Athlete Bio - Jeff Nygaard


  • Position: Middle Blocker
  • Height: 6'8"
  • Birthdate: Aug. 3, 1972
  • Hometown: Madison, Wis.
  • College: UCLA

 

Jeff Nygaard


BEACH HIGHLIGHTS:
In his second year on the AVP tour Jeff won the Hermosa Open with partner Albert Hannemann.

INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 
2000 – Finished the season as the team’s most efficient hitter with a .543 hitting percentage...Played well in the World League with 91 kills, 34 blocks, 23 digs, nine aces and a .497 hitting percentage...Led the team with 22 kills and an .846 hitting percentage on the Australia Tour...Played in 10 games on the Korea Tour, recording 17 kills in 25 attempts...Also posted 12 blocks and five digs. 1999 – Played well against Canada at the Americas' Cup with nine kills, two aces and a block...Had 15 kills and two blocks on the Canada Trip. 1998 –
Posted double-digit kills in 23 matches…Named MVP of the NORCECA Zone World Championships Qualifier....Posted 29 kills, 10 blocks, 10 digs, three aces and a .625 hitting percentage in the tournament’s three matches…Tallied season-highs of 1 blocks and four aces on the Poland Trip…Played well at the World Championships, registering 82 kills, 24 blocks, four aces and a .421 hitting percentage. 1997 – Joined the team at the NORCECA Zone Championship, where he produced 14 kills, three blocks, an ace and a .524 attack percentage…Had 26 kills, 17 digs, 11 blocks and a .447 hitting percentage on the Japan Tour. 1996 – Started in all five Olympic matches, tallying 60 kills, 17 blocks, eight aces and a .339 hitting percentage…Posted 70 kills, 16 blocks, four aces and a .541 hitting percentage on the Japan Tour…Registered 16 kills and a season-high five aces and .700 attack percentage against Greece at the Four Nations Deutcshland Cup…On the Yugoslavia Tour he totaled 62 kills, 17 blocks and nine aces along with a .407 hitting percentage…Recorded 23 kills on two occasion, including against Bulgaria in the Olympics. 1995 – Joined the team in July after completing his eligibility at UCLA….Made an immediate impact on the Netherlands Tour with 60 kills, 14 blocks, nine aces and a .342 hitting percentage…Tallied a career-high 30 kills, five blocks and a .441 hitting percentage against Brazil in the Centennial Cup. 1994 – Returned for his senior year at UCLA after helping Team USA claim the bronze medal at the World Championship…Recorded four aces in the World Championship bronze-medal match versus Cuba and 19 kills, two stuffs and three aces in semifinal loss to Netherlands.

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS: 
First collegiate men’s player to receive player of the year honors in two consecutive seasons…Ended his career as UCLA’s all-time leader in aces (123) and ranks second in blocks (650), kills (1,805) and hitting percentage (.427). Led the Bruins to two national championships (’95 & ’ 93). 1995 – American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Player of the Year...Asics/Volleyball Player of the Year…Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Player of the Year…Ranked in the top 20 in the country in kills (5.11), blocks (1.91) and hitting percentage (.424). 1994 – AVCA National Player of the Year…Asics/Volleyball Player of the Year…MPSF Player of the Year…Recorded 1.94 blocks (second in country), 7.01 kills (third in nation), .412 hitting percentage (17th nationally) and .54 service aces (seventh in NCAAs). 993 – AVCA First-Team All-American… Asics/Volleyball First-Team All-American…First-Team All-MPSF…Co-MVP of the NCAA Championships... Finished third in nation with a .492 hitting percentage and ranked ninth with a 1.6 blocks-per-game average. 1992 – Asics/Volleyball Monthly Freshman of the Year…Volleyball Monthly Third-Team All-American…Third-Team All-MPSF.