During his time at UC Santa Barbara, Evan Patak rose to become one of the best men's volleyball players in the country. His list of accolades and achievements is quite impressive. In 2007 alone, he "led the country in kills (5.78/game), service aces (.948/game), and points (7.09/game)… [and] finished his [college] career with 2,112 kills, second in program history, and is UCSB's all-time leader in aces with 255." In the world of Men's Volleyball, Patak is the shizznit.

Now, as a UCSB alum and current member of the USA national volleyball team, Patak has his eyes set squarely on the Olympics. From May 17-25, the USA national team will head to Japan to train with the Japanese men’s national team. The goal is to help the Japanese team prepare for their 2008 Olympic qualifying match and give the young US players some experience playing at an international level. This will prepare them for their bid at the Olympics in 2012.

Anyone who follows the volleyball team at UCSB likely knows the name Evan Patak. If you don't, shame on you. He's one of your school's rising stars, and you will likely be hearing great things about him in the coming years!

Credits to USAVolleyball.org for the scoop and quotes.