COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 6, 2017) – The 2017 Men’s Junior National Training Team (MJNTT) includes 20 of the top men’s volleyball players in the United States under the age of 21.
The next challenge for the team’s staff will be choosing just 12 athletes to compete at the 2017 FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship on June 23-July 2 in the Czech Republic.
Eight players return from the 2016 Men’s Junior National Team that won the NORCECA Continental Championship and qualified for the World Championship: middle blockers Scott Stadick and George Huhmann, opposite Kyle Ensing, outside hitters Jordan Ewert, Dylan Missry and Austin Matautia, setter Josh Tuaniga and libero Matt Douglas.
Five other players were not on the 2016 Men’s Junior National Team, but did compete internationally as part of the 2014 and/or 2015 Boys’ Youth National Teams: outside hitter T.J. DeFalco, setter Micah Ma’a, outside hitter Brett Rosenmeier, middle blocker Patrick Gasman and libero Noah Dyer.
DeFalco is currently traveling with the U.S. Men’s National Team for the FIVB World League tournament. His status with the Men’s Junior National Training Team has yet to be decided.
Newcomers to the high performance national teams are libero Gage Worsley, setter Matthew Yoshimoto, outside hitter Parker Dixon, middle blockers Keenan Sanders and Tyler Mitchem and opposites Matthew Szews and Calvin Mende.
“For the guys that came back (from last year), I want to see how much they’ve progressed over the year,” MJNTT Head Coach Jay Hosack said. “I am excited to see where they have ended up after this season.
“For the new guys, I am excited to see where they fit into the mix.”
The team will begin training on June 9 in Lake Placid, N.Y. The staff, including Hosack and assistant coaches Jonah Carson and Matthew McCarthy will trim the team to 12 after five days.
“We are not in the market to improve on their game as much as we want to find the best pieces to fit together,” Hosack said of the team’s training. “We need to see who fits well with whom and who responds well with whom.”
U.S. Men’s Junior National Training Team
No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College, Region)
1. Matt Douglas (L, 5-10, Pacific Palisades, Calif., Southern California [USC], SCVA)
2. Gage Worsley (L, 6-2, Moragao, Calif., signed with Hawaii, NCVA)
3. Josh Tuaniga (S, 6-2, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, SCVA)
4. Micah Ma’a (S, 6-4, Kaneohe, Hawaii, UCLA, Aloha)
5. Dylan Missry (OH, 6-4, Holbrook, N.Y., UCLA, Garden Empire)
6. Matt Yoshimoto (S, 6-5, Ventura, Calif., Lewis, SCVA)
7. Jordan Ewert (OH, 6-5, Antioch, Calif., Stanford, NCVA)
8. Austin Matautia (OH, 6-5, Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Hawaii, Aloha)
9. Brett Rosenmeier (OH, 6-6, Virginia Beach, Va., Hawaii, Old Dominion)
10. T.J. DeFalco (6-6, OH, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, SCVA)
11. Parker Dixon (6-6, OH, Dallas, Texas, Princeton, Lone Star)
12. Noah Dyer (OH, 6-6, San Clemente, Calif., Pepperdine, SCVA)
13. Keenan Sanders (MB, 6-7, San Diego, Calif., UC Santa Barbara, SCVA)
14. Kyle Ensing (Opp, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State, SCVA)
15. Matthew Szews (Opp, 6-8, Brookfield, Wis., Ball State, Badger)
16. Patrick Gasman (MB, 6-8, Clovis, Calif., Hawaii, NCVA)
17. Tyler Mitchem (MB, 6-10, Bolingbrook, Ill., Lewis, Great Lakes)
18. Calvin Mende (Opp, 6-11, Redlands, Calif., Penn State, SCVA)
19. Scott Stadick (MB, 7-0, Watertown, Wis., UC Irvine, Badger)
20. George Huhmann (MB, 6-10, High Ridge, Mo., Princeton, Gateway)
Staff
Head Coach: Jay Hosack, George Mason University
Assistant Coach: Jonah Carson, Mountain View Volleyball Club
Assistant Coach: Matt McCarthy, Lewis University
Team Manager: Jen Armson Dyer
Doctor: David Dyck, Jr.
Technical Coordinator: Galen Dodd
Pools for the FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship
Pool A
Czech Republic
Poland
Canada
Morocco
Pool B
Russia
Turkey
USA
Cuba
Pool C
Argentina
Italy
Iran
Ukraine
Pool D
China
Brazil
Egypt
Japan