Anderson rules out beach switch
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 12, 2020 – Matt Anderson has said
that he has no intention of joining the ranks of players who
have switched from volleyball to beach volleyball.
The USA spiker was responding on Instagram to questions posted
from volleyball fans to his club Modena, who were second in
Italy’s SuperLega, one point behind Lube Civitanova before the
league was suspended due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
He wouldn’t be the first to switch from indoor to beach. USA
women’s coach Karch Kiraly won volleyball Olympic gold at the
Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games, and then switched
to beach volleyball where he added a third gold by winning at
Atlanta 1996 when the sport made its Olympic debut.
“I had the grand idea of when I first started playing that beach
volleyball would be a great retirement sport,” Anderson said.
“That is coming from an East Coast boy who played beach
volleyball maybe 10, 15 times in my life.
“I don’t know what goes into this sport and I’m only assuming it
is only extreme training. We train out in California with Team
USA and some of the beach players train in the gym with us and
they are pushing themselves as hard as we are and training on
the beach every day.
“The idea of the sport is the same, three contacts, but it is a
different game tactically and doesn’t fit into my indoor game.
It would take me a long time to be competitive in the sport and
by that time I would be too old.”
Ordinarily Anderson would be looking forward to helping USA
chase a place on the podium at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and
the FIVB Volleyball Nations League.
The USA booked their place at Tokyo 2020 when they topped Pool B
from the Tokyo Olympic Qualification Tournament in August. The
USA defeated hosts the Netherlands in the deciding match in
which Anderson led USA's scoring with 19 points.
However, with the Italian league suspended and the Olympic Games
postponed for 12 months Anderson, 32, has returned to
Indianapolis in the USA with his fiancé and son, where he is
working to maintain his fitness. |