USC Signee Cristian Rivera To Play In 3 International Tourneys
May 26, 2011 | Men's Volleyball
May 26, 2011
USC men's volleyball signee Cristian Rivera, a 6-6 outside hitter from Puerto Rico, will participate in 3 international indoor tournaments during the summer of 2011.
He will play for his native Puerto Rico at the Pan American Cup in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, from June 13 to 18. The tourney includes the top-ranked countries in the NORCECA and the South America zones (Canada, USA, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Panama, Bahamas, Dominican Republic). It is a qualifying event for the FIVB World League for 2012. Last year, Puerto Rico advanced from the Pan Am Cup tournament to eventually qualify to this year's World League competition. Rivera was the final cut for Puerto Rico's 2011 World League roster, which includes former Trojan Juan Figueroa. His team opens World League play on Friday, May 27, at home against Brazil.
(Two other former Trojans will participate in the 2011 FIVB World League. Olympians Donald Suxho and Gabe Gardner are on the fifth-ranked U.S. men's team which opens play at 10th-ranked Poland this Friday and Saturday, May 27-28. Suxho, coming off a torn knee ligament, is expected to start at setter, while Gardner, who transferred from USC to Stanford, will be a backup outside hitter. Following their two matches in Poland, the U.S. will play 2 road matches at Puerto Rico on June 3-4 and another pair of road matches at Brazil June 22-23 before returning home for matches against those 3 teams.)
After the Pan Am Cup, Rivera then will play for a Puerto Rican team that will take part in its first FIVB Men's Junior Volleyball World Championship since 1997. The competition will be in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 1-10.
He will conclude his summer volleyball by playing for Puerto Rico in the FIVB Volleyball Boys' Youth World Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aug. 19-28.
Rivera plays for Colegio San Jose in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, which won the 2009 and 2010 Puerto Rico High School Athletic Alliance championships. He was a starter on the Puerto Rican Junior National Team that won a bronze medal by beating 3-time defending champion Cuba in the 2010 NORCECA Junior Championship in Canada in August, earning his team a berth in the 2011 World Junior Championship. He also started on Puerto Rico's Youth National Team that will participate in the 2011 World Youth Championship. He also made the All-Tournament team at the 2010 and 2009 USA Volleyball Junior Olympics, in the Under 17 and 16 Open Gold Divisions, respectively. His Halcones de Torrimar club team was the silver medalist at the 2009 Junior Olympics in the 16 Open Gold Division and the bronze medalist at the 2008 tourney in the 15 Open Gold Division.
