Local spikers medal at Junior Olympics

Two recent Laguna Beach High graduates, Nick Aronoff and Matt

Anderson, each played on medal-winning teams that competed at last

weekend’s 24th annual USA Volleyball Boys Junior Olympics held in

Phoenix, Ariz.

Aronoff played was the lone local player on the Long Beach Club 18

Black team that captured a Gold medal in the 18’s competition.

The Black team was comprised of 15 players, seven of whom played

at Orange County high schools.

It was the fourth Junior Olympic appearance for the 18-year-old

Aronoff and second straight as a member of the Long Beach Club team.

Aronoff, an all-Pacific Coast League player while at Laguna, will

attend Southern Methodist University in Dallas this fall on an

academic scholarship.

The Junior Olympic tournament was played in a large convention

center that held up to 40 playing courts.

“Usually the best competition is right here in Southern California

but this tournament gave us the chance to play against other top

players from throughout the country,” Aronoff said.

Anderson, meanwhile, represented Laguna on the Balboa Bay 18-Puma

squad that won a Bronze medal in 18’s play.

The entire 13-man Balboa Bay 18-Puma roster was made up of county

players.

Seven other Laguna athletes competed at the Junior Olympics.

In the 16’s division, Luke Morris played on the Balboa Bay 16-Puma

team that placed fifth overall and Andrew Chapel played for the

Balboa Bay 16-Blue team that finished 23rd.

In the 15’s division, Xander Olson was on the Balboa Bay 15-White

squad that placed 11th and Robert Knapp and the Balboa Bay 15-Blue

team was 13th overall.

Josh Burns played for the Laguna 14’s team that was 10th overall

in the 14’s division.

In the 13’s division, Khaled Mokhtar and Lorenzo Torriero were on

the Balboa Bay 13-Blue team that finished fifth.