UC Irvine, UCLA pin-hitters to play for U.S. in Pan Am Cup

Two current college men’s volleyball players will play for the United States in an upcoming international tournament.

Both UCLA outside attacker Cooper Robinson and UC Irvine opposite Nolan Flexen were among the players on Friday named to the U.S. roster for the Pan American Cup.

Robinson as a first-year starter finished last season in the nation’s top 20 with a .332 attack percentage and helped the Bruins repeat as NCAA champions. The All-MPSF selection also had a team-high 2.63 kills per game and became the first UCLA player this decade to have back-to-back matches with at least 20 kills.

Flexen transferred to UC Irvine after being named the 2023 NAIA National Player of the Year with Master’s.The pin-hitter in their first season at UC Irvine had double-digit kills in eight matches, including 13 kills against UCLA in the NCAA Tournament semifinals.

Robinson and Flexen join a U.S. roster comprised primarily of recent college graduates.

The United States will open the tournament with a pool-play match against Puerto Rico on Sunday. The team also will play Chile, Canada and Mexico during the pool-play stage.

The top team in the four-team pool following the round robin will receive a bye to the semifinals, while the second and third place teams will earn berths to the quarterfinals.