Photo by: NORCECA
CSUN's Taylor Ittner Represents USA Volleyball in Peru
5/16/2019 12:30:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - In his first taste of international volleyball, CSUN setter Taylor Ittner helped lead the United States Men's Junior National Team to a fifth-place finish at the Pan American Cup in Lima, Peru (May 5-8).
Ittner, a redshirt freshman from Meadow Vista, Calif., finished his first collegiate season in April with 992 assists (9.73 per set) and was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team. He started three of the USA's five matches at setter, appearing in all five matches as the Americans finished with a 2-3 record.
Ittner and his teammates said they learned a lot from the tournament experience, which included canceled flights, lost luggage and, during the Peru match, sawdust spread on the floor to soak up moisture after the third set when workers thought the match was over.
"Playing in Peru was an incredible experience," said Ittner. "Traveling to a new country and representing America is one of the proudest moments of my career. We were delayed getting to Peru by two days, so we missed most of our practice time. But after a little trial by fire, we started to play as a team."
The United States opened the tournament against Puerto Rico (May 5) and Ittner started at setter in a tight four-set loss (27-25, 27-25, 21-25, 25-20). Ittner had a kill and a block as Brett Wildman led the U.S. with 18 points on 15 kills and three aces. Outside hitter Ryan Wilcox, from UC Santa Barbara, added 16 points on 13 kills, two blocks and one ace.
The U.S. then picked up its first win in straight sets (25-17, 25-21, 25-23) over the Dominican Republic (May 6) as Ittner earned his second start in the setter spot. Ittner next came off the bench in a 25-21, 25-15, 25-19 loss to Cuba (May 7) before getting back in the starting lineup in a tough five-set loss to Chile (24-26, 17-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-10) on May 8.
The United States then opened Classification play with a 3-2 win over Peru before capping the tournament with another five-set victory over the Dominican Republic to earn fifth place. Cuba won the tournament with a win over Canada in the final. Puerto Rico took third place and will get a bid to the FIVB U21 World Championship.
"I almost won the best setter award; going into the last match I was the leading setter (based on numbers) but unfortunately, the Cuban setter ended up passing me during the finals match," added Ittner. "Overall it was an excellent chance to test my skills and play at the next level."
Ittner is the second CSUN player in the last three years to play for the United States in the Pan American Cup. Arvis Greene, Jr. also helped the Americans to a fifth-place finish in 2017.
#GoMatadors
Ittner, a redshirt freshman from Meadow Vista, Calif., finished his first collegiate season in April with 992 assists (9.73 per set) and was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team. He started three of the USA's five matches at setter, appearing in all five matches as the Americans finished with a 2-3 record.
Ittner and his teammates said they learned a lot from the tournament experience, which included canceled flights, lost luggage and, during the Peru match, sawdust spread on the floor to soak up moisture after the third set when workers thought the match was over.
"Playing in Peru was an incredible experience," said Ittner. "Traveling to a new country and representing America is one of the proudest moments of my career. We were delayed getting to Peru by two days, so we missed most of our practice time. But after a little trial by fire, we started to play as a team."
The United States opened the tournament against Puerto Rico (May 5) and Ittner started at setter in a tight four-set loss (27-25, 27-25, 21-25, 25-20). Ittner had a kill and a block as Brett Wildman led the U.S. with 18 points on 15 kills and three aces. Outside hitter Ryan Wilcox, from UC Santa Barbara, added 16 points on 13 kills, two blocks and one ace.
The U.S. then picked up its first win in straight sets (25-17, 25-21, 25-23) over the Dominican Republic (May 6) as Ittner earned his second start in the setter spot. Ittner next came off the bench in a 25-21, 25-15, 25-19 loss to Cuba (May 7) before getting back in the starting lineup in a tough five-set loss to Chile (24-26, 17-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-10) on May 8.
The United States then opened Classification play with a 3-2 win over Peru before capping the tournament with another five-set victory over the Dominican Republic to earn fifth place. Cuba won the tournament with a win over Canada in the final. Puerto Rico took third place and will get a bid to the FIVB U21 World Championship.
"I almost won the best setter award; going into the last match I was the leading setter (based on numbers) but unfortunately, the Cuban setter ended up passing me during the finals match," added Ittner. "Overall it was an excellent chance to test my skills and play at the next level."
Ittner is the second CSUN player in the last three years to play for the United States in the Pan American Cup. Arvis Greene, Jr. also helped the Americans to a fifth-place finish in 2017.
#GoMatadors
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