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.
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