Three players with Bay Area ties were named as replacement athletes for the U.S. men's Olympic volleyball team, coach Alan Knipe announced Thursday.
Evan Patak, a 6-foot-8 outside hitter from Pleasanton, and Stanford alums Kevin Hansen and Gabe Gardner, just missed making the 12-man roster for the reigning Olympic champions.
Knipe called on six players with Olympic experience, including five who competed on the 2008 gold-medal team. Clay Stanley of Honolulu and outside hitter Reid Priddy of Richmond, Va., will each compete in their third Olympics. Stanley was named the most valuable player of the Beijing Games and is the U.S. team captain.
Also returning from the Beijing team are libero Rich Lambourne of Tustin, middle blocker David Lee of Alpine and outside hitter Sean Rooney of Wheaton, Ill. The team also has six newcomers.
"It's a good group of veterans with Olympic experience and first-time Olympians who have been an integral part of our team," Knipe said.
Gardner played in the 2004 and '08 Olympics whereas Hansen competed in Beijing. Patak was the team's fifth-leading scorer last year but didn't make his Olympic debut.
Ron Larson of Lafayette, who once coached at Cal and St. Mary's and now is at UC Riverside, is an assistant coach.