USC Men’s Volleyball Signs Six Decorated Athletes to 2024-25 Class
November 09, 2023 | Men's Volleyball
The Trojans are fresh off bringing in the top-ranked recruiting class of 2023-24
LOS ANGELES – The USC men's volleyball program has signed six decorated prep volleyball standouts to National Letters of Intent to join the Trojans as freshmen in the fall of 2024 head coach Jeff Nygaard announced on Thursday, Nov. 9.
The six signees include 6-5 setter Caleb Blanchette (Brentwood, Tenn./Ravenwood HS); 6-5 outside hitter Christian Connell (Solana Beach, Calif./Torrey Pines HS); 6-1 defender/libero Johnny Dykstra (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS); 6-6 outside hitter Sterling Foley (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar HS); 6-8 middle blocker Tyler Robinson (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS); and 6-10 middle blocker Parker Tomkinson (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS).
"We're proud to announce this stellar incoming Trojan class," said Nygaard. "We welcome our new student-athletes with great anticipation. This hard-working group is dedicated to our sport and to bringing USC volleyball to the next level. They are each accomplished prep athletes and display an incredible volleyball IQ. We're looking forward to what this class will bring to our program as a group and I'm confident that they will arrive on campus prepared to make an immediate impact."
Blanchette played for the C2 Attack Volleyball Club and helped his team place first at the 2023 U17 USAV Dennis Lafata, U17 USAV Boys Winter Championships, and the U17 USAV Midwest Boys Point Series. His club finished third at the U17 AAU Indoor National Championships where he was named to the all-tournament team. Blanchette helped lead his team to a 72-2 record and the 2022 U16 USAV Indoor National Championship as the tournament MVP. He was named to the 2023 JVA Boys All-National Team and is on the VolleyballMag Top 25 Underclassmen to Watch list. Blanchette is a member of the USAV Beach NTDP squad and won gold with the U19 Men's Indoor National Team in Guatemala at the NORCECA Pan-Am Games and bronze on the U20 Men's Beach National Team at the U23 CAZOVA Beach Championships in the Grand Cayman Islands.
Connell was a two-time NCC Player of the Year and first-team All-CIF choice at Torrey Pines. He helped his team win the NCC championship as a freshman and repeated for the title as a sophomore. Connell held the 10th spot on the MaxPreps national leaderboard for kills as a sophomore and was team captain as both a sophomore and junior. He was a member of the USA Indoor NTDP, Beach NTDP, and U19 training teams; and played for Wave Volleyball Club. Connell earned six all-tournament team awards with Wave and secured third-place finishes at the SoCal Championship, Chi-Town Tournament, and MLK Tournament.
Dykstra—an AAU National Championship All-American—helped Mira Costa win the Bay League and earn third place in the CIF Southern Section in back-to-back years. He is a member of the USAV Indoor NTDP and Beach NTDP teams. As a sophomore, he placed first in the USAV Beach Junior Nationals in Fort Lauderdale and topped the CBVA leaderboard for end of year points. As a junior, he took part in the Indoor NTDP Summer Training Series and claimed a first-place finish at the Beach NTDP Fall Training Series. Dykstra played club volleyball with MB Surf Volleyball Club where he was named a VolleyballMag Top Performer at the AAU National Championship.
Foley is a three-time VolleyballMag Top 25 Underclassman and attended Corona del Mar High School. As a junior, he was All-CIF and was named to the Sunset League and CIF Division I first teams. Foley led his team to a second-place finish in the CIF Southern Section Division I Championship and finished third in the Division I CIF State Championship. He helped Balboa Bay Volleyball Club win five major tournaments including the U17 AAU National Championship, with first-place finishes at SoCal Cup Winter, SoCal Cup Showcase, and SoCal Cup Open. Foley earned MVP honors at SoCal Cup Winter, SoCal Cup Showcase, and AAU Nationals, and was named to the all-tournament team at the SoCal Cup Open. As a participant in the U19 USA Youth National Team, he won the U19 PanAm Tournament in 2022 and 2023.
Robinson prepped at Mater Dei HS and was a VolleyballMag Top 25 Underclassman. He took part in USAV NTDP training sessions in Arizona, Anaheim, and Florida, and helped Mater Dei win the Trinity League as a junior; and was named to the All-Trinity League second team. Robinson played club volleyball for the Rockstar Volleyball Club where he led his team to a second-place finish at the MLK Tournament. Rockstar also finished third at the Chi-Town Challenge and fifth at the Boys Junior National Championships.
Tomkinson is a two-sport athlete both on the beach and indoors. He earned all-league second-team honors as a sophomore and helped his beach volleyball team to the San Diego Division II Beach Volleyball Championship. He led the team in total blocks with 109 and was second in total kills (222) and hitting percentage (.411) as a sophomore. As a junior, Tomkinson led his team to a league championship and was Player of the Year, a first-team All-CIF choice and the Carlsbad HS MVP. Tomkinson played for Wave Volleyball Club where his team finished third at the Chi-Town Challenge and at the SoCal Open Championships. He also has experience at the national level with the USAV Indoor and Beach NTDP training programs. He has taken part in USAV Beach and Indoor NTDP training series and is on the 2023 JVA Watchlist and on the JVA All-National Team. Tomkinson is a 2023 Red-Hat All American and a VolleyballMag Top 25 Underclassmen.
The 12th-ranked USC men's volleyball team concluded the 2023 season with a 10-16 overall record and went 3-9 in MPSF matches to finish in sixth place. USC faced Stanford in the opening round of the MPSF tournament but was eliminated by the Cardinal in four sets. In its history, the USC men's volleyball program has captured four NCAA championships while appearing in 15 NCAA tournaments and has produced 21 Olympians, 34 first-team All-Americans, and seven College Players of the Year.
