MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan volleyball volunteer assistant coach Rodnei Santos showed that he can still play at a high level earlier this summer, being named to the All-Tournament team at the USA Volleyball Open Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Santos, a second-year volunteer assistant and former collegiate player at Pepperdine University, played with 2nd City out of Chicago, Ill., in the tournament and helped his team to a third-place finish. He was one of six players named to the All-Tournament team and the only member of his squad to earn the honor.
The tournament was held over four days from May 26-29 and consisted of each team playing two five-match sets a day. Santos' squad was the No. 3 seed in the tournament and defeated No. 2 seed Hustle and Flow of the Garden Empire, 25-23, 25-22, 25-21 to advance to the semifinals. The medal was the third in three years for 2nd City at the Open National Championships.
Santos joined the CMU coaching staff in 2011 and helped the Chippewas earn the first Mid-American Conference Tournament championship in program history. Santos serves as the middle blockers' coach and helped Kaitlyn Schultz earn All-MAC first-team honors as well as MAC Tournament MVP in her senior season.
