Emerald Bay resident and libero Harold Noriega competed on the winning team in this year’s USA Open Volleyball Nationals, the top amateur tournament.
The May 26-29 event in Salt Lake City, Utah, was the eighth time Noriega competed at the USA Open. The tournament is hosted by USA Volleyball, which supervises the indoor and sand Olympic volleyball teams.
Noriega plays libero for the King Mountain Fog team, which defended its gold medal title and won the championship 55’s division, defeating Venezuela 2-0 in the final match.
The team is comprised of players from across the country, including some former collegiate players.
The 26-year resident of Emerald Bay was a former Long Beach State Division 1 indoor volleyball team member.
He said the 50’s team he also played on, Western States Laguna, includes another Emerald Bay resident, Todd Miller. That team, comprised of all former Division 1 college players, earned bronze in this year’s competition, losing to Canada in the semi-final.