Mount Carmel’s Pedersen Signs National Letter of Intent at Volleyball Powerhouse

Chicago – Mount Carmel senior Sean Pedersen, the youngest member of one of Chicago’s most famous volleyball families, recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at California State-Northridge.

Pedersen is the son of Nancy and Niels Pedersen. Nancy is the current Athletic Director and recently retired volleyball coach at Mother McAuley High School, where she led the Mighty Macs to nine state titles. Niels is the current men’s volleyball coach at Quincy University, and was the long time Director of Second City Volleyball Club and Premier Volleyball Club, two youth volleyball power houses.

Sean is also the brother of Niels Jr., who is finishing up his volleyball career at Quincy, and who led Mount Carmel to a 3rd Place finish in the 2001 IHSA State Tournament.

Standing at 6-foot-6 and with three seasons of Varsity volleyball success under his belt, Sean was a highly sought-after recruit. His volleyball credentials are complimented by an outstanding academic career. He is currently No. 6 in Mount Carmel’s senior class, with a 4.33 grade point average.

“The opportunity to play Division I volleyball on the West Coast is second-to-none,” Mount Carmel head volleyball coach Mark Wasik said. “The level of competition is high and the caliber of the recruit is top notch.

“I’m extremely proud of Sean. He’s very coachable and he’s a great young man. He’s really easy to work with and he’s competitive.”

Pedersen chose Cal State-Northridge over USC and California-San Diego. He is joining a Matadors squad that plays in the nationally renowned Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, which was established to serve the competitive needs of member institutions from the Big West, Pacific-10, Mountain West, Western Athletic and West Coast Conferences to provide championship competition for Division I intercollegiate Olympic sports in a conference setting.

UCLA and Pepperdine, which competed in the National Championship in 2005, are both members of the NPSF.

Pedersen has opened eyes at Mount Carmel since he first stepped onto the court. He will enter his fourth season as the team’s setter in 2006. He currently has 2,008 assists, 253 kills, 169 blocks and 143 aces. In 2005, he was voted the Most Outstanding Player in the Chicago Catholic League Conference Tournament. He was also All-Conference in 2005.

Last summer, Pedersen was a member of the USA Summer Youth A2 Team, a squad in existence to develop future Olympians.

“Sean has the height. You can’t teach that,” Wasik said. “But he’s very athletic and quick for his size. One thing that has always stuck out with him is that he’s dedicated to the sport. This scholarship and his success didn’t happen by accident. He’s worked very hard, and he’s earned this.”

Contact Information:

Matt Kellam, Director of Communication

P: 773.324.1020  x245

F: 773.324.2468

mkellam@mchs.org