Waves Well Represented on USA Volleyball Boys' Youth National Team
6/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
June 8, 2011
MALIBU, Calif. - Their 2012 freshmen debut may still be months away, but for several incoming members of the Pepperdine men's volleyball team, it won't be the first time they've appeared on the court together. The USA Volleyball High Performance Department announced the final roster for the 2011 Boys' Youth National Team (BYNT), which includes four future Waves: Nikola Antonijevic, Scott Rhein, Matt Tarantino, and Matt West.
With four BYNT selections, Pepperdine leads all Division I programs.
The BYNT will compete in the Youth Pan American Cup on July 9-17 in Mexico, and the Youth World Championship August 19-28 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
All four Wave representatives on the BYNT were also a part of the 2010 squad, who placed second at the NORCECA Boys' Youth Continental Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Antonijevic (Buffalo Grove, Ill./ Adlai E. Stevenson HS) is a 6-foot-8 middle blocker and, in addition to the BYNT, has played with the Adversity Volleyball Club. He was recently selected to the AVCA Senior High School All-American Team.
A 2010 Volleyball Magazine "Top 25 Players" selection , Rhein (Pleasant View, Tenn./Aaron Academy) is an outside hitter who stands at 6-5. In 2009, Rhein was selected to compete at the USA Boys' High Performance Holiday Camp in San Diego, Calif., as well as the Boys' Select A1 Team at the High Performance Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In 2010, he earned "Best Spiker" honors while at the Boys' High Performance Championships.
Tarantino (Van Nuys, Calif./Bishop Alemany HS), who was also named an AVCA Senior High School All-American Team along with Antonijevic, has seen success on the court at every level. While playing for the Santa Monica Beach Club, the 6-9 outside hitter won a bronze medal at the U.S. Boy's Junior National Championships in 2008. He has been a four-year captain on the varsity squad at Bishop Alemany, and has also compete for the USA Volleyball Select A1 Team at the High Performance Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
West's (Seattle, Wash./Shorewood HS) USA Volleyball career dates back to 2007 when he was named the Most Promising Athlete at the USA Volleyball High Performance Development Camp in Fairfax, Va. In 2008, the 6-6 setter was selected to compete at the Boys' Youth Holiday Camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was named to the USA Volleyball Select A1 Team that competed at the High Performance Championships in Tucson, Arizona. In 2009, West participated in the USA Volleyball High Performance Holiday Camp in San Diego, California, and was the Captain of the Boys' Select A1 Team at the High Performance Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
To read the complete Boys' Youth National Team announcement, please see: http://usavolleyball.org/news/2011/06/01/usav-declares-2011-boys-youth-national-team/42603.
USAVolleyball.org contributed to this release.
