Olympic medallist Holt back with USA for the 2023 season

The United States men’s national team is yet to release its full roster for the 2023 international season, but one familiar face will be back with the group for the Volleyball Nations League as middle blocker Max Holt is already training for the event.

As most of their players are still completing their club seasons around the world, the Americans reunited a small group of players to start their preparations for the season in their training facility in Anaheim, California, and among them is the 36-year-old Holt.

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The veteran middle blocker is set to make his comeback with the American team, returning to be a part of the squad for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics, in 2021, when he appeared in each of the five matches of their campaign.

“It’s been great to be back and see some faces that I haven’t seen for a year, since the Olympics really” the middle blocker said. “I’m excited just to compete with the guys, I’m excited for all of them to get back. They’ll finish their seasons overseas shortly and before you know we’ll have everybody back in the gym here competing. I really missed the camaraderie, I missed the brotherhood and I missed the guys. I kept in touch with a decent amount of them here and there, but it will be nice to be back and doing what we do best.”

Holt is a longtime member of the USA national team, having been first called up back in 2010. He was part of the roster that took bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympics and has also won gold at the 2015 FIVB World Cup and the 2014 FIVB World League, silver at the 2019 VNL and bronze at the 2018 FIVB World Championship and the 2018 VNL, among others.

He returns to the international game after a productive club season in China, his first in the country, in which he helped Beijing BAIC Motor win their fourth national title.

The group of players led by head coach John Speraw will have the VNL as their first tournament of the season, playing their first matches from June 7-11 in Ottawa against the Netherlands, Italy, Canada and Brazil.

In 2023, the Americans will also take part in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament set to be played in Japan from September 30-October 8, when they will compete with the hosts, Slovenia, Serbia, Türkiye, Tunisia, Egypt and Finland for a spot in the Paris 2024 Games.

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