From Late Bloomer to Young Leader of U.S. Men's Volleyball Team
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EDEN, N.Y. — “That's actually what got me the passion for volleyball.”
For Anderson, this is where it all began - the Eden Volleyball Club, under the direction of Coach Robert Pierce.
“I just saw myself improving, and it made me want to improve more and see where I could take my game as a player,” Anderson said.
“The first time I actually saw Matt, he was standing right in that corner right over there and he served a ball. He was marked early. There were coaches who were asking about him. He really got good going from his junior to senior year. He played with the junior national team,” Pierce said.
Early on, Matt Anderson was at somewhat of a disadvantage as a late starter. He didn't arrive at the Eden Volleyball Club until the age of 15. But with a great skill set and outstanding work ethic, he quickly overcame that.
“Matt was very open to suggestion. I never saw attitude from him at all. He's very coachable. And the word coachable to us today means that you show him once or twice, he's open to that suggestion, and he's going to be able to not only try it, but demonstrate it,” said Pierce.
“I had a pretty insightful coach at that age. It's just the way he designed practices, the way he motivated, and made you want to play hard for him,” said Anderson.
From Eden to the big stage, Anderson and Team USA face Germany in their second game Tuesday.