Back on top: Purcell Marian grad Max Holt leads U.S. volleyball to Olympic spot

Cincinnati native and Purcell Marian graduate Max Holt helped the U.S. men's national indoor volleyball team qualify for the 2024 Olympics over the weekend. The national team finished the Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 7-0 and returned to form as Olympic contenders.

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Who is Max Holt?

Holt grew up in Cincinnati and attended Purcell Marian. He played club volleyball with the Cincinnati Attack and played in college for Penn State University.

At Penn State, Holt won the 2008 NCAA National Championship and was a two-time AVCA First-Team All-American. He joined the senior U.S. national team in 2009 and has been a key player in big games for Team USA.

Holt is a middle blocker for the team and has played in two Olympic games. He was an alternate at the 2012 London Games but made his on-court Olympic debut at the 2016 Games. In Rio, Holt was second among all blockers with 20 blocks and helped his team to a bronze-medal finish.

Over the weekend, Holt had 32 overall points and was a big factor in key games for the national team. During the team's match against Serbia – which was the deciding match for Olympic qualification – Holt had four strikes and led all scorers with 13 points on seven kills, he had a team-high two blocks and a match-high four aces.

Will Holt and the team be on the podium in Paris?

After finishing 10th in 2021 at the Tokyo Games, the national team was forced to prove itself in the following years.

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In 2023 the team has put its best foot forward. Over the summer, the team came in second place at the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) tournament. It followed that up with a first-place finish at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Cup last month.

The team is currently ranked second in the world and retains a lot of key athletes from the 2016 bronze medal team. The funk the team was in at the Tokyo games seems to be long gone and it is in the perfect position to have a strong showing in Paris.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's Max Holt leads U.S. men's volleyball to 2024 Olympics