Coach John Speraw and USA Volleyball on Monday announced the 2021 12-player men’s Olympic volleyball team that will compete in Tokyo next month.
The USA, which won bronze in Rio in 2016, has eight returning players.
The four newcomers are opposite Kyle Ensing, outside hitters T.J. DeFalco and Garrett Muagututia, and middle blocker Mitch Stahl.
The veterans include Matt Anderson and David Smith, and the Shoji brothers, Erik and Kawika. Also back are Taylor Sander, Micah Christenson, Max Holt, and Thomas Jaeschke.
The team is currently playing in the Volleyball Nations League in Rimini, Italy, where the Americans are 4-5. Their next match is Tuesday against Italy. The Olympics start July 23 in Tokyo.
No. Player (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
1 — Matt Anderson (OPP, 6-10, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State)
3 — Taylor Sander (OH, 6-4, Huntington Beach, Calif., BYU)
5 — Kyle Ensing (OPP, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State)
6 — Mitch Stahl (MB, 6-8, Chambersburg, Pa., UCLA)
7 — Kawika Shoji (S, 6-3, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
8 — T.J. DeFalco (OH, 6-5, Huntington Beach, Calif., Long Beach State)
11 — Micah Christenson (S, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, USC)
12 — Max Holt (MB, 6-10, Cincinnati, Ohio, Penn State)
17 — Thomas Jaeschke (OH, 6-6, Wheaton, Ill., Loyola Chicago)
18 — Garrett Muagututia (OH, 6-5, Oceanside, Calif., UCLA)
20 — David Smith (MB, 6-7, Saugus, Calif., UC Irvine)
22 — Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
