Three Prep Standouts Sign With USC Men's Volleyball
November 13, 2006 | Men's Volleyball
Nov. 13, 2006
Three standout men's volleyball players-Riley McKibbin from Punahou High in Honolulu, Hi., Murphy Troy from St. Louis (Mo.) University High and Austin Zahn of Redondo Union High in Redondo Beach, Calif.-have signed letters of intent to play with USC, Trojan head coach Bill Ferguson announced today.
McKibbin, a 6-3 setter, led his team to 3 straight Division I state titles (2004-2006; boys volleyball is competed in the fall in Hawaii). He was a 2006 Mizuno Volleyball Magazine All-American honorable mention pick as a junior. He made the 2005 Honolulu Advertiser All-State first team and was on the state All-Tournament team. In 2006, he also competed at the FIVB U19 Beach World Championships and won a gold medal at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics U18 Beach Championships. As a sophomore in 2004, he was a Honolulu Star Bulletin All-State second teamer as Punahou won the state crown. He made the 2004 USA Volleyball Junior Olympics 16 Open All-Tourney team as his Outrigger Canoe Club team finished second in the tournament.
McKibbin, who also was a 2006 All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division II first team basketball player, has a pair of relatives who played volleyball at USC: his uncle, Owen McKibbin (who lettered in 1983-84-86-87, as the Trojans finised second at the NCAA Championships his final 2 seasons), and his aunt, Claudia McKibbin (a letterwinner on the Women of Troy's 1980 national championship team).
Troy, a 6-7 outside hitter, was a starter on the 2006 USA Volleyball Boys' Youth National team that won a silver medal at the NORCECA World Championship qualifier in the Dominican Republic. He made the 2006 St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro first team as a junior. His brother, Phinney, is a sophomore offensive tackle at Missouri.
Zahn, a 6-8 middle blocker, made the 2006 Mizuno Volleyball Magazine All-American second team, All-CIF Division I second team, Los Angeles Times All-Star second team, South Bay Daily Breeze All-South Bay first team and All-Bay League as a junior when he posted 367 kills and 100 blocks (Redondo was the CIF Division I runner-up). He also was a member of the 2006 USA Volleyball Men's Junior National Team. As a sophomore in 2005, he was an All-Bay League first teamer, a member of the USA Volleyball Boys' Youth National Team and made the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics 16 Open All-Tourney team (his Riptides club team placed third). He won a gold medal at the 2004 USA Volleyball Junior Olympics U16 Beach Championships.
His brothers played college basketball: Andrew at Arizona in 2002 and Biola in 2003 (he's now playing professionally in Japan) and Adam, currently a senior at Oregon.
