Lavaja and Kauliakamoa Named to Junior National Team

COLORADO SPRINGS -- Cougars Russell Lavaja and Joe Kauliakamoa have both been named to the 12-player roster for the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team, which will compete at the 2009 FIVB World Championship on July 31-Aug. 9 in Pune, India.

The team, coached by BYU head coach Shawn Patchell, will begin training on July 14th in Chula Vista in preparation for the tournament.

“The number one goal is that everyone stays healthy,” said Patchell. “Then we want to gel as a team. Hopefully we can create some good chemistry and have a chance to medal.”

Patchell led the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team to a bronze medal at NORCECA Men’s Junior Continental Championship in San Salvador, El Salvador last July, which qualified them for the World Championship.

Seven players from that bronze-medal winning team will return for the U.S. at the World Championship. These players are Tri Bourne (Honolulu, Hawai’i), Tyler Jaynes (Granite Bay, Calif.), Kauliakamoa (Las Vegas, Nev.), Brad Lawson (Honolulu, Hawai’i), Erik Shoji (Honolulu, Hawai’i), who was named Best Defender, Best Receiver, and Best Libero at the NORCECA Championship, Murphy Troy (St. Louis, Mo.), and Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.).

Joining them will be Tony Ciarelli (Huntingdon Beach, Calif.), Lavaja (St. Charles, Ill.), Matt Stork (Topanga, Calif.), Nick Vogel (El Cajon, Calif.) and Thomas Amberg (El Cajon, Calif.).

Many members of the team have been playing together for three years, which helped Patchel when it came time to choose the team. The U.S. Men’s Junior National Team finished third at the 2008 NORCECA Continental Championships in El Salvador.

“We basically kept the same group together and we looked at who could fill the best situational role," said Patchell. "I think it’s an excellent group of athletes.”

FIVB will draw lots to decide pools on June 17th.

2009 USA Men's Junior National Team
 
Name (Position, City, State, School, Region)
 
Thomas Amberg (Middle Blocker/Opposite, El Cajon, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
Tri Bourne (OH, Honolulu, Hawai’i, USC, Aloha)
Tony Ciarelli (OH, Huntington Beach, Calif., USC, So Cal)
Tyler Jaynes (MB, Granite Bay, Calif., Pepperdine, No Cal)
Joseph Kauliakamoa (Setter, Las Vegas, Nev., BYU, No Cal)
Rusty Lavaja (MB, St. Charles, Ill., BYU, Great Lakes)
Brad Lawson (OH, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Stanford, Aloha)
Erik Shoji (Libero, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Stanford, Aloha)
Matthew Stork (Setter, Topanga, Calif., Cal State Northridge, So Cal)
Joseph Sunder (Opp., Greensburg, Pa., Penn State, Keystone)
Murphy Troy (OH, St. Louis, Mo., USC, Gateway)
Nick Vogel (MB, El Cajon, Calif., UCLA, So Cal)
 
Head Coach - Shawn Patchell, BYU