Cardinal Inks Four

STANFORD, Calif. - John Kosty, The Birkhofer Family Men's Volleyball Head Coach, and his staff have announced the signings of four high school standouts who will join the men's volleyball team next fall.

Stanford's incoming class consists of Nils Bennebroek (Foster City, Calif.), Noah Duffield (Burbank, Calif.), Leonardo Meoni (Padua, Italy) and Chase Wallin (Laguna Niguel, Calif.)

"We're excited to welcome this group to our program. All four have already played for their countries at the youth international level, and they all bring a high skill set and a competitive edge," said Kosty. They fit what we value: players who want to be pushed every day in the gym and in the classroom. This class gives us depth and versatility, and I think they'll have a real impact on our future."

Nils Bennebroek • 6-6 • Middle Blocker • Foster City, Calif. • Hillsdale HS

• Two-time team captain (2026, 2027)
• Hillsdale Junior Male Standout Athlete Award winner (2026)
• PAL Bay League First Team (2026)
• Hillsdale Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award (2025)
• 2026 U.S. Men’s U19 National Team
• 2026 Norceca Continental Championship second place
• NTDP Indoor Training Series Athlete (2024-2027)
• Plays for Bay to Bay Volleyball Club
  • 2026 JVA Boys’ All-National Team Class of 2027
  • AAU Junior National Championships 17 Open second place (2026)
  • SoCal Cup The Showcase 17 Open Champions (2026)
  • AAU Junior National Championships 16 Open 3rd place (2025)
  • SoCal Cup The Open Championship 16 Open 3rd place (2025)
  • Brickyard Battle 16 Open Champions (2024)

Coach Kosty on Bennebroek: "Nils is an athletic, physical middle with a big presence at the net. He's quick, he blocks well, and he's gotten better every time we've seen him. Winning a silver medal with the U19 National Team at the NORCECA Continental Championship showed us he can compete and contribute against top international competition, and that experience will serve him well at this level. We're thrilled to keep a talented local player right here in the Bay Area."

Noah Duffield • 6-7 • Outside Hitter • Burbank, Calif. • John Burroughs HS

• Two-time team captain
• Two-time First Team All-CIF Division 2 (2025, 2026)
• Pacific League MVP (2026)
• Two-time All-Pacific League First Team (2025, 2026)
• Redondo Union HS Varsity Invitational All-Tournament selection (2026)
• Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions – Silver Medalist (2026)
  • All-Tournament selection
• Chatsworth Tournament Champions (2024)
• Four-time Scholar Athlete (2023-27)
• USA Volleyball National Team Development Program (2025, 2026)
  • Five-time NTDP Indoor Participant
• USA Men’s U19 National Team Member
  • Trained for U19 NORCECA Continental Championship (2026)
• Plays for MB Surf
  • Two-time JVA All National Team (2025, 2026)
  • Southwest Boys Classic – 17U Open Division Bronze Medalist (2026)
  • SOCAL Cup Winter Formal – 17U Open Division Bronze Medalist and All-Tournament Team (2025)
  • Pacific Classic Tournament – 16U Open Division Bronze Medalist and All-Tournament Team (2024)
  • SOCAL Cup Winter Formal – 16U Open Division Bronze Medalist (2024)

Coach Kosty on Duffield: "Noah is a big, physical outside hitter who can score from anywhere on the court. He's proven and consistently performs at the highest level of club volleyball. He has all the tools to develop into a key piece of our offense, and we can't wait to get him in the gym at Stanford."

Leonardo Meoni • 6-7 • Outside Hitter • Padua, Italy • Friendswood HS

• U18 Volleyball European Championships – fourth place Italian Men’s U18 Volleyball Team (2026)
• Trained with the final roster of the Italian Men’s U20 Volleyball Team (2026)
• National Team Development Program U19 Winter + Spring Training (2025)
• Plays club for Houston Volleyball Academy
  • Caribbean Volleyball Championship (17 & Under Open) - 2^nd Place HVA 17 Performance Red + All-Star (2026)
  • Cornacchia World Cup (17 & Under Open) - 1^st Place HVA 17 Performance Red + MVP (2026)
  • Caribbean Volleyball Championship (16 & Under Open) - second place HVA 16 Performance Red+ All-Star (2025)
  • AAU Junior National Volleyball Championship (16 & Under Open) - 11^th place HVA 16 Performance Red (2025)
  • USAV National Championship (15 & Under Open)  – first place HVA 15 Performance Red (2024)
  • AAU Junior National Volleyball Championship (15 & Under Premier) third place HVA 15 Performance Red + All-Star award (2024)

Coach Kosty on Meoni: "Leonardo is a versatile attacker who can score from either pin, and he arrives with international experience that very few freshmen have. He helped Italy reach the semifinals at the U18 European Championship, and he's also competed at a high level with Houston Volleyball Academy and the Vero Volley youth program. That background and his ability to play multiple positions will give our lineup a lot of flexibility."

Chase Wallin • 6-6 • Setter • Laguna Niguel, Calif. • Santa Margarita Catholic HS

• CIF Southern Section Division 2 Champion
• First Team All-CIF Southern Section, Division 1, Trinity League MVP (2026)
• First Team All-CIF Southern Section, Division 2, First Team All-Trinity League (2025)
• First Team All-CIF Southern Section, Division 2, First Team All-Trinity League (2024)
• Orange County Beach Volleyball League Champion (2026)
• USA Men’s U19 National Team Captain (2026)
  • NORCECA Continental Championship silver medalist
• USA National Team Development Progam participant (2023–2026)
• Plays club for Balboa Bay (18U) - Also played for 949 VB (12U-18U)
  • SoCal Cup Showcase 18U Open Bronze Medalist and All-Tournament Team (2026)
  • Chi Town Boys Challenge 18U Open Champion (2025)
  • SoCal Cup Showcase 17U Open Bronze Medalist (2025)
  • SoCal Cup Winter Formal 17U Open Champion (2024)
  • Pacific Classic 17U Open Bronze Medalist and All-Tournament Team (2024)
  • JVA Boys All-National Team, Class of 2027 (2024)
  • SoCal Cup Showcase 16U Open Champion (2024)
  • SoCal Cup Winter Formal 16U Open Bronze Medalist and All-Tournament Team (2023)
  • AAU Boys Junior National Championship 15U Open Champion and First Team All-American (2023)
  • SoCal Cup Showcase 15U Open Champion and All-Tournament Team (2023)
  • SoCal Open Championship 15U Open Bronze Medalist (2023)
  • SoCal Cup Winter Formal 15U Open Bronze Medalist (2022)
  • Chi Town Boys Challenge 15U Open Silver Medalist and All-Tournament Team (2022)
  • AAU Boys Junior National Championship 14U Open Bronze Medalist (2022)
  • SoCal Cup Showcase 14U Open Champion and All-Tournament Team (2022)
  • SoCal Cup MLK Invitational Champion (2022)
  • USAV Boys Junior National Championship 13U Silver Medalist (2021)

Coach Kosty on Wallin: "Chase is a setter with great hands and a high volleyball IQ. He's already proven he can run an offense at the international level, helping the U19 National Team win silver at NORCECA. He's a natural leader who makes the players around him better, and we're excited to see what he can do at Stanford."