2015
USA Volleyball Athletes/Teams of the Year
USA Volleyball honors the best of 2015
NICK LUCENA | USA Volleyball Male Beach Player of the Year
U.S MEN’S WORLD CUP TEAM | USA Volleyball Indoor Team of the Year
U.S. Men’s National Team Coach John Speraw had high expectations for 2015, and his players were up to the challenge. The U.S. Men’s Indoor Volleyball Team won the FIVB World Cup for the first time since 1985, thanks to stellar play from opposite Matt Andersen, setter Micah Christenson, and libero Erik Shoji, among other top performers. Speraw believes that a strong sense of team unity was a big factor in the World Cup win. “The key to the team’s success is probably continuing to develop its chemistry,” Speraw said. “The group we took to the World Cup enjoyed their experi- ence of being together for the most part.” The World Cup victory was a big confidence boost for the team heading into the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
MATT ANDERSON | USA Volleyball Indoor Male Indoor Player of the Year
This is the fourth consecutive year that Anderson has been named USA
Volleyball’s Male Indoor Player of the Year. He continued his stellar play as an opposite for the U.S. Men in 2015, and particularly shined at the FIVB World Cup, where he was named the tournament’s most valuable player and led the team in scoring on the way to its first World Cup title in 30 years. The 28-year- old Anderson has embraced his role as a team leader. “I try to first lead by example
with my work ethic and attention to our team’s system,” Anderson said. “I also try to keep things light in talks with other players because of the high-stress environment. Sometimes all we need is to get a little boost of confidence to shake the tunnel vision the stress can cause.”
10 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
MONIQUE BURKLAND | USA Volleyball Female Sitting Volleyball Player of the Year
Burkland was a force at the middle blocker position for the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team in 2015, lead- ing the squad to the gold medal at the 2015 Parapan American Games – the first time the event showcased women’s sitting volleyball. She maintained a .296 hitting efficiency for the season, and converted 39 percent of her attacks into points. “It means a great deal for me to be selected for this honor, because it shows that hard work does pay off,” Burkland said.
Lucena had eight podium fin- ishes in 2015, seven of which came after reuniting with former partner Phil Dalhausser midway through the season. The pair finished first in three FIVB events and second in four, allowing them to quickly climb the international rank- ings and be in contention for a 2016 Olympic berth. Lucena thrived on defense playing behind Dalhausser’s imposing block, and is looking forward to carrying the team’s momentum over into 2016. “I’m looking forward to competing and hopefully we make the Olympics. It’s been a lot of fun playing with Phil,” Lucena said.
ALEXIS SHIFFLETT | USA Volleyball Female Sitting Most Improved Player
Alexis Shiffett, a setter on the squad, has been chosen as the 2015 USA Volleyball Female Sitting Team Most Improved Player. Shifflett has filled a variety of roles for the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team beyond being a back-up set- ter. Her skills enabled her to enter 44 sets in 2015 and she delivered in many areas. Shifflett averaged 1.14 assists per set as the main backup setter, but she also
charted 0.34 aces, 0.95 digs and 0.36 blocks per set. She was perfect on 37 percent of her receptions. According to Hamiter, Shifflett has developed into one of the team’s best defensive players while improv- ing on the front row.
PHOTO: DON LIEBIG
PHOTO: FIVB
PHOTO: USA VOLLEYBALL
PHOTO: USA VOLLEYBALL
PHOTO: FIVB
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