COLORADO SPRINGS – Six athletes from Illinois are among the 17 who have been selected for the 2025 U.S. Boys U17 National Team that will train for the 2025 NORCECA Boys U17 Continental Championship, set for November 18-23 in Managua, Nicaragua.
The six players from Illinois are 5-10 sophomore libero Nate Paige (Wheaton Warrenville South/630 Volleyball VBC), 6-3 sophomore middle blocker Sean John (Hersey/MOD Elite VBC), and 6-6 sophomore outside hitter Tommy Clifford (Glenbard West/630 Volleyball VBC).
Also, 6-5 sophomore middle blocker Nikodem Opiola (Rolling Meadows/MOD Elite VBC), sophomore middle blocker Frankie Vincent (Schaumburg/Pipeline VBC) and 6-9 sophomore setter Kellen Saurer (Wheaton Academy/Sports Performance VBC).
The athletes will participate in a training block November 9-16 at the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. From this group, 12 athletes will be named to the final roster to compete in Managua. This will be the first national team experience for all 17 athletes.
U.S. Women’s National Team Assistant Coach Brandon Taliaferro, a former player on the U.S. Men’s National Team, will lead the U17 squad. Taliaferro was previously an assistant for the UCLA men’s program.
“I’m honored to serve these athletes and represent USA Volleyball,” Taliaferro said. “The U17 age group is the first step in the National team process. Our staff will build a training environment that is intense, skill-based and game-real, with the intention of developing the foundation for years to come wearing red, white and blue.”
The 17 players were chosen from players who previously participated in the National Training Development Program.
Rounding out the 17-player roster are:
Logan Flores (outside hitter, Cypress High School, Cypress, California)
Collin Tullis (libero, Seton Home Study Program, Slidell, Louisiana)
Sid Saikanth (outside hitter, Rouse High School, Leander, Texas)
Dane Schaefer (setter/opposite, Mira Costa High School, Mira Costa, California)
Tyler Berent (setter, Mountain View High School, Mountain View, California)
Gabe Desiderio (outside hitter, Saint Francis High School, Los Altos Hills, California)
Kekoa Wade (opposite, University Lab School, Kailua, Hawaii)
Carter Tchaikovsky (setter, Huntington Beach High School, Huntington Beach, California)
Jackson Vanderpool (middle blocker, Higley High School, Queen Creek, Arizona)
Noah Mbaitoloum (outside hitter, Winston Churchill High School, Rockville, Maryland)
Jackson Real (opposite, San Clemente High Schol, San Clemente, California)
Assisting head coach Brandon Taliaferro are Steven Duhoux (Ohio State) and Tom Stillwell (USAV).