Follow
A current member of the Israeli Men’s National Team and a former high school sand volleyball state champion are among the newest commitments for Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon coach Jeremy Price announced earlier this week that Michael Milstein along with high school seniors Kevin Dodsworth, Skylan Eengleman, Blake Gorman, Josh Phalen and Luke Turner have all signed national letters of intent to join the Antelopes.
Milstein, a 6-foot-2 setter from Israel, is a former captain of the Israeli Men’s Junior National Team and is currently playing and training with the Israeli Men’s National Team. In addition, Milstein will join the Antelopes for the spring semester and be eligible to play in the 2014 season.
“He has a high level of international experience and we’re excited to see him lead our offense,” Price said in a statement. “We have high expectations for him as he gets comfortable with our roster.”
In addition to Milstein, the five high school seniors — Dodsworth, Engleman, Gorman, Phalen and Turner — will beginning their college careers with Grand Canyon starting in the 2015 season.
Engleman, a 5-foot-10 libero from Honolulu, won the gold medal at the Hawai’i State Prep Sand Volleyball Championships earlier this year. He also has advanced to the junior national championships with his club team the last six seasons.
Turner, a 6-foot-5 outside attacker from Wisconsin, earned conference player of the year honors last season with his high school team as he had 14 matches with double-digit kills. In addition, Turner is the first Wisconsin player to sign with Grand Canyon in its program history.
Gorman, a 6-foot-7 middle attacker from El Cajon, Calif., has a .347 attack percentage and a 1.20 blocks per game average during his high school career. In addition, Gorman is a two-year captain of his club team.
Phalen, a 5-foot-11 libero from Mokena, Ill., is a member of the USA Volleyball High Performance program. The libero also earned defensive most valuable player honors at his high school last season.
Dodsworth, a 6-foot-6 opposite from San Jose, Calif., earned all-conference honors with his high school team last season. In addition, the libber is entering his fourth season playing volleyball.
Grand Canyon finished last season in fifth place in the MIVA and won its first postseason match in program history as it advanced to the conference tournament semifinals.