For more information on the USC men's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/MVB. Fans of the Trojans can follow @USCmensvolley on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
The six signees include 6-5 setter Caleb Blanchette (Brentwood, Tenn./Ravenwood HS); 6-5 outside hitter Christian Connell (Solana Beach, Calif./Torrey Pines HS); 6-1 defender/libero Johnny Dykstra (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS); 6-6 outside hitter Sterling Foley (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar HS); 6-8 middle blocker Tyler Robinson (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS); and 6-10 middle blocker Parker Tomkinson (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS).
"We're proud to announce this stellar incoming Trojan class," said Nygaard. "We welcome our new student-athletes with great anticipation. This hard-working group is dedicated to our sport and to bringing USC volleyball to the next level. They are each accomplished prep athletes and display an incredible volleyball IQ. We're looking forward to what this class will bring to our program as a group and I'm confident that they will arrive on campus prepared to make an immediate impact."
Blanchette played for the C2 Attack Volleyball Club and helped his team place first at the 2023 U17 USAV Dennis Lafata, U17 USAV Boys Winter Championships, and the U17 USAV Midwest Boys Point Series. His club finished third at the U17 AAU Indoor National Championships where he was named to the all-tournament team. Blanchette helped lead his team to a 72-2 record and the 2022 U16 USAV Indoor National Championship as the tournament MVP. He was named to the 2023 JVA Boys All-National Team and is on the VolleyballMag Top 25 Underclassmen to Watch list. Blanchette is a member of the USAV Beach NTDP squad and won gold with the U19 Men's Indoor National Team in Guatemala at the NORCECA Pan-Am Games and bronze on the U20 Men's Beach National Team at the U23 CAZOVA Beach Championships in the Grand Cayman Islands.
Connell was a two-time NCC Player of the Year and first-team All-CIF choice at Torrey Pines. He helped his team win the NCC championship as a freshman and repeated for the title as a sophomore. Connell held the 10th spot on the MaxPreps national leaderboard for kills as a sophomore and was team captain as both a sophomore and junior. He was a member of the USA Indoor NTDP, Beach NTDP, and U19 training teams; and played for Wave Volleyball Club. Connell earned six all-tournament team awards with Wave and secured third-place finishes at the SoCal Championship, Chi-Town Tournament, and MLK Tournament.
Dykstra—an AAU National Championship All-American—helped Mira Costa win the Bay League and earn third place in the CIF Southern Section in back-to-back years. He is a member of the USAV Indoor NTDP and Beach NTDP teams. As a sophomore, he placed first in the USAV Beach Junior Nationals in Fort Lauderdale and topped the CBVA leaderboard for end of year points. As a junior, he took part in the Indoor NTDP Summer Training Series and claimed a first-place finish at the Beach NTDP Fall Training Series. Dykstra played club volleyball with MB Surf Volleyball Club where he was named a VolleyballMag Top Performer at the AAU National Championship.
Foley is a three-time VolleyballMag Top 25 Underclassman and attended Corona del Mar High School. As a junior, he was All-CIF and was named to the Sunset League and CIF Division I first teams. Foley led his team to a second-place finish in the CIF Southern Section Division I Championship and finished third in the Division I CIF State Championship. He helped Balboa Bay Volleyball Club win five major tournaments including the U17 AAU National Championship, with first-place finishes at SoCal Cup Winter, SoCal Cup Showcase, and SoCal Cup Open. Foley earned MVP honors at SoCal Cup Winter, SoCal Cup Showcase, and AAU Nationals, and was named to the all-tournament team at the SoCal Cup Open. As a participant in the U19 USA Youth National Team, he won the U19 PanAm Tournament in 2022 and 2023.
Robinson prepped at Mater Dei HS and was a VolleyballMag Top 25 Underclassman. He took part in USAV NTDP training sessions in Arizona, Anaheim, and Florida, and helped Mater Dei win the Trinity League as a junior; and was named to the All-Trinity League second team. Robinson played club volleyball for the Rockstar Volleyball Club where he led his team to a second-place finish at the MLK Tournament. Rockstar also finished third at the Chi-Town Challenge and fifth at the Boys Junior National Championships.
Tomkinson is a two-sport athlete both on the beach and indoors. He earned all-league second-team honors as a sophomore and helped his beach volleyball team to the San Diego Division II Beach Volleyball Championship. He led the team in total blocks with 109 and was second in total kills (222) and hitting percentage (.411) as a sophomore. As a junior, Tomkinson led his team to a league championship and was Player of the Year, a first-team All-CIF choice and the Carlsbad HS MVP. Tomkinson played for Wave Volleyball Club where his team finished third at the Chi-Town Challenge and at the SoCal Open Championships. He also has experience at the national level with the USAV Indoor and Beach NTDP training programs. He has taken part in USAV Beach and Indoor NTDP training series and is on the 2023 JVA Watchlist and on the JVA All-National Team. Tomkinson is a 2023 Red-Hat All American and a VolleyballMag Top 25 Underclassmen.
The 12th-ranked USC men's volleyball team concluded the 2023 season with a 10-16 overall record and went 3-9 in MPSF matches to finish in sixth place. USC faced Stanford in the opening round of the MPSF tournament but was eliminated by the Cardinal in four sets. In its history, the USC men's volleyball program has captured four NCAA championships while appearing in 15 NCAA tournaments and has produced 21 Olympians, 34 first-team All-Americans, and seven College Players of the Year.
For more information on the USC men's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/MVB. Fans of the Trojans can follow @USCmensvolley on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
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