Tuaniga to Lead Young U.S. Men's Team at NORCECA Championship

Event live stream available at https://www.facebook.com/ieddurango/ 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 16, 2021) – A team of 14, most still in college, will represent USA Volleyball at the 2021 Men’s NORCECA Continental Championship on Aug. 18-23 in Durango, Mexico.

The team will be led by 2020 Olympic alternate Josh Tuaniga, who will serve as team captain and setter.

Other players on the team with professional international experience are opposites Jake Hanes and Jalen Penrose and libero Kyle Dagostino.

Current collegians on the roster are outside hitters Camden Gianni, Spencer Olivier, Will Rottman and Brett Wildman, middle blockers Tyler Mitchem, Merrick McHenry, Keenan Sanders and Austin Wilmot, setter Sam Kobrine and libero Mason Briggs. All the collegians but Rottman were members of the 2021 Men’s Collegiate National Training Team.

“The 2021 USA Volleyball Men’s NORCECA Team has several talented young players, many of whom will stepping on the court for USA for the very first time,” said U.S. Head Coach Andy Read, who coaches for the Balboa Bay Club and is a volunteer coach for Long Beach State. “Several players trained in the USA gym prior to the team departing for the Volleyball Nations League, so the level of play in our training has been quite good.”

Read will be assisted by Keith Smith, men’s assistant coach at Grand Canyon, and Galen Dodd, men’s assistant coach at Loyola of Chicago.

The U.S. Men will play in Pool B along with defending 2019 NORCECA champion Cuba, Dominican Republic and Guatemala. Pool A will consist of Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Trinidad & Tobago.

The U.S. Men took silver at the 2019 NORCECA Championship, falling to Cuba 3-1 in the final. Dagostino played on that team as did future Olympians T.J. DeFalco, Kyle Ensing and Mitch Stahl.

2021 U.S. Men’s NORCECA Championship Roster

No Name (Pos, Height, Hometown, College, Region)
3 Spencer Olivier (OH, 6-6, Tustin, Calif., Long Beach State, So. Cal.)
5 Camden Gianni (OH, 6-5, Carlsbad, Calif., Grand Canyon, So. Cal.)
6 Samuel Kobrine (S, 6-3, Newport Beach, Calif., USC, So. Cal.)
7 Will Rottman (OH, 6-6, Santa Barbara, Calif., Stanford, So. Cal.)
8 Tyler Mitchem (MB, 6-11, Bolingbrook, Ill., Lewis, Great Lakes)
9 Jake Hanes (OP, 6-10, Orland Park, Ill., Ohio State, Great Lakes)
12 Brett Wildman (OH, 6-5, Virginia Beach, Va., Penn State, Old Dominion)
13 Merrick McHenry (MB, 6-7, Bedford, Texas, UCLA, North Texas )
15 Jalen Penrose (OP, 6-8, Cambridge, Mass., Penn State, New England)
16 C Josh Tuaniga (S, 6-3, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State, So. Cal.)
19 Keenan Sanders (MB, 6-6, San Diego, Calif., UCSB, So. Cal.)
20 Austin Wilmot (MB, 6-10, Valley Village, Calif., Pepperdine, So. Cal.)
24 Kyle Dagostino (L, 5-9, Tampa, Fla., Stanford, Florida)
25 Mason Briggs (L, 6-0, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State, So. Cal.)

Head Coach: Andy Read
Assistant Coach: Keith Smith
Assistant Coach: Galen Dodd
Athletic Trainer: Jackie Chan
Team Manager: Jon Parry

2021 Men’s NORCECA Schedule (All times PT)
Live stream available at https://www.facebook.com/ieddurango/ 

August 18
11 a.m. USA v Guatemala
1 p.m. Canada v Puerto Rico
4 p.m. Cuba v Dominican Republic
6 p.m. Mexico v Trinidad & Tobago

August 19
11 a.m. Canada v Trinidad & Tobago
1 p.m. Cuba v Guatemala
4 p.m. USA v Dominican Republic
6 p.m. Mexico v Puerto Rico

August 20
11 a.m. Puerto Rico v Trinidad & Tobago
1 p.m. Guatemala v Dominican Republic
4 p.m. USA v Cuba
6 p.m. Mexico v Canada

August 21
4 p.m. Quarterfinal
6 p.m. Quarterfinal

August 22
11 a.m. Classification 5-8
1 p.m. Classification 5-8
4 p.m. Semifinal
6 p.m. Semifinal

August 23
11 a.m. Classification 7-8
1 p.m. Classification 5-6
4 p.m. Third-place match
6 p.m. First-place match