Opposite Evan Patak was born on June 23, 1984 in Santa Maria, California. His hometown is Pleasanton, California. He joined the US team in 2008, helping the United States win gold medals at the Four Nations’ Tournament and the Pan American Cup, where he was named MVP.

He played in his first World League tournament in 2009, sharing the starting opposite position with Clay Stanley. Patak’s large stature (201cm and 113kg) have given him the nickname “Tank.”

Patak finished the 2009 season as the United States’ second-leading scorer with 221 points on 159 kills, 46 aces and 20 blocks. His 46 aces were by far the most on the team and he averaged 0.74 aces per set. Patak was named best server at the NORCECA Continental Championship as the United States won the silver medal. He finished with 10 aces. Patak was named the MVP and Best Server of the 2010 FIVB World Championship Qualifier in Irvine, Pleasanton, California. He appeared in 40 sets during the FIVB World League and tallied eight service aces (0.16 per set) that tied him for second place among the teams' leaders and 34th among the League's best servers. He also posted 40 kills (0.65 per set) and 13 digs (0.27 per set).