Oberender added to final national team roster

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Volleyball announced incoming freshman Branden Oberender has been added to the final 12-person roster for the 2015 FIVB U19 Boys' World Championship.

Oberender and the rest of the team will compete from Aug. 14-23 in Argentina. The Boys' Youth National Team is the pinnacle of the USA Volleyball Boys' HP Program for 17- and 18-year-old athletes. The 12 athletes who made the roster were selected to represent the United States at the World Championship out of an initial training roster of 25.

The roster includes seven returners, including Oberender, from the 2014 Boys' Youth National Team that won a gold medal at the 2014 NORCECA Youth Continental Championship.

Oberender, a middle blocker from Simi Valley, California, has been training with the team in Iowa since July 14. The training team competed in the HP Championships in Des Moines and then returned to practice at Simpson College (Indianola, Iowa). The month-long training block as been one of the longest the program has seen in recent years, and it is all in preparation for the World Championship.

Team USA is currently in a scrimmage series with Germany's boys' youth team, which will also be competing in Argentina. The scrimmages are taking place from Aug. 5-9 at Simpson College and Grand View University.

The team departs for Argentina on Aug. 10 with competition commencing on Aug. 14. The U.S. is competing in Pool A, comprised of Argentina, Belgium, France and Turkey.

The U.S. will begin play on Aug. 14 at 4:30 p.m. EST against Turkey.

Complete Roster

# - Name (Height, Position, Hometown, USAV Region, Club)
2 - Kyle Ensing (6-6, Opp, Valencia, Calif., Southern California, Bones)
4 - Reese Devilbiss (6-2, OH, Mount Wolf, Pa., Keystone, Yorktowne VBC)
5 - Noah Dyer (6-6, OH, San Clemente, Calif., Southern California, Balboa Bay)
6 - George Huhmann (6-11, MB, High Ridge, Mo., Gateway, HP STL)
9 - Micah Ma'a (6-4, S, Kaneohe, Hawai'i, Northern California, Pacific Rim Volleyball)
10 - Joshua Tuaniga (6-3, S, Long Beach, Calif., Southern California, The HBC)
12 - Scott Stadick (7-0, MB, Watertown, Wis., Badger, Milwaukee Sting)
13 - Michael Wexter (6-6, Opp, New Lenox, Ill., Great Lakes, Ultimate)
14 - TJ DeFalco (6-6, OH, Huntington Beach, Calif., Southern California, The HBC)
15 - Branden Oberender (6-8, MB, Simi Valley, Calif., Southern California, Bones)
17 - Joe Worsley (6-1, L, Moraga, Calif., Northern California, Pacific Rim Volleyball)
19 - Jordan Ewert (6-5, OH, Antioch, Calif., Northern California, Pacific Rim Volleyball)

Staff
Head Coach: Ken Shibuya
Assistant Coach: Kris Berzins
Assistant Coach: Brad Keller
Statistician: Kevin Burch


2015 FIVB Boys' U19 World Championship Schedule
(All times EST)

8/14 - U.S. vs. Turkey, 4:30 p.m.
8/16 - U.S. vs. Belgium, 8 p.m.
8/17 - U.S. vs. France, 4:30 p.m.
8/19 - U.S. vs. Argentina, 8 p.m.