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A Lincoln Memorial middle attacker will represent the United States at one of the most prestigious beach volleyball international tournaments.
Matt Gentry and his beach partner Philip Catanzaro will be among the 32 teams competing in the main draw of the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championship that begins Wednesday in Thailand.
Gentry with Lincoln Memorial did not play last season but appeared in 16 matches during the 2020 season. His top performance that season featured having both a season-high seven kills and three blocks in a victory against Limestone.
Both Gentry and Catanzaro were initially named U.S. alternates for winning the bronze medal at the U.S. World Championship Trial earlier this year.
The pair is one of 27 teams that have already been assured spots in the main draw of the U21 Championship. The final five spots in the main draw will be determined from a seven-team qualification round on Tuesday that includes the U.S. pair of Ayden Keeter and Carson Barnes.
Teams in the main draw will be placed into one of eight pools and play a round-robin with the other three teams in its pool. The top three teams in each pool following the round-robin will advance to the single-elimination knockout stage.