United States men's national volleyball team facts for kids
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| Association | USA Volleyball | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Confederation | NORCECA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach |  John Speraw |
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| FIVB ranking | 4 (as of September 2014) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Summer Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 10 (First in 1964) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result |  (1984, 1988, 2008) |
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| World Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 15 (First in 1956) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result |  (1986) |
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| FIVB World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 11 (First in 1977) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result |  (1985, 2015) |
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| Website | www.usavolleyball.org | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The United States men's national volleyball team is a group of top male volleyball players who represent the USA in big international games and friendly matches. This team is managed by USA Volleyball.
They have won five Olympic medals, including three gold medals!
History of USA Volleyball
Volleyball was invented in the United States. Because of this, the first group to organize the sport was formed here. The United States Volleyball Association started in 1927. It was also a founding member of the FIVB in 1947. The FIVB is the main international group for volleyball.
Even though the U.S. started volleyball, other countries became very strong in the 1940s. The U.S. team played in the first ever Olympic volleyball tournament in 1964.
Rise to Power in the 1980s
The U.S. team became a top contender again in the 1980s. They won the FIVB World Championship in 1986 in Paris. They also earned four gold medals at the Pan American Games. Plus, they won eight times at the NORCECA Championships.
The U.S. team has played in the World Cup nine times. They finished fourth five times. Their most recent fourth-place finish was in 2007. They won the World Cup in 1985 and again in 2015.
Recent Achievements
The team earned a bronze medal at the World Championships in 1994. Four years before that, in Italy, they finished sixth. The United States has played in this competition 14 times. They have finished in the top 10 on eight of those occasions.
The U.S. team won its first Olympic gold medal in 20 years at the Beijing 2008 games. They beat Brazil 3-1 in the final. In 2012, they couldn't defend their title. They lost to Italy 3-0 in the quarterfinals. This meant they finished tied for fifth place.
In September 2015, the U.S. national team played in the 2015 World Cup. They won 10 out of 11 matches. This was the same record as Poland and Italy. Their only loss was to Poland (1-3). On September 23, 2015, they won their last game against Argentina (3–1). The U.S. team won the World Cup based on a points tie-breaker. This win also qualified them for the 2016 Summer Olympics. It was their second World Cup victory, with the first being in 1985.
In 2018, the FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League started. The U.S. team won the bronze medal in this first event. They beat Brazil, who were the Olympic champions at the time.
Major Tournament Results
Olympic Games
- 1964 Tokyo — 9th place
- 1968 Mexico — 7th place
- 1984 Los Angeles —
Gold medal - 1988 Seoul — Gold medal
- 1992 Barcelona —
Bronze medal - 1996 Atlanta — 9th place
- 2000 Sydney — 11th place
- 2004 Athens — 4th place
- 2008 Beijing — Gold medal
- 2012 London — 5th place
- 2016 Rio de Janeiro — Bronze medal
- 2020 Tokyo — 10th place
FIVB World Championship
- 1956 France — 6th place
- 1960 Brazil — 7th place
- 1966 Czechoslovakia — 11th place
- 1970 Bulgaria — 18th place
- 1974 Mexico — 14th place
