THIS IS VOLLEYBALL! “And feed them on your dreams, the one they fix, the one you’ll know by. Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry, so just look at them and sigh and know they love you.” From the song “Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Volleyball often makes brothers-in-arms out of strangers and even competitors, but today let’s talk about actual brothers on the Volleyball court. As far as I know, only one set of brothers has ever won a national championship in both NCAA DI and NAIA Men’s Volleyball as players. And that duo of outstanding Volleyball talent would be the brothers Andrew Hock and Anthony Hock originally from St. Louis, Missouri. Wait a minute, you say? What about the Shojis and the Berzins, or someone else? Surely, there’s more than one set of brothers who meet this criteria. Well, let’s take a look and see.
Regarding the Shojis, Kawika Shoji and Erik Shoji are definitely brothers, have a very famous Volleyball father (Dave Shoji of Hawai’i Volleyball), and they did indeed win an NCCA championship with the Stanford Cardinal in 2010 over the Penn State Nittany Lions. And, undeniably, both brothers are currently members of the USA National Team playing in Poland under Coach John Speraw as we talk (or I write, maybe). And yet, as obviously talented as these brothers are, they did not win an NAIA national Volleyball championship as a player during their stellar college careers.
And the Berzins? Yes, Mik Berzins was a player on the Ohio State men’s Volleyball team in 2011 when the Buckeyes defeated the Gauchos of UCSB for the DI national Championship. And yes, Kris Berzins did play at Loyola, graduating in 2010, and was an Assistant Coach with the Ramblers last year when Loyola handled all challengers and won the DI national championship over the Stanford Cardinal (it’s a small Volleyball world!). And, with a further yes, Kris and Mik Berzins are certainly brothers and also have a famous Volleyball father (Aldis Berzins of 1984 Olympic Gold Medal fame). And yet, once again, as obviously talented as these brothers are, they did not win an NAIA national Volleyball championship as a player during their storied college careers.
Andrew Hock and Anthony Hock, however, are brothers who did win both an NCAA DI and an NAIA national Volleyball championship during their playing careers. However, before talking about Andrew and Anthony, it is necessary to mention their parents, Keith and Lois Hock, also of St. Louis, Missouri. Keith and Lois are truly “salt of the earth” individuals, intelligent, moral and compassionate. Anyone who has met Andrew or Anthony immediately realizes that Keith and Lois have without a doubt managed to “teach their children well” as the song says.
Anthony Hock is the younger of the two Hock brothers and was an part-time starter as an outside hitter and libero on the 2011 NCAA DI championship Ohio State men’s Volleyball team. Anthony will complete a BS in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) this December from Ohio State. I personally know how tough it is to complete math and science courses when you are an athlete, and a BSEE is a five year degree anyway with nearly as much math as a Mathematics and Computer Science degree. Anthony’s tenacity and ferocity in completing this difficult and challenging curriculum while playing college Volleyball and winning a national championship is both commendable and noteworthy.
Andrew Hock is the elder of the two Hock brothers and was a starter at outside hitter for the 2009 NAIA national championship Lindenwood Lions men’s Volleyball team. Andrew has a bachelor degree in Business and is currently an entrepreneur in the property management field in Florida. He is also involved with coaching Volleyball at both the high school and club levels. Check out the Prostyle Volleyball Club at their website www.prostylevolleyballclub.com in the Gulf Coast Region of USA Volleyball if you are looking for a good Florida juniors program.
One last factoid about the Hock brothers. Both of them won Missouri State High school Volleyball championships, but at different high schools – Andrew at Vianney High School and Anthony at St. Louis University High School. Andrew and Anthony, thanks for giving us some great Volleyball over the years. I hope you keep living the dream.
If anyone knows of any other pair of brothers who meet this criteria, catch me on Twitter @VBDepot.
Let’s grow the game together!
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