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An All-American libero and two All-American middle attackers will be among the current college men’s volleyball representing the United States at the IX Men’s Pan American Cup.
USA Volleyball announced Friday that UC Irvine libero Michael Brinkley, Hawai’i middle attacker Tyler Averill, Loyola middle attacker Nicholas Olson and UC Irvine opposite Zack La Cavera were selected to the U.S. roster for the upcoming international tournament.
Brinkley, Averill, Olson and La Cavera were the only current college players chosen to the 12-player roster, which is most comprised of recent college graduates.
Brinkley as a junior last season earned First-Team All-American honors for the second consecutive season after finishing in the nation’s top 10 with a 2.52 digs per game average.
Averill was among the conference and national leaders last season with a 1.22 blocks per game and was the only middle attacker named a First-Team All-American. In addition, Averill had the second highest single-season attack percentage during the NCAA 25-point rally scoring with a .477 attack percentage.
Olson, an All-American Honorable Mention and all-conference selection, finished last season in the nation’s top 15 with a 1.12 blocks per game average. The junior also had a match-high four blocks in the NCAA championship match as Loyola beat Stanford to win its first national championship.
La Cavera led UC Irvine last season with both a 3.42 kills per game average and 31 aces. In addition, the incoming senior had a team-high 19 kills in UC Irvine’s five-game season-ending loss to Stanford in the MPSF Tournament.
The United States under Springfield head coach Charlie Sullivan will open the Pan American Cup with a pool-play match against Colombia on Tuesday.
U.S. IX Men’s Pan American Cup roster
Setter: Graham McIlvaine, Ball State
Setter: BJ Boldog, Lewis
Opposite: Spencer Rowe, UCLA
Opposite: Zack La Cavera
Outside attacker: Taylor Crabb, Long Beach State
Outside attacker: Jeremy Dejno, UC Irvine
Outside attacker: Andrew Nally, Springfield
Outside attacker: Robart Page, UCLA
Middle attacker: Taylor Averill, Hawai’i
Middle attacker: Scott Kevorken, UC Irvine
Middle attacker: Nicholas Olson, Loyola
Libero: Michael Brinkley, UC Irvine