Ellis is Stanford bound

Corona del Mar High boys’ senior middle blocker Gus Ellis said he has verbally committed to Stanford’s volleyball program, choosing the school over USC, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara because of its academic excellence.

The 6-foot-6 Ellis helped CdM win the CIF Southern Section Division II title last year.

“After I found out that I got in, it was like an easy call,” said Ellis, adding that his 3.96 grade-point average and 1880 SAT score were good enough to get in.

Ellis, a Newport-Mesa Dream Team pick, said he’s recovering from a partial tear of his right medial collateral ligament. He injured his knee playing in Mexico last month.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza