Volleyball Signs Four Recruits

PROVO -- BYU men’s volleyball head coach Shawn Patchell announced that opposite Clay Paullin, libero John Caroompas and outside hitters Taylor Sander and Josue Rivera have committed to play for the Cougars by signing national letters of intent.

“We’re really excited to sign these players during the early signing period,” said Patchell. “This could possibly be the best recruiting class we’ve ever had here at BYU. We’ll just have to wait and see how they perform on the court and in the classroom.”

Currently a senior at Palos Verdes High School in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., Paullin will begin his third year on the varsity squad. He helped his team earn a 21-7 regular season record in 2009, along with a second place finish in the Bay League CIF Division I Southern Section. At 6-foot-8, Paullin has also spent the past six years playing for the Southern California Volleyball Club and is currently on the 18-1 Quicksilver team.

A native of Norco, Calif., Sander was the captain of the USA Youth National Team that competed for a world championship this summer in Italy. At 6-foot-4, he helped lead his Norco High School team to victory in the 2009 CIF Division 3 title match, earning himself school and league MVP distinction. Averaging more than 20 kills in the postseason, he was key in Norco’s success. Sander has received numerous first-team all-league, all-county and all-region honors.

Sander has teamed up with Caroompas, of Laguna Niguel, Calif., in beach volleyball competition since 2005. In 2007 they won six of the seven tournaments they participated in, including the USA Volleyball Junior Open Championships and the USA Volleyball Tour Championships. The pair has won numerous AAU national titles, USA Volleyball beach national titles and CBVA Roxy/Quiksilver tour titles. Most recently, Sander and Caroompas claimed the AAU Beach National Championship this past July.

Caroompas received the 2008 AAU Player of the Year award at the 16th AAU Junior Beach Volleyball National Championships, one of the largest and most prestigious junior beach tournaments in the country. Sander received the same award in 2007.

A team captain of the Puerto Rico Youth National Team, Rivera helped lead his team to a bronze medal at the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship in October. At 6-foot-3, he will come to BYU from Puerto Rico’s Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola.