Matt Jackson
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men’s volleyball was well represented while competing for Team USA in international competition this summer. Incoming freshman Peter Chriss took gold with the U19 team at the Pan American Cup, redshirt seniors Ryan Merk and Owen Rose helped the USA U23 team take silver at the Pan American Cup, and assistant coach Pat Shawaryn was an assistant on the U19 team at the World Championship.
The U19 team swept all five of its opponents as it won gold at the Pan American Cup in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. Chriss saw time in all five matches, including a sweep over Canada in the semifinal round and a sweep over Mexico in the championship match.
Merk and Rose helped USA finish 4-2 on its way to a runner-up finish at the U23 Pan American Cup, which was played in Ciudad Guatemala, Guatemala. The team advanced out of pool play with a 2-1 record before sweeping Costa Rica in the quarterfinal and Venezuela in the semifinal. USA led Dominican Republic 14-13 in the fifth set of the championship match before falling 16-14.
Merk was the team’s libero throughout the tournament and did his part with 3.36 digs/set. He had multiple big-time performances, including 20 digs in a 3-1 win over Mexico in pool play and 19 digs in a sweep over Venezuela in the semifinal. Rose played in three matches. The middle blocker had two kills and two blocks in the opening match against Dominican Republic. He later contributed two kills and an ace in a sweep of Costa Rica in the quarterfinal round.
Shawaryn was on the coaching staff of USA’s U19 team that competed at the World Championship in Uzbekistan. USA posted four wins at the event, beating Cuba, Colombia, Korea, and Japan.