Gold Medalists Lead U.S. Team to Brazil

U.S. men's Olympic gold medalists Rich Lambourne and Scott Touzinsky will lead a mix of veterans and rookies at the NORCECA Americas' Cup Tournament today through Sunday in Cuiaba, Brazil.

Along with Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.) at libero and Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.) at outside hitter, the team will included U.S. veterans Brook Billings (Santa Barbara, Calif.) at opposite, Phil Eatherton (Glencoe, Mo.) at middle blocker, Andrew Hein (Carol Stream, Ill.) at middle blocker, Nils Nielsen (Fallbrook, Calif.) at outside hitter, Brandon Taliaferro (San Clemente, Calif.) at setter and Delano Thomas (Sacramento, Calif.) at middle blocker.

Newcomers to the team this year include Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) at outside hitter, Evan Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.) at opposite, Jayson Jablonsky (Yorba Linda, Calif.) at outside hitter and Jonathan Winder (Irvine, Calif.) at setter.

Billings, Eatherton, Jablonsky, Patak, Taliaferro and Thomas were alternates for the 2008 Olympic team. Billings and Eatherton competed on the 2004 Olympic team.

Anderson, Patak, Jablonsky, Winder and Hein all played on the team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Pan American Cup in June in Winnipeg.

Ron Larsen (Lafayette, Calif.), who usually serves as the U.S. Men's assistant coach, will be the head coach for the U.S. team in Brazil. BYU men's volleyball head coach Mark Pavlik will be the team leader. U.S. Men's technical manager Jamie Morrison (Dana Point, Calif.) and Peter Hanson, head coach for the Ohio State men's volleyball team, will be the assistant coaches.

The other countries competing will be host Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela and Mexico. The United States will compete in Group A with Cuba and Argentina. The United States defeated Venezuela in its first match at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and it defeated Brazil in its final match to win the gold medal.

1 - Matt Anderson (OH, 6-10, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State)
3 - Nils Nielsen (OH, 6-4, Fallbrook, Calif., Cal State Northridge)
4 - Evan Patak (Opp, 6-8, Pleasanton, Calif., UC Santa Barbara)
5 - Rich Lambourne (L, 6-3, Tustin, Calif., BYU)
6 - Phil Eatherton (MB, 6-9, Glencoe, Mo., Ball State)
7 - Jayson Jablonsky (OH, 6-5, Yorba Linda, Calif., UC Irvine)
9 - Jonathan Winder (S, 6-8, Irvine, Calif., Pepperdine)
11 - Brook Billings (Opp, 6-5, Santa Barbara, Calif., Southern California)
12 - Andrew Hein (MB, 6-11, Carol Stream, Ill., Pepperdine)
16 - Brandon Taliaferro (S, 6-5, San Clemente, Calif., UCLA)
17 - Delano Thomas (MB, 6-7, Sacramento, Calif., Hawai'i)
18 - Scott Touzinsky (OH, 6-6, St. Louis, Mo., Long Beach State)

Head Coach: Ron Larsen
Team Leader: Mark Pavlik
Assistant Coach: Jamie Morrison
Assistant Coach: Peter Hanson
Medical Support: Aaron Brock
Technical Coordinator: David Hunt

Tournament Schedule (All times PDT)

Group A
USA
Cuba
Argentina

Group B
Brazil
Venezuela
Mexico

Sept. 24
2 p.m.: USA vs. Cuba
5 p.m.: Brazil vs. Mexico

Sept. 25
2 p.m.: USA vs. Argentina
5 p.m.: Brazil vs. Venezuela

Sept. 26
2 p.m.: Cuba vs. Argentina
5 p.m.: Venezuela vs. Mexico

Sept. 27
Noon: Semifinal 1
3 p.m.: Semifinal 2
6 p.m.: 5/6 determination

Sept. 28
5:30 a.m.: Bronze Medal
8:30 a.m.: Gold Medal

By Amy Shipley  |  September 24, 2008; 10:05 AM ET  | Category:  Volleyball
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