Men’s Volleyball’s Klein and Hawks Bring Home U21 Gold Medal

Aidan Klein, a second-year middle blocker on Loyola men’s volleyball and head coach John Hawks represented the United States at the U21 North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Continental Championship June 11-16 in Nogales, Mexico. The team finished with a gold medal and a spot in the 2025 FIVB World Championship. 

Hawks was selected by USA Volleyball to serve as head coach for the championships, his second time in the role. Hawks has worked with USA Volleyball before as assistant coach on the 2008, 2010 and 2018 Pan American Cup team as well as head coach for the US National Men’s Volleyball team in 2019. 

Hawks said despite previous appointments to the team, he remains continuously grateful.

“The honor and the privilege of being selected to run a USA team never gets old,” Hawks said. “I don’t take those for granted.” 

In addition to Klein, Hawks was responsible for selecting twenty other athletes for the campaign. Klein said he felt a sense of pride being able to represent the USA for the first time and knowing  his hard work was paying off.  

Before arriving in Mexico for the tournament, the team spent their time preparing at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Due to the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics, the team had the rare opportunity to share the facilities with Olympic athletes. 

“To be sharing a weight room with athletes that were going to Paris is something that these guys will never forget,” Hawks said. 

The team not only shared training space with Olympians, but also had the chance to watch their practices and hear from them personally. 

“It was just really cool to have all these resources in our hands to make sure we are performing well and to be able to learn from other athletes,” Klein said. 

Many of the players were athletes with one year or less of college volleyball experience. Since this will be Klein’s second-year at the collegiate level, he was among the oldest on the team. His age and experience put him into a leadership position on the team. 

While serving as a role model for his teammates, Klein said he noticed a significant amount of personal and athletic development from his time this summer. 

“I learned a lot about myself and how I play my best,” Klein said. “I have always been a quiet player so branching out and getting out of my comfort zone and playing with new guys, it takes more to be vocal and get out of my shell.” 

Klein said that one of the biggest lessons from the experience was learning to trust himself. He said he was nervous going in and had to remind himself he was there for a reason. Being too serious and forgetting why he is there and why he wants to play is what Klein said makes it harder for him to play at his best. 

Klein said another way he kept himself composed during the experience was continuing to find fun in the game.

Hawks said he felt a sense of pride in Klein by witnessing his growth throughout the summer.  

“I was just so proud of him to be able to see his development,” Hawks said. “Coming in as a freshman last year, he got a little bit of time, and to watch him this summer be really confident with who he was as a person.” 

Klein also touched on how his improvement to the team can help accelerate Loyola’s volleyball program and put the team in a position to go far in postseason play. 

“Lots of feedback was about my energy and elevating other teammates,” Klein said. “Aspects of that I can bring back to the Loyola gym and hopefully help accelerate our program as well and bring back a title.” 

As Hawks and Klein look to the upcoming spring 2025 season, both are excited to take what they’ve learned over the summer and apply it to themselves and the team.

Hawks said he realizes the world is full of great volleyball players and recognizes the hard work it will take to get the team into a position to win national championships. 

Hawks has plans for working on the more mental side of training for the spring and less on changing the team’s physical training. He wants the team to focus on their academics but also wants them to try to emulate professional players in preparation for the season. 

Klein said Hawks’ approach to the game and personal connection had an impact on him during the experience.

“It is always good to have him to talk to,” Klein said. “I really like his coaching style so I was really glad we were able to implement it with a group of super talented guys.” 

As a result of their efforts, Hawks and Klein now have a gold souvenir to remind them of a successful tournament and the experiences they shared together.