Cuneo Volley continues its market expansion beyond Italy’s borders to acquire American spiker Ethan Champlin.
The Californian athlete, born in 2001, made his debut with the American senior national team at the age of twenty, winning gold at the 2023 Pan American Cup Final Six, finishing as the top scorer in the final and the tournament’s top spiker. In 2024, he traveled to Europe for his first overseas experience, joining Helios GRIZZLYS Giesen in the Bundesliga. After the regular season, Ethan was the league’s third-leading scorer among spikers. This past season, having joined SVG Lüneburg at the start of the season, he was named MVP five times in the regular season and was the second-highest scorer in the playoffs.
Regarding Champlin’s signing, Sporting Director Paolo Brugiafreddo stated: “I think he’s a very important addition to our team. He’s a very balanced player who can handle all phases of the game well. He’s certainly a bit smaller physically, but he makes up for it with great technique and an incredible ability to read situations. He’s the kind of player people say ‘he knows how to play volleyball’ because he’s complete in all the fundamentals. We were pleasantly surprised by his tremendous motivation in wanting to play in this championship, and especially in our club, despite the many interesting offers from abroad. He’s the second arrow in our quiver, and I believe we can truly grow together with him and achieve great results.”
It’s one of the best leagues in the world, and in Italy they truly love volleyball, the atmosphere there is unique. I’m convinced it will be a fantastic environment in which to work and plan. I’m also very excited about the prospect of playing against the best players in the world; playing against players I’ve admired since I was a child, and even alongside some of them. I chose Cuneo because it seems like an excellent starting point for me and my career in Italy; I hope to stay in this league for a long time. The history of Cuneo, the history of the club, along with what coach Matteo told me about his vision for the team and what he envisions for this season, were also crucial. This coming season I just couldn’t help but want to be a part of it So I’m really looking forward to playing for Cuneo playing in front of these fans».
