Aug. 8, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's volleyball coach Jay Hosack and rising junior Aaron Russell will take off this weekend with the USA Men's Junior National Team and head for the FIVB Men's Volleyball U21 World Championship in Izmir and Ankara, Turkey.
Hosack will serve as the assistant coach of the squad, while Russell will see time on the court as an outside hitter on the 20-man roster. Hosack is in his fourth year as an assistant coach, while Russell started all 31 matches for the Nittany Lions during the 2013 season. He registered a team-high 366 kills on the year, averaging 3.59 per set.
"For me, to wear the name USA on your back is an extremely high honor and to have Penn State represented on the roster speaks highly of the caliber of athletes that we have here," Hosack said.
The 11-day tournament is comprised of 20 different teams from around the world that are then divided into four different groups. Hosack and Russell will compete in a round-robin series of matches in "Pool C" with Serbia, Tunisa, Canada and Rwanda. The winner of each pool will advance to the final bracket of the event, which will be held in Ankara, Turkey.
The first match for Hosack and Russell is slated for Thursday, August 22 against Rwanda at the Ataturk Sports Hall. Fans can follow Hosack, Russell and the rest of Team USA on GoPSUSports.com or by following @PennStateMVBALL on Twitter or logging on to www.facebook.com/pennstatemensvolleyball.