U.S. Men's Junior Team Still in the FIVB Gold Rush

Candice Kasischke
Intern, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: candice.kasischke@usav.org

Unofficial DataVolley Stats * Official Match Statistics

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 7, 2011) - The U.S. Men's Junior National Team fell to Russia 19-25, 27-29, 25-21, 25-17, 15-13 on Sunday afternoon and concluded the second round pool play of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Junior World Championship Brazil 2011 held at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro.

The U.S. finished 2-1 in Pool E with six group points in the second round. Team USA, 4-2 overall in the tournament, placed second in Pool E behind Russia (3-0 and eight points in second round). Both teams have qualified for the gold-medal semifinals. The U.S. will face Argentina while Russia is set to play Serbia in gold medal semifinal matches on Aug. 9. The medal matches will conclude tournament play on Aug. 10.

Argentina earned the bronze medal at the 2009 FIVB Men’s Junior World Championship, while the U.S. finished eighth in the same tournament. The Americans are assured of their highest finish ever in the tournament by reaching the semifinal round as they have three seventh-place finishes in two eighth-place finishes in their five previous entries.

Taylor Sander (Norco, Calif.) led the U.S. Men’s Junior Team in scoring with 20 points on 15 kills on 37 attacks, two blocks and three aces. U.S. team captain Taylor Crabb (Honolulu) scored 19 points on 18 kills via 31 swings and an ace. Maurice Torres (Riverside, Calif.) racked up 17 points with 11 kills on 23 attacks, three blocks and three aces.

Dylan Davis (Corona del Mar, Calif.) contributed 11 points on eight kills and three aces. Josh Taylor (Honolulu) scored six points on six kills. Micah Christenson (Honolulu) and Scott Kevorken (Westlake Village, Calif.) added two points apiece. Christenson scored his points off of a block and an ace, while Kevorken contributed two kills. Brian Cook (Santa Cruz, Calif.) added a kill for Team USA.

“I am proud of my team,” U.S. Men’s Junior National Team Head Coach John Hawks said. “They fought until the end and now we will play against Argentina in our semifinal match. They are a great team and we will watch film in preparation.”

Crabb recognized Russia for battling back.

“Russia deserves a lot of credit for coming back after losing the first two sets,” Crabb said. “Number 19 (Alexey Pluzhnikov) made some good runs in serving and we couldn’t handle it.”

Russia’s Leonid Shchadilov scored a team-high 24 points. Bogdan Glivenko added 14 points in Russia’s victory.

Henry Cassiday (Honolulu) contributed nine digs and eight excellent receptions on 27 attempts for the U.S. team. Crabb added seven digs and eight excellent receptions, while Sander had five digs and 20 excellent receptions on 47 attempts. Torres contributed seven digs. Christenson contributed 23 assists out of 97 total set attempts and had seven digs.

Team USA racked up 61 kills on 132 attempts for 46.1 kill percent and .288 hitting efficiency. Russia converted 66 of 132 attacks for points for a 50.0 kill percent and .349 hitting efficiency with 20 attack errors. Russia held a 12-9 margin in blocks, while the U.S. held a slim 8-5 margin in aces. The Americans had 42 digs, while Russia had 45.

Hawks started Crabb and Sander at outside hitter, Davis and Kevorken at middle blocker, Christenson at setter and Torres as opposite. Cassiday was the designated libero. Cook contributed court action in the second, fourth and fifth sets. Steven Irvin (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) played in the second and fourth sets. Connor Olbright (Orange, Calif.) played in the fifth set. Taylor subbed in early on in the fourth and fifth sets.

In the first set, Team USA took a lead at 7-4, but Russia came back to lead 12-10. Sander slammed a cross-court kill to side out, but the U.S. served into the net on the next play. At 16-16, Christenson served a floater down the sideline for an ace. The U.S. had the serve and was leading at 22-18, but served out of bounds and Russia followed up by serving the ball in the net. At 24-19, Christenson blocked Russia to win the first set, 25-19.

The U.S. led 3-1 in the second set and Davis fired a kill from the middle. Russia broke a 9-all time by scoring the next two points. Down 11-9, Kevorken provided a kill giving the U.S. momentum to tie Russia again at 12-all. The teams’ offenses battled back and forth to 17-all. Team USA climbed to a 23-18 lead by scoring six of the next seven points. Russia scored three consecutive points to narrow the deficit. Team USA served the ball in the net to bring Russia within two points at 24-22. Russia blocked the U.S. and tied the set with a kill. The U.S. hit the ball out to give Russia the lead, but Torres made a block and followed up with an ace to yield a 26-25 Team USA advantage. The two teams battled back and forth to 27-all, but the U.S. pulled out a 29-27 victory with two consecutive Crabb kills.

