AVCA Boys' High School All-America Teams
STANFORD, Calif. – Two Stanford incoming freshmen, Jordan Ewert and Ryan Smith, have been named first team All-Americans by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), Tuesday as it announced its ninth annual Boys’ High School Senior All-America Teams.
Stanford was one of four teams nationally with two selections to the first team. Two-time defending national champion Loyola Chicago, Hawai’i and Long Beach State also had two first-team picks.
A 6-4 outside hitter out of Deer Valley High School, Ewert has been an integral part of the success of the USA High Performance program. A member of the pipeline for three years, he guided his teams to gold medals in each of the last two summers. In 2013, Ewert was named the MVP of the USA HP Championships as he led his USA Select Red team to first place in the International Division. In 2014, he became a starter for the USA Boys Youth National Team and was named the best receiver at the NORCECA Continental Championships. That squad became only the third USA Youth team to win a gold in program history.
Ewert has also had tremendous success in junior club play. A longtime member of Pacific Rim Volleyball Club, he was named to the 17 & under all-tournament team at the U.S. Junior National Championships as his team captured gold.
A teammate of Ewert on the Pacific Rim squad, Smith is another versatile perimeter hitter with great experience from Buchanan High School. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he moved to central California to gain greater growth in the sport. A 6-7 outside hitter/opposite, Smith was a one of the key players for his high school squad which won the Central Section last season, and was ranked third in the nation by MaxPreps.com. In the summer of 2013, hed teamed with Ewert on the USA Select Red team to win the gold medal at the 2013 U.S. High Performance Championships against national and international teams. He also won gold at the 2014 U.S. Junior National Championships with the Pacific Rim 17 & under club team.
Joining Ewert and Smith as part of the Cardinal’s incoming freshman class this fall are Russell Dervay (Virginia Beach, Va.), Matt Klassen (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Chris Moore (Lake Mary, Fla.).
This year’s group of 20 student-athletes (10 first team, 10 second team) represents 15 high schools from across the country. Only players in their senior season whose high school head coaches are AVCA members were eligible for nomination.