U.S. unveils preliminary roster for FIVB Volleyball Nations League

The preliminary roster is set for the United States entering the FIVB Volleyball Nations League.

USA Volleyball announced on Friday its 25-player roster for the biggest international tournament of the summer.

The United States each week during the five-week opening round and then the finals can select up to 14 players from its preliminary roster to be on the game-day active roster.

While no current college player made the U.S. roster, every member of the team is a former NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball player.

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Long Beach State is one of two teams to have a nation-best four players on the U.S. roster. Among the former Beach players to play for the United States include All-Americans TJ DeFalco, Kyle Ensing and Josh Tuaniga who all recently concluded their college careers after leading the program to back-to-back NCAA championships.

UC Irvine also had four alumni earn spots on the roster.

Along with these two schools, BYU, Hawai’i, Loyola, Penn State, Stanford, UCLA and USC each had multiple players make the team.

The Volleyball Nation League features the best 16 countries in the world. Each team will play 15 preliminary matches, three matches per week, with the top teams advancing to the finals.

The United States won the bronze medal at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League. As the host nation for the finals, the United States will receive an automatic berth to the six-team finals in July in Chicago.

The United States will open its Volleyball Nations League preliminary round with a match against Brazil on May 31 in Poland.

U.S. preliminary roster

Setter: Micah Christenson (USC 2012-15)
Setter: Micah Ma’a (UCLA 2016-19)
Setter: Michael Saeta (UC Irvine 2013-17)
Setter: Kawika Shoji (Stanford 2007-10)
Setter: Josh Tuaniga (Long Beach State 2016-19)
Opposite: Matt Anderson (Penn State 2006-08)
Opposite: Kyle Ensing (Long Beach State 2016-19)
Opposite: Ben Patch (BYU 2013, 2016-17)
Opposite:  Kyle Russell (UC Irvine 2012-16)
Outside attacker: TJ DeFalco (Long Beach State 2016-19)
Outside attacker: Thomas Jaeschke (Loyola 2013-15)
Outside attacker: Jake Langlois (BYU 2014-17)
Outside attacker: Garrett Muagututia (UCLA 2007-10)
Outside attacker: Aaron Russell (Penn State 2012-15)
Outside attacker: Taylor Sander (BYU 2011-14)
Middle attacker: Taylor Averill (Hawai’i 2012-15)
Middle attacker: Jeff Jendryk (Loyola 2015-18)
Middle attacker: Max Holt (Penn State 2006-09)
Middle attacker: Dan McDonnell (UC Irvine 2011-12)
Middle attacker: David Smith (UC Irvine 2004-07)
Middle attacker:  Mitch Stahl (UCLA 2014-17)
Libero: Dustin Watten (Long Beach State 2005-09)
Libero: Erik Shoji (Stanford 2009-12)
Libero: Larry Tuileta Jr. (USC 2015; Hawai’i 2017-18)
Libero: Kyle Dagostino (Stanford 2015-19)

Head coach: John Speraw
Assistant coach: Rob Neilson
Assistant coach: Brian Thornton