Ball State University Athletics
Coach Walton Reflects on Time Spent with the USA Youth National Team
September 21, 2017 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State head men's volleyball coach Joel Walton was selected to serve as head of delegation for the 2017 U.S. Youth National Volleyball Team this past summer. Coach Walton traveled with the team to the World Championship Tournament in Bahrain on Aug. 18-27.
"The level of competition was extremely competitive," said Walton. "Seeing the best under 19-year-old players from around the world was very interesting. There were many strong teams. The Russian Team was huge with three players close to 7 feet tall. The team from Japan was unbelievably skilled, using incredible ball control to pick teams apart."
The US team placed 15th at the tournament, but Coach Walton was optimistic about the overall experience.
"The USA Youth National Team played well, but our inexperience playing together was hard to overcome," said Walton. "Placing 15th is disappointing, but it didn't overshadow the opportunity to learn by competing against the best players under age 19 from around the world."
Coach Walton calls the trip a great life experience. He credits the people of Bahrain for their friendliness, excellent facilities and overall running a first class event even with temperatures that felt like an excruciating 135 degrees.
"Working with coaches from other universities also added to my experience," added Walton. "Head Coach Sam Shweisky (Princeton), Assistant Coach Brad Keller (UCLA), Assistant Coach Theo Edwards (Cal-State Northridge), and Video Coordinator Galen Dodd (UCLA) worked hard and taught me new ways to coach and analyze volleyball. I return to Ball State with new ways to teach and explain volleyball to my team."
Coach Walton and his Ball State squad will begin their 2018 season in January.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State men's volleyball team, please follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB.
"The level of competition was extremely competitive," said Walton. "Seeing the best under 19-year-old players from around the world was very interesting. There were many strong teams. The Russian Team was huge with three players close to 7 feet tall. The team from Japan was unbelievably skilled, using incredible ball control to pick teams apart."
The US team placed 15th at the tournament, but Coach Walton was optimistic about the overall experience.
"The USA Youth National Team played well, but our inexperience playing together was hard to overcome," said Walton. "Placing 15th is disappointing, but it didn't overshadow the opportunity to learn by competing against the best players under age 19 from around the world."
Coach Walton calls the trip a great life experience. He credits the people of Bahrain for their friendliness, excellent facilities and overall running a first class event even with temperatures that felt like an excruciating 135 degrees.
"Working with coaches from other universities also added to my experience," added Walton. "Head Coach Sam Shweisky (Princeton), Assistant Coach Brad Keller (UCLA), Assistant Coach Theo Edwards (Cal-State Northridge), and Video Coordinator Galen Dodd (UCLA) worked hard and taught me new ways to coach and analyze volleyball. I return to Ball State with new ways to teach and explain volleyball to my team."
Coach Walton and his Ball State squad will begin their 2018 season in January.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State men's volleyball team, please follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB.
This Week in Ball State Sports Podcast // Guests: Jeff Mitchell & Mike Iandolo
Thursday, March 19
Sports Link: Next Point (Episode 1)
Wednesday, February 25
This Week in Ball State Sports Podcast // Jeff Mitchell: Bball portal window, teams in action & more
Friday, January 16
Sports Link: Patrick Rogers + USA
Thursday, January 08