WHAT:

Members of the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball team will soon depart for the 2008 Olympic Games. The City of Anaheim is hosting a media day and community send-off.

The U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team won its first FIVB World League title on Sunday by taking as 3-1 victory over Serbia in the gold medal match Brazil. U.S. setter Lloy Ball was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and Best Setter. Rich Lambourne won the award for Best Libero for the second year in a row.

Tuesday, July 29, 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., with a short program at 3:00 p.m.

WHERE:

ESPN Zone Restaurant, Downtown Disney (outdoor concourse area between restaurant and movie theatre) 1545 Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802

INTERVIEWS:

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, City Council members, Volleyball team members

ROSTER:

No. Name (Height, Age., Hometown, College)
1 Lloy Ball (6-8, 36, Woodburn, Ind., IPFW
2 Sean Rooney (6-9, 25, Wheaton, Ill., Pepperdine)
4 David Lee (6-8, 26, Alpine, Calif., Long Beach State)
5 Rich Lambourne (6-3, 33, Tustin, Calif., BYU)
8 Reid Priddy (6-5, 30, Richmond, Va., Loyola Marymount)
9 Ryan Millar (6-8, 30, Palmdale, Calif., BYU) 10 Riley Salmon (6-6, 32, League City, Texas, Pierce College)
12 Tom Hoff (Captain) (6-8, 35, Park Ridge, Ill., Long Beach St.)
13 Clay Stanley (6-9, 30, Honolulu, Hawai'i, Hawai'i)
14 Kevin Hansen (6-5, 26, Newport Beach, Calif., Stanford)
15 Gabe Gardner (6-9, 32, San Clemente, Calif., Stanford)
18 Scott Touzinsky (6-6, 26, St. Louis, Mo., Long Beach State)

Head Coach: Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand); was a Team USA assistant coach in the 2004 Olympic Games.

The team, ranked third in the world, includes seven players with previous Olympic Games experience.

The Volleyball Olympians are supported at this event by Anaheim’s pro sports teams. At this community send-off, Angels’ Baseball will be represented by the Strike Force team, and Wild Wing will represent the Anaheim Ducks.

The U.S. Men’s National Volleyball team trains in Anaheim, having permanently moved from Colorado Springs, Colo. in 2006. Their training center is at the American Sports Centers in Anaheim. Local sponsors for the team include J.T. Schmid’s Restaurant, the Anaheim White House Restaurant, Mimi’s Restaurant, American Sports Centers, and CATZ Training Zone.

CONTACT:

Ruth Ruiz, Public Information Specialist, City of Anaheim (714) 765-5060 office, (714) 420-7797 cell

Erin Wahlen, Public Information Specialist, City of Anaheim (714) 765-5045 office, (714) 240-6291 cell

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ABOUT ANAHEIM - The City of Anaheim, founded in 1857, is one of the nation's premier municipalities and is California's 10th most populous city. Anaheim covers 50 square miles with more than 345,500 residents and more than 3,200 City employees. The municipal corporation's annual budget is $1.4 billion. Anaheim supports a thriving business community with companies such as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc., L-3 Communications, Pacific Sunwear, and Disneyland Resort. Successful sports franchises call Anaheim home, including Angels Baseball, Anaheim Ducks, the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winning U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team, and the 2008 Olympic Silver Medal winning U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team. Anaheim also boasts world-class meeting and entertainment venues with the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest on the west coast, Honda Center, The Grove of Anaheim, The Shops at Anaheim GardenWalk, and Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Annually, Anaheim welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.anaheim.net.