Quarter of England Volleyball squad are Rebels

The elite stars of the sport will run out for internationals later this month in Northern Ireland and Luxembourg.

The European leg will see Sports Performance and Coaching athletes Thomas Shatimehin, 19, and Thomas Jefferson, 20, run out in the cornerstone clashes in the Novotel Cup.

Facing off against the hosts, Austria and Scotland the SRES students will join alumni Chester Searle and Cameron Rhodes.

Ahead of the tournament on 27-29th a separate squad will take on Northern Ireland.

Rebels’ aces Nathan Hall, 19, who is studying Sports and Exercise Science, Nico Gajkiewicz, 19, studying Sports therapy and Master’s Economics student Max Norton-Steele, 22 will join Toby French to take on the local rivals.

Stepping back up to the plate

Thomas Shatimehin said: “Since being in the South Korea squad and starting, I've showed I can compete and deliver against the best players.

"I’m looking forward to stepping back up to the plate and competing at the highest level once again.”

A sentiment echoed by Performance Volleyball Coach Alex Porter.

He said: “It’s fantastic to see the five current and three alumni student-athletes being selected to represent the England.

“The athletes continue to push themselves on a daily basis and their selection is a reflection of this commitment. I wish them good luck in the upcoming games.”

The news comes after Volleyball England praised the Rebels set-up and The University of Essex for its “progressive and trailblazing” vision, matchday experience, and dedication to growing the game.

'Really excited'

Commenting on the latest squads Team Manager Chris Jones said: “We are really looking forward to the National Team competing in Novotel Cup again this year.

“The timing of the competition is a little bit different from previous years, falling in between Christmas and New Year, as opposed to early January, so this means the guys, we have playing professionally overseas are able to be part of the squad.

“Couple this with the fantastic performance we had over the summer in South Korea taking bronze and we’re really excited and looking forward to seeing what we can achieve on the court this year in Luxembourg.”