COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 6, 2011) – In a battle between two top outside hitters with the U.S. Men’s National Team in Italy’s Serie A League, Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) and Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia defeated Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.) and Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza, 25-22, 25-22, 25-20 on Jan. 2.
Anderson was Valentia’s second-leading scorer with 13 points on nine kills (0.35 hitting percentage), three blocks and one ace. Anderson was credited with 22 receptions, 41 percent positive and 36 percent excellent.
Rooney was the second-leading scorer for Monza Brianza with 10 points on seven kills (0.29 hitting percentage), two blocks and one ace. Rooney was credited with 15 receptions, 60 percent positive and 27 percent excellent.
The previous week, Anderson and Valentia beat U.S. middle blocker Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) and his team Copra Morpho Piacenza, 25-22, 25-22, 25-18 on Dec. 26. Anderson scored nine points on eight kills (0.39 hitting percentage) and one block. He was credited with 16 receptions, 81 percent positive and 31 percent excellent. Holt finished with three points on two kills and one block.
Rooney and Monza Brianza fell to RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino on Dec. 26, 27-25, 25-22, 25-16. Rooney led his team with 15 points on 11 kills (0.27 hitting percentage), two blocks and two aces. Rooney was credited with 10 receptions, 90 percent positive and 30 percent excellent.
Marmi Lanza Verona, the Italian team of U.S. middle blocker Theo Brunner (Ridgefield, Conn.) and outside hitter Paul Lotman (Lakewood, Calif.), has lost its last two matches.
On Dec. 26, Verona fell to Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo, 25-19, 30-28, 25-20. Lotman scored 12 points on 10 kills (0.50 hitting percentage) and two blocks. He was also credited with 22 receptions, 41 percent positive and 27 percent excellent. Brunner scored seven points on two kills and five blocks.
On Jan. 2, Verona lost to Casa Modena, 3-2 (28-26, 23-25, 24-26, 25-16, 23-21). Lotman scored 14 points on nine kills (0.28 hitting percentage), four blocks and one ace. He was also credited with 26 receptions, 42 percent positive and 15 percent excellent. Brunner scored five points on five kills.
RUSSIA
U.S. setter Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.) and his Russian Super League team Fakel Novy Urengoi defeated Ural Ufa and U.S. opposite Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawaii), 3-2 (23-25, 29-27, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13) on Dec. 29.
Hansen started four sets for Novy Urengoi and scored two points on a kill and a block while setting the team to a 0.41 hitting percentage. Stanley started four sets and Ufa and scored 18 points on 15 kills (0.28 hitting percentage) and three blocks.
U.S. middle blocker David Lee (Alpine, Calif.) and his team Kuzbass Kemerovo beat Dynamo Krasnodar, 3-2 (33-31, 20-25, 25-22, 22-25, 18-16) on Dec. 29. Lee started the first four sets and scored nine points on eight kills and one block.
Zenit Kazan, the Russian Super League team of U.S. setter Lloy Ball (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and outside hitter Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.), defeated Iskra Odintsovo, 3-1 (25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 25-22) on Dec. 29. Priddy started all four sets and scored 11 points on 10 kills (0.62 hitting percentage) and one block. Ball scored two points on two kills and set the team to a 0.50 hitting percentage.
Zenit Kazan fell in the semifinals of the Cup of Russia to Lokomotiv Novosibirsk, Priddy’s former team, 3-2 (23-25, 35-33, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12). Priddy scored eight points and Ball added two.
On Dec. 25, Kazan came back to beat Lokomotiv Belogorie in the third-place match. Priddy led Kazan with 19 points. Ball added three.
U.S. setter Donald Suxho (Korce, Albania) has left his Russian Super League team Dynamo-Yantar Kaliningrad.
GREECE
Iraklis Thessoloniki, the Hellenic League team of U.S. opposite Brook Billings (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and outside hitter Ryan Jay Owens (Evanston, Ill.), leads the Hellenic league after two straight victories, the second coming against PAOK and U.S. setter Jonathan Winder (Irvine, Calif.).
On Dec. 29, Iraklis defeated PAOK, 25-21, 25-21, 25-21. Owens scored 11 points on 10 kills (0.47 hitting percentage) and one block. Billings started the first two sets and did not play the third. He scored six points on five kills (0.23 hitting percentage) and one block.