- 1978 Italy — 19th place
- 1982 Argentina — 13th place
- 1986 France — Gold medal
- 1990 Brazil — 13th place
- 1994 Greece — Bronze medal
- 1998 Japan — 9th place
- 2002 Argentina — 9th place
- 2006 Japan — 10th place
- 2010 Italy — 6th place
- 2014 Poland — 7th place
- 2018 Italy/Bulgaria – Bronze medal
- 2022 Poland/Slovenia — 6th place
FIVB World Cup
- 1977 — 10th place
- 1985 — Gold medal
- 1989 — 4th place
- 1991 — Bronze medal
- 1995 — 4th place
- 1999 — 4th place
- 2003 — 4th place
- 2007 — 4th place
- 2011 — 6th place
- 2015 — Gold medal
- 2019 — Bronze medal
FIVB World Grand Champions Cup
- 1993 Japan — 5th place
- 2005 Japan —
Silver medal - 2013 Japan — 5th place
- 2017 Japan — 4th place
FIVB Volleyball World League
- 1990 Osaka — 7th place
- 1991 Milan — 6th place
- 1992 Genoa — Bronze medal
- 1993 São Paulo — 9th place
- 1994 Milan — 12th place
- 1995 Rio de Janeiro — 10th place
- 2000 Rotterdam — 6th place
- 2001 Katowice — 9th place
- 2006 Moscow — T-10th place
- 2007 Katowice — Bronze medal
- 2008 Rio de Janeiro — Gold medal
- 2009 Belgrade — 6th place
- 2010 Córdoba — 8th place
- 2011 Gdańsk — 7th place
- 2012 Sofia — Silver medal
- 2013 Mar del Plata — 12th place
- 2014 Florence — Gold medal
- 2015 Rio de Janeiro — Bronze medal
- 2016 Kraków — 5th place
- 2017 Curitiba — 4th place
FIVB Volleyball Nations League
- 2018 — Bronze medal
- 2019 — Silver medal
- 2021 — 7th place
- 2022 — Silver medal
- 2023 — Silver medal
NORCECA Championship
- 1969 — Bronze medal
- 1971 — Silver medal
- 1973 — Gold medal
- 1975 — Bronze medal
- 1977 — 5th place
- 1979 — 5th place
- 1981 — Silver medal
- 1983 — Gold medal
- 1985 — Gold medal
- 1987 — Silver medal
- 1989 — Bronze medal
- 1991 — Silver medal
- 1993 — Silver medal
- 1995 — Silver medal
- 1997 — Silver medal
- 1999 — Gold medal
- 2001 — Silver medal
- 2003 — Gold medal
- 2005 — Gold medal
- 2007 — Gold medal
- 2009 — Silver medal
- 2011 — Silver medal
- 2013 — Gold medal
- 2015 — Did not participate
- 2017 — Gold medal
- 2019 — Silver medal
Pan American Cup
- 2006 — Gold medal
- 2008 — Gold medal
- 2009 — Gold medal
- 2010 — Gold medal
- 2011 — Silver medal
- 2012 — Gold medal
- 2013 — 5th place
- 2014 — Silver medal
- 2015 — 6th place
- 2016 — 5th place
- 2017 — 5th place
- 2018 — 7th place
- 2019 — 5th place
- 2021 — Bronze medal
- 2022 — Bronze medal
Volleyball America's Cup
- 1998 — 14th place
- 1999 — Silver medal
- 2000 — Bronze medal
- 2001 — 4th place
- 2005 — Gold medal
- 2007 — Gold medal
- 2008 — 5th place
Goodwill Games
- 1986 — Silver medal
- 1990 — 4th place
Team Roster
2023 Nations League Team
This is the list of players for the American team in the 2023 Nations League.
Head coach: John Speraw
| No. | Name | Date of birth | Height | Weight | Spike | Block | 2022–23 club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Anderson | April 18, 1987 | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 140 in (360 cm) | 131 in (332 cm) |  Zenit St. Petersburg |
| 2 | Aaron Russell | June 4, 1993 | 6 ft 9 in (2.05 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 140 in (356 cm) | 133 in (337 cm) |  JT Thunders |
| 3 | James Shaw | March 5, 1994 | 6 ft 8 in (2.04 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | 141 in (358 cm) | 133 in (338 cm) |  WWK Volleys Herrsching |
| 4 | Jeffrey Jendryk | September 15, 1995 | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 139 in (353 cm) | 136 in (345 cm) |  LUK Lublin |
| 5 | Kyle Ensing | March 6, 1997 | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 144 in (366 cm) | 139 in (353 cm) |  Saint-Nazaire VBA |
| 6 | Quinn Isaacson | February 19, 1999 | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 93 in (236 cm) | 116 in (294 cm) | Saint-Nazaire VBA |
| 7 | Jacob Pasteur | June 5, 2002 | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | 139 in (353 cm) | 130 in (330 cm) | Ohio State |
| 8 | Torey DeFalco | April 10, 1997 | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 209 lb (95 kg) | 130 in (340 cm) | 129 in (328 cm) | Resovia |
