COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 19, 2019) – International men’s volleyball is headed for Pittsburgh!
The U.S. Men’s National Team will begin its warmup for Tokyo 2020 at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on May 22-24 at the Petersen Events Center on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
The U.S. Men, ranked No. 2 in the world, will play No. 1 Brazil, No. 6 Argentina and No. 7 Canada in a round robin. The United States, Brazil and Argentina have already qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games. 
This will be the only chance to see the U.S. Men compete on U.S. soil in 2020. All-session passes are now on sale at go.usav.org/vnlpitt.
“We love competing in the United States and we are excited to bring international men’s volleyball to Pittsburgh,” U.S. Men’s Head Coach John Speraw said. “We hope these matches get fans excited to cheer us on in Tokyo.”
“We are beyond excited that the FIVB chose Pittsburgh as the first stop on the VNL tour and the only U.S. city to host the men's event.” Said Jennifer Hawkins, executive director of SportsPITTSBURGH.
“Pittsburgh is a hub for club and collegiate volleyball. We are eager to take things to the international stage and provide an Iconic Experience for the Olympic hopefuls competing in our city Memorial Weekend."
Pittsburgh will be the U.S. Men’s first stop during the preliminary round of VNL. 
“We here at the Pete are beyond excited for the opportunity to host this world-class competition,” said Scott Michaels, general manager of the Petersen Events Center. “It has been a great collaboration with FIVB, USA Volleyball and SportsPITTSBURGH to bring this to Pittsburgh to showcase these athletes at the pinnacle of their sport.”
The VNL consists of 16 top men’s volleyball teams playing a round-robin format with each country hosting a weekend of matches over six weeks. Six teams will advance to the final round.
The U.S. Men took silver at the 2019 VNL Final Round in Chicago and bronze in 2018. It won the VNL gold medal in 2008 and 2014.
Several members of the U.S. Men’s Team have connections to Pennsylvania. Middle blocker Mitch Stahl is from Chambersburg, Pa. Opposite Matt Anderson, middle blocker Max Holt and outside hitter Aaron Russell all played collegiately at Penn State University.