EUROPE TOUR FINALE: BRONZE MEDALISTS IN MARIBOR 🥉

EUROPE TOUR FINALE: BRONZE MEDALISTS IN MARIBOR 🥉

A Bronze Medal, A Lifetime of Memories, and the Beginning of Something Bigger

As our 2026 Champions Unlimited Europe Tour comes to an end, it’s hard to put into words everything this group accomplished over the past two weeks. We came to Europe to compete against some of the best young volleyball players in the world, to learn from internationally renowned coaches, to immerse ourselves in a new culture, and to grow as athletes and young men.

 


Mission accomplished.

While the final standings will forever show a third-place finish, anyone who watched this tournament knows just how close this team was to standing on the top step of the podium.

Our semifinal against Israel was everything international volleyball should be. It was fast, physical, emotional, and played at an incredibly high level. After dropping the opening set, our boys responded with tremendous resilience to win the second and force a deciding third set.

With a spot in the championship on the line, the third set came down to the smallest of margins. Unfortunately, we fell 15-13, ending our championship hopes by just two points.

The heartbreaking part?

Israel would go on to defeat the Slovenian U20 National Team in the championship match to win the tournament.
In many ways, our semifinal was the real championship.
 


The Response of Champions

What impressed our coaching staff the most wasn’t the loss.

It was the response.

Many teams would have struggled emotionally after losing such a close semifinal.

Instead, our athletes regrouped, reset, and came back onto the court ready to compete.

Waiting for us in the bronze medal match was an outstanding Northern California U19/U20 Select Team, featuring several current college players.

It was another battle.
Three hard-fought sets.
Another deciding third set.
This time, our boys finished the job.

Champions Unlimited defeated Northern California 16-14 in the deciding set to earn the Bronze Medal.
It was a fitting ending for a team that simply refused to quit.

 

 
A Tournament Defined by
Competitive Excellence

One statistic perfectly summarizes just how competitive this tournament was.

Although we finished third, our team finished with essentially the same overall record as the top two teams.

All three medal-winning teams finished the tournament with only one loss.

That says everything.
Every match mattered.
Every point mattered.

And our athletes proved they belonged on the same court as some of the best international competition available.

 
      
Quarterfinal Statement

Before reaching the semifinals, we faced host club i-Vent Maribor in front of a passionate home crowd.

After dropping the opening set, our players made adjustments, trusted one another, and completely took control of the match.

Final two sets:
25-14
15-7

It was one of the strongest volleyball performances of the tournament and demonstrated how quickly this group continued to improve throughout the week.



Individual Recognition

A huge congratulations goes to Julian Bennett, who was selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Julian’s consistency, competitiveness, leadership, and high-level play earned him recognition among the tournament’s very best players.

An incredible accomplishment and one that was well deserved. 

 





Coach Tim Johnson
Coach Johnson did an outstanding job leading this group throughout the tournament. His preparation, leadership, communication, and ability to keep the team focused every day played a tremendous role in our success.

Coach Alan Knipe
Having one of the greatest coaches in NCAA history mentoring our athletes every day is something few young volleyball players will ever experience.

His technical instruction, tactical insights, and daily teaching elevated every player on this trip.

Coach Neil Mason
Neil Mason brought tremendous leadership and developmental experience throughout the tour. As a three-time National Championship Coach and former USOC Developmental Coach of the Year, his guidance helped create an environment where athletes could compete, learn, and grow both on and off the court.

Riley Salmon
Olympic Gold Medalist and Team USA veteran Riley Salmon shared invaluable international experience with our athletes throughout the tour. His perspective on elite competition, preparation, and performing at the highest level gave the players lessons they can carry well beyond this experience.

David Smith
Four-time Olympian and Team USA veteran David Smith brought world-class experience, leadership, and insight to the program. His knowledge of blocking, international competition, and elite performance standards provided our athletes with a unique opportunity to learn from one of the game's most accomplished players.

Alexis Colon
A huge thank you to Alexis Colon, who served as our athletic trainer and physical therapist throughout the tour.

Alexis worked tirelessly to keep our athletes healthy, treated injuries, assisted other international teams when needed, and was an incredible ambassador for Champions Unlimited wherever we went.

She truly embodied what this trip was all about.

Schneidermans
A special thank you to Paul and Kamille Schneiderman for spending countless hours helping capture video content throughout the tour. Those memories will last forever because of your work behind the camera.

Petrea
Thank you to Petrea for documenting the experience and helping tell the story of this incredible journey.

Julian Summers
A big thank you to Julian Summers for helping organize luggage, transportation, and assisting our players throughout the week.

Thanks to Tony Hernandez, Christina Haik, Kerri Kumar for cheering loud and proud the entire time.

It takes an entire team behind the scenes to make an experience like this possible.