Aug. 2, 2009

PUNE, India - Stanford outside hitter Brad Lawson, who missed the first two matches with a sprained ankle, got his first action of the FIVB Men's Junior Volleyball World Championship on Sunday. Though the United States lost to India, it advanced to the second round.

Lawson entered a 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 loss to India as a third-set substitute and had one kill. Stanford and U.S. teammate Erik Shoji had five digs from the libero position.

The U.S. finished in a three-way tie for first in Pool A with a 2-1 record, but finished in the second position based on a point-ratio tiebreaking system, barely ahead of Belarus. Only the top two teams in each four-team group advance.

The U.S. has been placed in Pool F with Brazil, Cuba and Iran. The top two in each remaining four-team group advance to the semifinals.

Here is the second-round U.S. schedule:

Tuesday: U.S. vs. Brazil (1:30 a.m. PT)
Wednesday: U.S. vs. Cuba (Tuesday, 11:30 p.m. PT)
Thursday: U.S. vs. Iran (Wednesday, 11:30 p.m. PT)