Conference News

Lipsitz Selected to U.S. Men’s A2 Volleyball Team

Lipsitz Selected to U.S. Men’s A2 Volleyball Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 24, 2010 – Former Nittany Lions men’s volleyball player Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) is one of 14 members selected to the U.S. Men’s A2 Volleyball Team that will compete in the Pan American Cup in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 24-29. In addition, former PSU manager Chris Birch will serve as the team manager and technical coordinator.

Lipsitz is one of three players to just complete their collegiate careers. Joining Lipsitz on the A2 squad is setter Kawika Shoji from Stanford and outside hitter J.D. Schleppenbach from Pepperdine. 

Under the guidance of US Santa Barbara head men’s volleyball Coach Rick McLaughlin, the U.S. Men begin pool play on May 25 against Mexico before taking on Puerto Rico on May 26. Other teams competing this year are Brazil, Columbia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Argentina and Venezuela. 

A three-time AVCA All-American, Lipsitz guided the 2010 Penn State men’s volleyball team to a 24-8 record and the program’s sixth NCAA Championship match appearance. Lipsitz, a 2010 first team Academic All-District honoree, led the nation with a .524 hitting percentage and led the Nittany Lions in blocking, averaging 1.42 blocks per set. He ranked third on the team in 3.61 kills per set. 

2010 U.S. Pan American Cup Roster
1 Dustin Watten (L, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State)
2 Robert Tarr (OH, 6-6, Cape Canaveral, Fla., Long Beach State)
3 Matt McKinney (OH, 6-9, Satan Ynez, Calif., UCLA)
4 J.D. Schleppenbach (OH, 6-4, Ventura, Calif., Pepperdine)
5 Brian Thornton (S, 6-3, San Clemente, Calif., UC Irvine)
6 Dean Bittner (Opp., 6-7, Lakewood, Calif., Long Beach State)
7 Max Lipsitz (MB, 6-7, Williamsville, N.Y., Penn State)
8 Kawika Shoji (S, 6-3, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
10 David Smith (MB, 6-7, Saugus, Calif., UC Irvine)
11 Tyler Hildebrand (S, 6-5, Mesa Ariz., Long Beach State)
12 Carson Clark (Opp., 6-5, Santa Barbara, Calif., UC Irvine)
13 Theo Brunner (BM, 6-7, Ridgefield, Conn., UC Santa Barbara)
16 Jayson Jablonsky (OH, 6-5, Yorba Linda, Calif., UC Irvine)
19 Andrew McGuire (L, 6-0, Manhattan Beach, Calif., UC Santa Barbara)

Head Coach: Rick McLaughlin (UC Santa Barbara)
Team Manager: Chris Birch (Penn State)
Assistant Coach: John Hawks (Long Beach State)
Therapist/Trainer: Brian Baise (Harvard)
Technical Coordinator: Chris Birch (Penn State)

Tournament Schedule (All times ET)
Pool A
May 24, 4 p.m.: Brazil vs. Colombia
May 25, 7 p.m.: Canada vs. Brazil
May 26, 4 p.m.: Colombia vs. Canada
 
Pool B
May 24, 9 p.m.: Puerto Rico vs. Mexico
May 25, 9 p.m.: Mexico vs. USA
May 26, 9 p.m.: USC vs. Puerto Rico
 
Pool C
May 24, 7 p.m.: Dominican Republic vs. Argentina
May 25, 4 p.m.: Argentina vs. Venezuela
May 26, 7 p.m.: Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic
 
May 27, 4 p.m.: Classification 9
May 27, 7 & 9 p.m.: Quarterfinals
 
May 28, 4 p.m.: Classification 7/8
May 28, 7 & 9 p.m.: Semifinals
 
May 29, 4 p.m.: Classification 5/6
May 29, 7 p.m.: Third place match
May 29, 9 p.m.: Championship match