Winder scored four points on one kills, two blocks and one ace and set the team to a 0.25 hitting percentage.
Owens was named the league MVP for the seventh week of the season.
On Dec. 23, Iraklis topped Panathinaikos Athens, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 25-15). Owens and Billings each scored 21 points in the match. Owens scored on 18 kills (0.67 hitting percentage), two blocks and one ace. Billings also scored on 18 kills (0.37 hitting percentage), two blocks and one ace.
On Dec. 21, PAOK defeated Ethnikos Alexandroupolis, 25-15, 25-19, 25-23. Winder scored two points on two kills and set the team to a 0.51 hitting percentage. PAOK is in third place in the league.
GC Lamia, which included U.S. opposite Will Price (Gaithersburg, Md.) and middle blocker Andy Hein (Carol Stream, Ill.), fell to EA Patron on Dec. 22, 3-1 (25-27, 25-19, 25-18, 25-15). Price led Lamia with 20 points on 17 kills (0.24 hitting percentage) and three aces. Hein scored six points on four kills, one block and one ace.
The match was Hein’s last with Lamia. He has left the team.
Also on Dec. 22, U.S. outside hitter Jayson Jablonsky (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Olympiacos defeated ESOP Epikouros, 25-21, 25-22, 32-30. Jablonsky started all three sets and scored five points on four kills (0.30 hitting percentage) and one block.
KOREA
Evan Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.) and his Korean league team Korean Air have won two out of their last three matches and continue to lead the league with a 9-1 record.
On Dec. 27, KAL defeated the Samsung Bluefangs, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19. Patak led all scorers with 22 points on 21 kills and one block.
On Dec. 30, KAL beat Woori Capital, 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 19-25, 25-13). Patak led all scorers with 23 points on 21 kills and two blocks.
On Jan. 1, KAL fell to the LIG Insurance Greaters, 27-25, 25-21, 26-24. Patak led all scorers with 23 points on 20 kills, two blocks and one ace.
On Jan. 5, KAL defeated KEPCO45, 25-20, 25-22, 25-13. Patak led all scorers with 15 points on 11 kills, two blocks and two aces.
EUROPEAN CUP UPDATE
Zenit Kazan took the lead in Pool A of the CEV Champions League with a 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 15-8) victory over Germany’s Generali Unterhaching on Jan. 5.
Ball started all five sets and scored one point on one kills. He also set the team to a 0.46 hitting percentage. Priddy started the first two sets and scored four points on three kills and one ace. Kazan improved to 4-1 in the pool.
Olympiacos and Jablonsky fell to 1-4 in Pool C with a Jan. 5 loss to Poland’s Jastrzebski Wegiel, 25-23, 25-20, 25-22. Jablonsky started the first two sets and scored five points on four kills and one ace.
In the CEV Cup, U.S. middle blocker Ryan Millar (Alpine, Utah) and his Polish team Asseco Resovia Rzeszów won its first quarterfinal match over Germany’s evivo Duren, 25-16, 25-16, 25-11 on Jan. 5. Millar started for his team.
Also in the CEV Cup, Unicaja Almeria, the Spanish team of U.S. middle blocker David Smith defeated Poland’s Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle on Jan. 6, 3-2 (23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 27-25, 16-14).
In the GM Challenge Capital Cup, Fakel Novy Urengoi and Hansen beat Germany’s EnBW Rottenburg, 25-21, 25-22, 25-18 on Jan. 5. Hansen started the first two sets and did not score.
BRAZIL
U.S. outside hitter Robert Tarr (Cape Canaveral, Fla.) has left his Brazilian league team Londrina/Sercomtel.
POLAND
Millar scored 13 points as Asseco Resovia Rzeszów beat Fart Kielce on Dec. 29, 3-1 (25-16, 25-16, 28-30, 25-18). Millar scored on nine kills (0.67 hitting percentage) and four blocks. Asseco Resovia Rzeszów is in third place in the Polish league.
FRANCE
U.S. setter Brian Thornton (San Clemente, Calif.) and his French B league team Chaumont fell to Avignon on Dec. 21, 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-19). Thornton started all four sets but did not score. His team had a 0.60 kill percentage.