COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 7, 2016) – U.S. outside hitter Scott Touzinsky, a member of the 2008 Olympic Team that won the gold medal, and his Polish team Jastrzębski Węgiel defeated middle blocker David Smith, libero Dustin Watten and Cerrad Czarni Radom, 25-23, 26-28, 25-16, 25-23 on Dec. 2.
Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.) was named the match MVP after scoring 16 points on 15 kills and one ace. He was also credited with 11 receptions, 73 percent positive. Smith (Saugus, Calif.), a two-time Olympian who won bronze in 2016, scored six points on five kills and one block. Watten (Long Beach, Calif.) was credited with 25 receptions, 64 percent positive.
Węgiel is in fourth place in the league while Radom is in ninth.
Also in Poland, setter Johah Seif (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), outside hitter Kyle Russell (Loomis, Calif.) and MKS Będzin fell to ONICO AZS Politechnika Warszawska, 36-38, 23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 15-6 on Dec. 3. Seif started the second and third sets and also played as a substitute and scored three points on two kills and one ace. He helped contribute to a .348 hitting efficiency. Russell played as a substitute and scored one point on a kill.
ITALY
Middle blocker Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio), outside hitter Brian Cook (Santa Cruz, Calif.) and Azimut Modena battled to beat setter Micah Christenson (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Cucine Lube Civitanova, 26-28, 25-23, 30-28, 20-25, 15-13 on Dec. 4. Holt scored nine points on six kills and three blocks. Cook played as a substitute. Christenson scored five points on two kills, one block and two aces. He set Civitanova to a .475 hitting efficiency.
Setter James Shaw (Woodside, Calif.), middle blocker Taylor Averill (San Jose, Calif.) and Kioene Padova fell to Calzedonia Verona, 25-15, 25-18, 25-21 on Dec. 4. Shaw started the second and third sets and scored two points on one kill and one ace. He helped Padova to a .333 hitting efficiency. Averill played as a substitute and started the third set and scored one point on one ace.
RUSSIA
Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.), who plays outside hitter for Zenit Kazan, and his team remain undefeated in league play after defeating Yenisei Krasnoyarsk, 25-19, 25-18, 25-13 on Dec. 3. Anderson scored 14 points on 12 kills and two blocks. He was credited with 13 receptions, 54 percent positive.
Libero Erik Shoji (Honolulu), setter Kawika Shoji (Honolulu) and Lokomotiv Novosibirsk beat Fakel Novy Urengoy, 25-20, 25-18, 25-23 on Dec. 3. Erik Shoji was credited with 10 receptions, 80 percent positive. Kawika Shoji scored one point on an ace and set Novosibirsk to a .500 hitting efficiency.
GERMANY
SVG Luneburg, including Americans Michael Brinkley, Scott Kevorken, Cody Kessel and Eric Fitterer, beat TV Ingersoll Buhl, 25-16, 19-25, 36-34, 20-25, 15-9 on Dec. 3. Fitterer (Edwardsville, Ill.), an opposite, led all scorers with 29 points on 24 kills, three blocks and two aces. Outside hitter Kessel (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added 22 points 17 kills and five blocks. He was credited with 53 receptions, 53 percent positive. Middle blocker Kevorken (Westlake Village, Calif.) scored 12 points on six kills, three blocks and three aces. Brinkley was credited with 28 receptions, 50 percent positive.
FRANCE
Middle blocker Dan McDonnell (Glendale, Ariz.) and Chaumont beat Montpellier, 25-19, 25-14, 25-18 on Dec. 2. McDonnell scored 12 points on 10 kills and two blocks.
GREECE
Outside hitter Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill.) and Pamvohaikos beat APS Kyzikos Neas Peramou, 25-16, 25-19, 25-23 on Dec. 3. Petty scored 11 points on nine kills, one block and one ace.
CHINA
Outside hitter Garrett Muagututia (Oceanside, Calif.) scored 14 points as his Chinese team Tianjin beat Shangdong, 27-25, 25-18, 25-20 on Dec. 4. Muagututia scored on 10 kills, two blocks and two aces.
CEV CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
U.S. outside hitter Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) and Sir Safety Perugia won their opening match of Champions League pool play, defeating Turkey’s Halkbank Ankara, 25-19, 25-23, 25-23 on Dec. 7. Russell scored 11 points on nine kills and two blocks. He was credited with 18 receptions, 39 percent positive.
Matt Anderson and Zenit Kazan defeated Turkey’s Arkas Izmir, 25-14, 25-11, 25-17 in their opening match of Champions League pool play on Dec. 7. Anderson scored 14 points on 12 kills, one block and one ace. He was credited with 11 receptions, 73 percent positive.
Max Holt, Brian Cook and Azimut Modena beat Slovenia’s ACH Volley Ljubljana, 25-22, 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-11 on Dec. 6. Holt scored 12 points on six kills, four blocks and two aces. Cook did not play in the match.
Micah Christenson and Cucine Lube Civitanova fell to the host Berlin Recycling Volleys of Germany, 21-25, 25-16, 25-18, 26-24 in their opening match of pool play on Dec. 6. Christenson scored five points on a team-high four blocks and one kill. He set Civitanova to a .395 hitting efficiency.