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Coach Jay Hosack has set the initial roster as the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team begins its training session for its upcoming World Championship qualification tournament.
USA Volleyball announced on Tuesday its 19-person training team that will compete for U.S. roster spots at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championships later this summer.
More than 10 colleges are represented on this U.S. training team.
Hawai’i, Long Beach State, Lewis, Loyola and Pepperdine each have multiple players with a roster spot. In addition, CSUN, Penn State, Princeton, Ohio State, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, USC all have one player making the team.
“I am always excited to coach new players. Being a part of USA Volleyball allows me to train many different athletes, with different skill levels and training methods,” Hosack said in a statement said. “There are many qualified athletes across the country who have worked hard at their craft to earn a chance to try out for a sport on a national team. … Our staff looked for many different qualities, but mostly we look for attitude and effort when they are on the court. These are intangibles that allow us to put together the best team, and not just the best group of volleyball players.”
Hosack as an assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team for the last two years helped guide the program to a bronze medal at the 2015 NORCECA Continental Championships and an 11th-place finish at the 2016 World Championship. He also in his first year as the head coach of George Mason led the program last season to its first EIVA championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in almost 30 years.
Among the players Hosack selected for this U.S. training roster includes six players who helped lead the U.S. Boys’ Youth National Team to the quarterfinals of the Youth World Championship last year.
A 12-player roster will be selected from this training roster for the NORCECA Continental Championships that begins July 3 in Gatineau, Quebec. The top two teams from this NORCECA event will receive automatic berths to the 2017 World Championship.
U.S. Men’s Junior National Training Team
Setter: Randy Deweese, UC Santa Barbara
Setter: Joshua Tuaniga, Long Beach State
Setter: Joe Worsley, Hawai’i
Setter: Matthew Yoshimoto, Lewis
Opposite: Kyle Ensing, Long Beach State
Opposite: Calvin Mende, Penn State
Opposite: Michael Wexter, Pepperdine
Outside attacker: Kyle Bugee, Lewis
Outside attacker: Reese Devilbiss, Ohio State
Outside attacker: Jordan Ewert, Stanford
Outside attacker: Collin Mahan, Loyola
Outside attacker: Austin Matautia, Hawai’i
Outside attacker: Dylan Missry, UCLA
Middle attacker: Jack Cole, Pepperdine
Middle attacker: Will Hippe, Uncommitted
Middle attacker: George Huhmann, Princeton
Middle attacker: Jacob Linsky, Loyola
Libero: Matt Douglas, USC
Libero: Kelsey Yogi, CSUN
U.S. coaching staff
Head Coach: Jay Hosack, George Mason
Assistant Coach: Jonah Carson, Mountain View Volleyball Club
Assistant Coach: Matt McCarthy, Lewis
Statistician: Virginia Pham, VCU