NCAA Men's Tourney Includes Players, Staff with Ties to USAV

FAIRFAX, Va. (May 5, 2023) – The four teams in the NCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship semifinals this week at George Mason University have players and staff with connections to USA Volleyball’s National Team Development Program (NTDP) as well as the U.S. National Team.

UCLA will play Hawaii in Saturday’s final at 2 p.m. PT. It will show live on ESPNews.

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LONG BEACH STATE

Among the LBSU staff, Head Coach Alan Knipe served as head coach for the U.S. Men from 2009-12 and continues to help with NTDP teams.

Associate Head Coach Nick Macrae, Assistant Coach Andy Reed and Statistical Coordinator Jon Parry have all worked with NTDP age group national teams.

Libero Mason Briggs was on the 2022 rosters for the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), World Championship, Pan American Cup and Pan American Cup Final Six.

Spencer Olivier was on the roster for the 2022 Pan Am Cup Final Six. Both Briggs and Olivier also competed on NTDP age group teams.

Other Beach athletes who have played on indoor age group national teams are Chris Connelly, Island Doty, Clarke Godbold, Dane Hillis, Shane Holdaway and Aiden Knipe.

Nathan Harland and Ryan Peluso have worked with the NTDP beach program and Sebastian Rodriguez has played with both indoor and beach teams.

UCLA

In case you missed it, UCLA Head Coach John Speraw is also head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team. Assistant coaches Nick Vogel and Brandon Taliaferro both played on the Men’s National Team. Volunteer assistant Morteza Shiari has been a volunteer assistant for the U.S. Men.

Ethan Champlin, Merrick McHenry, J.R. Norris IV and Grant Sloan have played for the U.S. Men in Pan Am Cups.

Alex Knight, Cole Pender, Zach Rama, Andrew Rowan and Micah Wong-Diallo have played with NTDP age group national teams.

David Decker and Matthew Edwards have trained with NTDP beach teams, with Edward recently making the Beach Collegiate National Team.

PENN STATE

Brett Wildman has played with the U.S. Men in Pan American Cups and the NORCECA Championship and was also on NTDP age group teams.

Toby Ozeonu competed with the U.S. Men at the 2022 Pan American Cup.

Cole Bogner, Cal Fisher, Blainey Jones, Ryan Merk and Canyon Tuman have all been part of indoor age group national teams. Michael Valenzi was on the Beach Collegiate National Team.

Associate Head Coach Colin McMillan and assistant coach Patrick Shawaryn have both coached NTDP teams. McMillan played on the Men’s National Team.

HAWAII

Assistant coach Milan Zarkovic has coached NORCECA and Pan Am Cup teams.

Assistant coach Kupono Fey has played with the U.S. Men’s National Team.