July 11, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Former Penn State men's volleyball player Matt Anderson led the U.S. Men's National Team to a final victory in the 2011 FIVB World League on July 8. The U.S. men defeated Cuba, 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 21-25, 15-13) in Gdansk, Poland.
Anderson was joined by former Penn State teammate Max Holt on the 12-man roster for the final match. With the win, the U.S. men finished third in Pool F and did not advance to the semifinals. The U.S. finished the Final Round with a 1-2 record, defeating Cuba but suffering losses to Russia and Brazil, and a 9-6 record overall.
Against Cuba, Anderson seemed unstoppable tallying a match-high 29 points. He pounded 23 kills, posted four blocks and two aces and led the U.S. with 14 digs. Holt, who substituted in during the fourth set and started the fifth, recorded four points on four kills.
The U.S. men are back in action at the NORCECA Men's Continental Championship Aug. 27-Sept. 4 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The NORCECA Championship is a qualifier for the FIVB World Cup in November, which is the first opportunity to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
For more information on the U.S. Men's National Team, please visit USAV.org.
2011 FIVB World League
12-Player Roster for July 8 in Gdansk, Poland
(12-player rosters for each match are announced shortly prior to the match)
No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
1 Matt Anderson (OH, 6-10, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State)
2 Sean Rooney (OH, 6-9, Wheaton, Ill., Pepperdine)
3 Evan Patak (Opp, 6-8, Pleasanton, Calif., UC Santa Barbara)
4 David Lee (MB, 6-8, Alpine, Calif., Long Beach State)
5 Rich Lambourne (L, 6-3, Tustin, Calif., BYU)
6 Paul Lotman (OH, 6-7, Lakewood, Calif., Long Beach State)
10 Brian Thornton (S, 6-3, San Clemente, Calif., UC Irvine)
12 Russell Holmes (MB, 6-7, Fountain Valley, Calif., BYU) 13 Clay Stanley (Opp, 6-9, Honolulu, Hawai'i, Hawaii)
14 Kevin Hansen (S, 6-5, Newport Beach, Calif., Stanford)
17 Max Holt (MB, 6-9, Cincinnati, Ohio, Penn State)
18 Scott Touzinsky (OH, 6-6, St. Louis, Mo., Long Beach State)
Head Coach: Alan Knipe (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
Team Manager: Chris Jackson (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Assistant Coach: John Speraw (Irvine, Calif.)
Therapist/Trainer: Ron Larsen (Lafayette, Calif.)
Technical Coordinator: Gary Sato (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Medical Support: Aaron Brock (Storm Lake, Iowa)
World League Final Round Schedule (All times PT)
Pool F Standings/Team record (points)
1. Russia 3-0 (9)
2. Brazil 2-1 (5)
3. USA 1-2 (2)
4. Cuba 0-3 (2)
Pool F
July 6: Russia def. USA, 29-31, 25-16, 25-21, 25-22
July 6: Brazil def. Cuba, 18-25, 21-25, 25-16, 30-28, 15-12
July 7: Russia def. Cuba, 25-20, 25-20, 25-20
July 7: Brazil def. USA, 15-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-15
July 8: USA def. Cuba, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 21-25, 15-13
July 8: Russia def. Brazil, 25-20, 25-20, 25-17
Pool E Standings/Team record (points)
Argentina 2-0 (6)Italy 1-1 (3)
Poland 1-1 (2)
Bulgaria 0-2 (1)
Pool E
July 6: Argentina def. Italy, 20-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-22
July 6: Poland def. Bulgaria, 25-20, 23-25, 14-25, 25-22, 15-13
July 7: Argentina def. Bulgaria, 25-17, 25-22, 25-22
July 7: Italy def. Poland, 25-15, 25-20, 25-20
July 8 at 8:15 a.m.: Italy vs. Bulgaria
July 8 at 11 a.m.: Poland vs. Argentina
Pool A StandingsTeam record (points)
1. Brazil 10-2 (30)
2. USA 8-4 (23)
3. Poland 6-6 (18)
4. Puerto Rico 0-12 (1)
U.S. Schedule and Results
Date:May 27-28
Opponent: Poland
Location: Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland
May 27: Poland def. USA, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19
May 28: USA def. Poland, 25-22, 25-19, 37-35
Date: June 3-4
Opponent: Puerto Rico
Location: Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico
June 3: USA def. Puerto Rico, 24-26, 29-27, 25-17, 25-17
June 4: USA def. Puerto Rico, 25-23, 26-24, 22-25, 25-12
Date: June 11-12
Opponent: Brazil
Location: Mineirinho in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
June 11: Brazil def. USA, 19-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-21
June 12: USA def. Brazil, 25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 26-24
Date: June 17-18
Opponent: Poland
Location: Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
June 17: Poland def. USA, 25-22, 25-19, 25-20
June 18: USA def. Poland, 25-21, 15-25, 25-18, 25-22
Date: June 24-25 (7 p.m. both nights)
Opponent: Brazil
Location: Reynolds Center at the University of Tulsa (Okla.)
June 24: Brazil def. USA, 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-19
June 25: USA def. Brazil, 25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23
Date: July 1-2 (7 p.m. both nights)
Opponent: Puerto Rico
Location: Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
July 1: USA def. Puerto Rico, 25-27, 25-22, 25-12, 25-27, 15-8
July 2: USA def. Puerto Rico, 25-13, 25-22, 25-19
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2011 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.