When Sean Ryan found out on Thursday, April 7, that he made the U.S. Boys’ Youth National Training Team for volleyball, he and his father, Tim Ryan, jumped up and down with excitement in their house — after they got over their disbelief.
“At first we’re thinking, ‘you can’t be on the USA team,'” Tim Ryan said. “We both were kind of laughing like, let’s double-check this.”
“We were jumping around,” Sean Ryan said. “Then I called my mom, my grandma and some close friends.”
The Lyons sophomore had attended a tryout in Vernon Hills on Feb. 20, one of many held by the U.S. volleyball committee. Ryan was one of just 24 athletes selected to the training team.
“I thought it would be a good idea to compare myself to others,” Ryan said of his decision to attend the tryout. “I thought the tryouts went pretty well, but I didn’t expect it to go this far.”
His selection to the team means that Ryan will go to Anaheim in early June for a week of practices and scrimmages with the other 23 athletes. At that point, coaches will cut the roster to 16 players.
If Ryan is among them, he will compete for another week as the coaches develop a 12-player roster with four alternates. That will be the group taken to the Boys’ Youth NORCECA (North America, Central America, Caribbean) Continental Championship in Cuba from June 22-29.
“No matter what happens,” Ryan said, “I want to get some experience out of it and gain some skills that can benefit me in the future.”
Until he flies to Anaheim, Ryan will be playing for Lyons, where he has been a varsity starter at outside hitter since he joined the team as a freshman. The Lions started the season 8-1 and have high expectations after losing in the sectional finals in 2015.
“We have a chance at making it pretty far,” Ryan said. “We’re all familiar with each other since we all played club together. We have a lot of depth and experience.”
Ryan said that his varsity experience as a freshman and time with club team 3rd Coast Elite has helped him both improve his game and take a bigger role on the Lyons team.
“Obviously when you’re a freshman playing with older kids, you get nervous, but I adapted pretty quickly,” Ryan said. “(This year) I improved as more of a leader on the team. We’re all in charge of one another, and we all bring each other up.
“I’ve improved on my accuracy as hitting,” he said. “When you first play, you just want to hit the ball as hard as you can. I’ve improved on knowing the court more … knowing the game more, being smarter on the court.”
Lyons boys volleyball coach Joann Pyritz said that while Ryan is young and talented, he acts more experienced than his age and cares more about his teammates than any individual success.
“He’s a very mature player and person,” Pyritz said. “He’s had a great season so far. He’s one of the leading kill-getters for our team.
“One of the reasons he was chosen (for the U.S. team) is he has a lot of skill, he’s a good athlete,” she said. “But what sets him apart is his modesty. He’s a motivated player, but he’s modest in the process. He doesn’t make that much of himself, even though he’s very talented for his age.”
Jakub Rudnik is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
