Jeremy Dejno, John Hawks, Josh Taylor, Joshua Taylor, Matt West, Maurice Torres, Micah Christenson, Robart Page, Scott Kevorken, Taylor Crabb, Taylor Sander, U.S. Men's Junior National Team