JUNIOR VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
U.S. VOLLEYBALL.
The United States men’s junior national volleyball team is one of 5 teams that will vie for the NORCECA Junior Men’s Volleyball Championship that will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from August. 3-8.
Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the host team, Canada, join the USA in making up the tournament field. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid to the 2005 FIVB Men’s Junior World Championships (dates and site to be determined).
The United States has won the bronze medal in this bi-yearly event 3 times: 1998, 2000 and 2002.
Team USA, which has been training together in Lake Placid, New York, since July 17, is made up of players born on or after Jan. 1, 1985 (Twenty one years old and under).
John Speraw is the Team USA head coach. Speraw, who has completed 2 seasons as head coach of the UC Irvine men’s volleyball team, was a finalist for American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Men’s Coach of the Year honors after his 1st season in 2003 after guiding the team to a school-best No.Five national ranking to end the year. He was head coach of the USA boys’ youth national team last summer after serving as an assistant coach for the BYNT in 1998 and 2001.
The Twelve player roster includes: Chase Budinger (Encinitas, California.); James Grunst (Milwaukee, Wisconsin.); Jayson Jablonsky (Yorba Linda, California.); Christopher Jones (Milwaukee, Wisconsin.); Jacob Schkud (Santa Monica, California.); David Smith (Saugus, California.); Anthony Ker (Valencia, California.); Daniel Mathews (Milwaukee, Wisconsin.); Sean O’Malley (Oak Park, Illinois.); James Webber (Brentwood, California); Jacob Wiens (Clovis, California.); and Jonathan Winder (Irvine, California.).
Speraw will be assisted by Mike Sealy, a former All-American and Player of the Year at UCLA and an assistant coach for the Bruins for 2 years, and Charlie Sullivan, who recently completed his 6th season as head coach of the men’s volleyball team at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.