In the third set, Torres scored an ace to tie the score 4-all. At that point, Russia used a four-point run. Crabb served an ace to close Russia’s margin to 12-11. Russia scored consecutive points, but then gave up two points by serving the ball in the net and then tipping the ball out of bounds. Team USA took a 15-14 lead when Russia made another serving error. Davis slammed a kill and Taylor scored an ace, consecutively. The teams tied at 18-all and Russia broke away to lead 21-18. The teams battled to a 23-21 score, still in Russia’s favor. The U.S. served out and then Russia followed up with an ace to win the third set, 25-21.

In the fourth set, Sander scored a kill to tie the score 4-all. Taylor scored a kill to win the serve back for the U.S. at 6-6, but Russia went on a run to ultimately gain a 15-10 advantage. Both teams battled in long rallies, but Russia scored the next seven of 12 points to increase its lead to 22-15. Russia’s offense was on fire and the U.S. kept scrambling on defense, but it wasn’t enough. Russia led 24-16 when Taylor provided a kill to side out, but Russia responded with a kill to seal a fourth set victory, 25-17.

The two teams tied 3-all in the fifth set. Crabb scored a kill to tie the score 7-all. The teams switched sides at 8-7 and the U.S. won the next two points on Russia errors. Russia sided out at 9-9, but Torres fired a kill to regain the serve for Team USA. The U.S. led 11-10 when Russia responded with consecutive blocks. After a timeout, Sander scored a kill and Torres scored an ace to close the Americans to within 13-12. The teams battled back and forth, but Russia took the fifth set with a 15-13 victory. The fifth set had 10 ties and four lead changes.

In Pool E’s other match on Sunday, Iran swept Spain 26-24, 25- 20, 25-23.

In other pool action on Sunday, Serbia defeated Argentina 26-24, 25-18, 20-25, 25-10, 15-9 and India will face Brazil at 2:30 p.m. PT in Pool F. In Pool G, Canada defeated Tunisia 25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23 and Japan and Egypt are set to play at 2:30 p.m. PT. In Pool H, Belgium swept Puerto Rico 25-22, 25-19, 25-21 and Germany def. Bulgaria 25-23, 29-27, 25-24.

2011 U.S. Men's Junior National Team
Name (Position, Height, Hometown, HS Grad Year, Club/School, Region)
1. Henry Cassiday (L, 6-3, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2010, USC, Southern California)
2. Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2011, Outrigger Canoe Club, Aloha)
4. Brian Cook (OH, 6-5, Santa Cruz, Calif., 2010, Stanford Univ., Southern California)
5. Taylor Crabb (OH, 6-1, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2009, Long Beach State Univ., Aloha)
6. Dylan Davis (MB, 6-9, Corona del Mar, Calif., 2009, UC Santa Barbara, Southern California)
8. Steven Irvin (OH, 6-5, Pacific Palisades, Calif., 2010, Stanford Univ., Southern California)
9. Scott Kevorken (MB, 6-8, Westlake Village, Calif., 2009, UC Irvine, Southern California)
10. Connor Olbright (S, 6-5, Orange, Calif., 2010, Long Beach State Univ., Southern California)
11. Eric Mochalski (MB, 6-6, Manhattan Beach, Calif., 2010, Stanford Univ., Southern California)
15. Taylor Sander (OH, 6-5, Norco, Calif., 2010, BYU, Southern California)
17. Joshua Taylor (Opp, 6-7, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2011, Outrigger Canoe Club, Aloha)
18. Maurice Torres (Opp, 6-7, Riverside, Calif., 2009, Pepperdine Univ., Southern California)

Staff
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)

First Round (August 1-3)
Pool A (at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Aug. 1: USA def. Bulgaria, 25-22, 25-18, 25-21
Aug. 1: Japan def. Brazil, 21-25, 25-19, 25-20, 22-25, 18-16
Aug. 2: Japan def. Bulgaria, 20-25, 20-25, 33-31, 25-18, 15-11
Aug. 2: Brazil def. USA 25-19, 21-25, 25-23, 25-19
Aug. 3: USA def. Japan, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 25-19
Aug. 3: Brazil def. Bulgaria, 23-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 15-8

