Club team featuring eight NCAA recruits wins USA Volleyball national title

The club careers for eight incoming NCAA men’s volleyball freshmen now includes leading their program to an unprecedented fourth straight national title.

The Southern California team 949 B12 Black swept Balboa Bay 25-16, 25-21 in the Open 18 Division championship match at the USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championship earlier this week in Phoenix, Arizona.

With this victory, 949 became the first program in USA Volleyball history to have players win four consecutive national championship progressing from the 15 Open Division through 18 Open Division.

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The 949 roster featured incoming freshmen recruits for five NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball programs.

UC Santa Barbara had two recruits on the championship club, including the tournament’s most valuable player Patrick Paragas. UCLA also had two recruits on this team, while Ohio State, UC Irvine, USC and the Division III school Fontbonne each have one player from 949.

UCLA recruit Kevin Kobrine, UC Santa Barbara recruit Andrew McSweeney and USC recruit Brandon Browning joined Paragas as the four 949 players to make the All-Tournament Team.

UC Santa Barbara was the only college to have multiple incoming freshmen recruits earn All-Tournament honors.

949 roster (2018 national champions)

Brandon Browning, USC
Sam Burgii, UCLA
Kevin Korbrine, UCLA
Andrew McSweeney, UC Santa Barbara
Patrick Parragas, UC Santa Barbara
Ethan Talley, Ohio State
Patrick Vorenkamp, UC Irvine
Cameron Way, Fontbonne
Nathan Bowman
Diego Perez
Trevor Sperle

USA Volleyball BJNC All-Tournament Team

MVP: Patrick Paragas, 949 B18 Black (UC Santa Barbara)
Jonathan Bowles, SMBC Pali 18 adidas (UC Irvine)
Brandon Browning, 949 B18 Black (USC)
Max Cajuste, MB Surf Asics 18s
Dayne Chalmers, Balboa Bay 18 Blue
Luke Denton, AZ Fear 18 JB (Loyola)
Omar Hoyos, MVP Academy 18 Fire
Kevin Kauling, SPVB B18 Elite
Kevin Kobrine, 949 B18 Black (UCLA)
Kohl Kutsch, MB Surf Asics 18s
Andrew McSweeney, 949 B18 Black (UC Santa Barbara)
Brett Sheward, Balboa Bay 18 Blue (Hawai’i)
Jacob Steele, Balboa Bay 18 Blue (Pepperdine)
Nate Thompson, AZ Fear 18 JB (Princeton)
Matthew Tompkins, HPSTL B18 Royal