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Three current NCAA players will help Puerto Rico’s attempt to defend its gold medal at an international tournament.
Fairleigh Dickinson opposite Jamal Ellis Carballo, George Mason outside attacker Omar Hoyos and Lewis middle attacker Antonio Elias were selected to the Puerto Rican roster for the Central American and Caribbean Games that starts Wednesday in El Salvador.
Caballo ended the 2023 NCAA season third in the nation with a 4.27 kills per game average and had back-to-back matches with 30 kills late in the regular season. The Freshman All-American and First-Team All-NEC selection also hit more than .300 in each of the season’s final five matches and ended the year hitting .303.
Hoyos led George Mason and was in the NCAA’s top 30 last season with a 3.58 kills per game average. In addition, Hoyos had a career-best .284 attack percentage and helped George Mason reach the EIVA Tournament semifinals.
This is the second international tournament for Hoyos this offseason with the Puerto Rico Men’s National Team. Hoyos earlier this month had more than 20 kills in three matches and was in the tournament’s top 10 with a 45.1 percent offensive efficiency at the NORCECA Men’s Final Four.
Rodriguez led Lewis with a 0.97 blocks per game average last season, including a season-high 11 blocks against Lindenwood in April. The middle attacker also finished the season with a .441 attack percentage.
The Puerto Rican roster for the Central American and Caribbean Games also features multiple former NCAA players. Among those players includes former Penn State libero Dennis Del Valle and former Purdue Fort Wayne outside attacker Pelegrin Vargas.
Puerto Rico has won the gold medal in four of the last five Central American and Caribbean Games, including at the last games in 2018.
Puerto Rico will open the tournament with pool-play matches against Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and the host nation El Salvador.
The top three teams in both of the tournament’s four-team pools will advance to the medal round stage. In addition, the pool winners will earn automatic berths to the semifinals.