Pool B (at Niteroi, Brazil)
Aug. 1: Argentina def. Puerto Rico, 23-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-17
Aug. 1: Spain def. Tunisia, 25-14, 25-18, 25-17
Aug. 2: Spain def. Puerto Rico, 25-7, 15-25, 25-18
Aug. 2: Argentina def. Tunisia, 25-17, 25-23, 25-22
Aug. 3: Argentina def. Spain, 25-20, 22-25, 25-14, 25-8
Aug. 3: Puerto Rico def. Tunisia, 20-25, 25-13, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11

Pool C (at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Aug. 1: India def. Germany, 19-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-20
Aug. 1: Russia def. Egypt, 25-16, 25-16, 25-13
Aug. 2: Egypt def. Germany, 26-24, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23
Aug. 2: Russia def. India, 25-23, 25-17, 25-18
Aug. 3: India def. Egypt, 25-17, 25-19, 25-18
Aug. 3: Russia def. Germany, 25-20, 24-26, 25-23, 25-23

Pool D (at Niteroi, Brazil)
Aug. 1: Iran def. Canada, 25-19, 25-19, 25-20
Aug. 2: Serbia def. Iran, 23-25, 22-25, 30-28, 25-18, 15-13
Aug. 2: Belgium def. Canada, 25-23, 25-22, 25-17
Aug. 2: Serbia def. Iran, 23-25, 22-25, 30-28, 25-18, 15-13
Aug. 3: Iran def. Belgium, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 17-14
Aug. 3: Serbia def. Canada, 25-17, 19-25, 25-15, 21-25, 15-4

Second Round (Aug. 5-7)
Pool E (at Rio de Janeiro)
Aug. 5: Russia def. Spain, 25-20, 25-18, 25-20
Aug. 5: USA def. Iran, 22-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-17
Aug. 6: Russia def. Iran, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22
Aug. 6: USA def. Spain, 25-21, 20-25, 26-24, 28-30, 15-11
Aug. 7: Iran def. Spain, 26-24, 25-20, 25-23
Aug. 7: Russia def. USA, 19-25, 27-29, 25-21, 25-17, 15-13

Pool F (at Rio de Janeiro)
Aug. 5: Argentina def. India, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 25-19
Aug. 5: Brazil def. Serbia, 25-16, 25-19, 25-21
Aug. 6: Serbia def. India, 25-13, 19-25, 25-22, 27-25
Aug. 6: Argentina def. Brazil, 14-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-17
Aug. 7: Serbia def. Argentina, 24-26, 25-18, 20-25, 25-10, 15-9
Aug. 7: India vs. Brazil, 2:30 p.m. PT

Pool G (at Niteroi)
Aug. 5: Canada def. Japan, 25-12, 25-17, 25-14
Aug. 5: Tunisia def. Egypt, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-13
Aug. 6: Canada def. Egypt, 19-25, 25-20, 25-17, 21-25, 15-11
Aug. 6: Japan def. Tunisia, 25-19, 25-20, 25-18
Aug. 7: Canada def. Tunisia, 25-20, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23
Aug. 7: Egypt vs. Japan, 2:30 p.m. PT

Pool H (at Niteroi)
Aug. 5: Germany def. Puerto Rico, 25-14, 25-22, 32-34, 25-12
Aug. 5: Belgium def. Bulgaria, 25-23, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23
Aug. 6: Belgium def. Germany, 23-25, 25-20, 28-26, 21-25, 15-10
Aug. 6: Bulgaria def. Puerto Rico, 25-15, 25-12, 25-18
Aug. 7: Belgium def. Puerto Rico, 25-22, 25-19, 25-21
Aug. 7: Germany def. Bulgaria, 25-23, 29-27, 25-24

Medal Rounds and Playoffs (Aug. 10)
- the winners of the semifinals will play the final for the 1st and 2nd position.
- the losers of the semifinals will play for the 3rd and 4th position.
- the winners of the play-off 5-8 will play for the 5th-6th position.
- the losers of the play-off 5-8 will play for the 7th-8th position.
- the winners of the play-off 9-12 will play for the 9th-10th position.
- the losers of the play-off 9-12 will play for the 11th-12th position.
- the winners of the play-off 13-16 will play for the 13th-14th position.
- the losers of the play-off 13-16 will play for the 15th-16th position.

Tags: 2011 U.S. Men's Junior National Team, Brian Cook, Connor Olbright, Dylan Davis, Eric Mochalski, FIVB Volleyball Men's Jr. World Championship Brazil 2011, Henry Cassiday, Josh Taylor, Maurice Torres, Micah Christenson, mobile, Scott Kevorken, Steven Irvin, Taylor Crabb, Taylor Sander