COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Volleyball announces the 12-player roster that will represent the United States at the 2017 FIVB Boys U19 World Championship, Aug. 18-27, in Bahrain.
The U.S. Boys Youth National Team has been preparing for the past two weeks at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid. The players are all products of the USAV High Performance pipeline.
At a Glance
Libero: Parker Mikesch
Setters: Chris Hall, Chase Johnson
Middles: Samuel Lewis, Daniel Matheney, Kyler Presho
Opposites: Jonny Bowles, Jaylen Jasper
Outside Hitters: Brandon Browning, Devin Joslyn, Jerod Nelsen, Joel Schneidmiller
“We are very excited about this team and its potential,” said head coach Sam Shweisky. “We have assembled a great mix of guys who have international experience as well as some new guys are bring a nice balance of ball control and physicality. The team is really bonding at a very fast rate and getting excited to go overseas and represent USA Volleyball.”
The U.S. team earned a silver medal at the 2016 NORCECA Boys Youth Continental Championship in Cuba and finished seventh at the last U19 World Championship in 2015, equally the team’s best finish at Worlds.
The U.S. will compete in Pool A along with Bahrain, Puerto Rico, Egypt and Tunisia.
“I think we have a really good pool. That was really fortunate. Breaking out of that pool, that’s our first outcome goal, and we’ll see from there. We’re much more process oriented, asking ‘can we be the best we can be’ and then the chips will fall where they may. Enjoy the process, work as hard as we can, and represent the USA well while we can. That’s our goal.”
Pool Matches
Date … Matches
Aug. 19 … USA v. Bahrain
Aug. 20 … USA v. Puerto Rico
Aug. 21 … USA v. Tunisia
Aug. 22 … USA v. Egypt
“We don’t really know what to expect with all these teams,” said outside hitter Brandon Browning. “I know our coaches have seen some of these teams. They’ve definitely stressed that they’re going to be really big, really physical, and so we’ve just kind of got to work on our systems, focus on our side, and do whatever we can to win. Be scrappy.”
Libero Parker Mikesch says that the team is focusing on the small details.
“I think a lot of the kids on this team are super competitive and have a fire inside of them to succeed all the time,” said Mikesch. “There’s a lot of really good teams around the world and it’s an awesome opportunity to play those teams. Obviously we all want to go there and win, so I think that would be the main goal. But a lot of what we’ve been focusing on has been process-oriented … really focusing on the small details. I think the coaches instill that in our minds so that when we get into the tight situations with some of the best teams in the world, we’ll be able to go back to that and just kind of trust our training, to be able to hang with some of those guys.
Regions
The players represent nine USAV Regions, including five from Southern California, two from Northern California, and one from Arizona, Chesapeake, Ohio Valley, Old Dominion, and Western Empire.
2017 U.S. Boys Youth National Team
# — Name (Position, Ht., Hometown, Club, Region)
1 – Jonny Bowles – OP, 6-7, Chandler, Ariz., Aspire Volleyball, Arizona
2 – Brandon Browning – OH, 6-4, Newport Beach, Calif., 949 Volleyball, Southern California
3 – Joel Schneidmiller – OH, 6-6, Saratoga, Calif., Bay to Bay, Northern California
4 – Chris Hall – S, 6-2, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Manhattan Beach Surf, Southern California
5 – Jaylen Jasper – OP, 6-8, Arnold, Md., Annapolis Volleyball, Chesapeake
6 – Chase Johnson – S, 6-6, Moyock, N.C., Coastal Virginia Volleyball, Old Dominion
7 – Devin Joslyn – OH, 6-6, Angola, N.Y., Eden Volleyball, Western Empire
11 – Samuel Lewis – MB, 6-10, Long Beach, Calif., Team Rockstar, Southern California
13 – Daniel Matheney – MB, 6-6, awndale, Calif., Team Rockstar, Southern California
15 – Parker Mikesch – L, 5-11, Xenia, Ohio, Vanguard Volleyball, Ohio Valley
17 – Jerod Nelsen – OH, 6-7, Monte Sereno, Calif., Mountain View Volleyball, Northern California
20 – Kyler Presho – MB, 6-8, Rancho Mission Viejo, Calif., 949 Volleyball, Southern California
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Sam Shweisky
Associate Head Coach: Brad Keller
Asst. Coach: Theo Edwards
Team Manager: Joel Walton
Doctor: Priscilla Tu
Technical Coordinator: Galen Dodd