| 9 | Jake Hanes | March 5, 1998 | 6 ft 11 in (2.10 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 144 in (366 cm) | 139 in (353 cm) | Cuprum Lubin |
| 10 | Kyle Dagostino | April 10, 1997 | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 123 in (312 cm) | 121 in (307 cm) | Nice |
| 11 | Micah Christenson | May 8, 1993 | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 137 in (349 cm) | 130 in (340 cm) | Zenit Kazan |
| 12 | Maxwell Holt | March 12, 1987 | 6 ft 9 in (2.05 m) | 200 lb (90 kg) | 138 in (351 cm) | 131 in (333 cm) |  Vero Volley Monza |
| 13 | Patrick Gasman | January 2, 1997 | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 236 lb (107 kg) | 138 in (351 cm) | 133 in (338 cm) | Chaumont |
| 14 | Micah Maʻa | April 16, 1997 | 6 ft 4 in (1.92 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 131 in (333 cm) | 125 in (318 cm) | Stade Poitevin |
| 15 | Kyle Russell | August 25, 1993 | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 214 lb (97 kg) | 141 in (358 cm) | 135 in (343 cm) | Arago de Sète |
| 16 | Joshua Tuaniga | March 18, 1997 | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 130 in (320 cm) | 121 in (307 cm) | AZS Olsztyn |
| 17 | Thomas Jaeschke | September 4, 1993 | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 137 in (348 cm) | 130 in (330 cm) | Asseco Resovia Rzeszów |
| 18 | Garrett Muagututia | February 26, 1988 | 6 ft 9 in (2.05 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 141 in (359 cm) | 136 in (345 cm) |  Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi |
| 19 | Taylor Averill | March 5, 1992 | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 150 in (370 cm) | 130 in (330 cm) | AZS Olsztyn |
| 20 | David Smith | May 15, 1985 | 6 ft 8 in (2.02 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 137 in (348 cm) | 124 in (314 cm) | ZAKSA |
| 21 | Mason Briggs | January 21, 2001 | 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) | 150 lb (70 kg) | 130 in (320 cm) | 120 in (300 cm) | Long Beach State |
| 22 | Erik Shoji | August 24, 1989 | 6 ft 0 in (1.84 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 130 in (330 cm) | 126 in (321 cm) | ZAKSA |
| 23 | Cody Kessel | December 3, 1991 | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 140 in (360 cm) | 136 in (345 cm) | Berlin Recycling Volleys |
| 24 | Brett Wildman | March 6, 2000 | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 130 in (340 cm) | 128 in (325 cm) | Penn State |
| 25 | Ethan Champlin | November 29, 2001 | 6 ft 2 in (1.89 m) | 200 lb (90 kg) | 140 in (350 cm) | 128 in (325 cm) | UCLA |
| 26 | Merrick McHenry | October 17, 2000 | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 138 in (351 cm) | 132 in (335 cm) | UCLA |
| 27 | Tyler Mitchem | May 24, 1998 | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 236 lb (107 kg) | 147 in (373 cm) | 140 in (355 cm) | Le Plessis |
| 28 | Francesco Sani | July 16, 2002 | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 139 in (353 cm) | 130 in (330 cm) | UC Irvine |
| 29 | Jordan Ewert | March 18, 1997 | 6 ft 4 in (1.94 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 135 in (344 cm) | 128 in (326 cm) | Saint-Nazaire VBA |
| 30 | Kyle McCauley | January 23, 1999 | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 139 in (353 cm) | 132 in (335 cm) |  Lycurgus |
Team Uniforms
The table below shows which companies have provided uniforms for the United States national volleyball team over the years.
| Period | Kit provider |
|---|---|
| 2000–2017 | Nike Mizuno |
| 2017–2022 | Adidas |
| 2022– | Mizuno |
Team Sponsors
The team has important sponsors who help support them. These include main sponsors like Liberty Mutual, Mizuno Corporation, and Commerce Bancorp. Other sponsors are Molten Corporation, Almond Breeze, Arirweave, National Car, CoSport, Oppiaperformance, Alamo, and Muscleaidtape.
See also
In Spanish: Selección masculina de voleibol de los Estados Unidos para niños
- United States women's national volleyball team
- United States national beach volleyball team
