
Three former University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball players have made the respective rosters of their national teams that will compete in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, which runs from May 28-June 27 in Rimini, Italy.
Middle blocker Taylor Averill (2012-15) is on the U.S. team, along with setters Micah Christenson (Kamehameha) and Kawika Shoji (‘Iolani), and libero Erik Shoji (Punahou).
Opposite Stijn van Tilburg (2016-19) will be competing for the Netherlands, and opposite Rado Parapunov (2017-21) will compete for Bulgaria.
Christenson and the Shoji brothers were on the 2016 Olympic team that won bronze in Rio de Janeiro. The U.S. is currently ranked No. 3 in the world.
The 2021 VNL consists of 16 teams that will compete in three-day round-robin segments during the preliminary round. Unlike the past, only the top four teams will advance to the final round. The semifinals will be played June 26 and the medal matches on June 27.
The year’s VNL will be the U.S. Men’s only official international competition prior to the Tokyo Olympic Games, which begin July 24.
The VNL will be broadcast in the U.S. on the FIVB’s streaming service Volleyball World TV.
USAV release: https://usavolleyball.org/story/experienced-u-s-mens-roster-ready-to-compete-for-another-vnl-podium-finish/
From UH:
>> Averill has the most experience among the group, having competed in the 2018 FIVB World Championship squad that finished in third place. He also participated in preliminary round matches of the 2018 and 2019 VNL. The San Jose, Calif., native was a two-time first-team All-American for the Warriors and recipient of UH’s Jack Bonham Award as the school’s outstanding male student-athlete.
>> Van Tilburg was a three-time All-American who helped UH to a national runner-up finish and the program’s first-ever conference tournament title, both in 2019. The Amsterdam native became just the second UH player to earn AVCA first-team honors three times and finished his career in the Top 10 in kills (7th, 1,410) and kill attempts (6th, 2,840).
>> Parapunov led the Warriors to their second national title earlier this month while becoming just the third player in program history to earn AVCA Player of the Year honors. The Sofia, Bulgaria, native was also a three-time first-team All-American and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Cindy, I had a quick question. Since there are no graduating seniors next year, UH should try and get the departing seniors/juniors to have a senior night next year. I know it would be hard because they are all playing professional, but that way the fans could honor them the Hawaii way.
it could be hard but you never know. Agree. it would be nice
Got the info from VT boards…Emily Maglio representing Canada on women’s side
https://volleyball.ca/en/news/canada-s-first-ever-women-s-vnl-team-announced
thanks