We’ve been letting you know how the 49er-laden USA National Men’s Volleyball team has been doing, and now the younger national group, also with four 49ers on it, is in Chiapas, Mexico this week for the NORCECA Pan American Cup.

The competition begins Monday, but the United States won’t play its first match until Tuesday against Dominican Republic at 6 p.m. in Chiapas (4 p.m. PDT). The U.S. Men will play Canada on Wednesday at 6 p.m. (4 p.m. PDT).

The team captain will be setter Tyler Hildebrand, a 2006 graduate of Long Beach State, where he was a three-time first team AVCA All-American and a three-time first team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) selection. He was a member of the U.S. teams for the 2003 (bronze medal) and 2005 World University Games.

Since college, Hildebrand has played club volleyball in Puerto Rico. He also played on the 2008 U.S. Men’s Pan American Cup team that won the gold medal in Canada.

The team’s coach, Rick McLaughlin said he will also look for team leadership from outside hitter Robert Tarr, who finished his career at Long Beach State in 2007 and since then has played at the 2007 World University Games and on professional club teams in Puerto Rico and the United Arab Emirates. Tarr was also a member of the 2008 Pan Am Cup team.

Libero Dustin Watten just finished at Long Beach State while opposite Dean Bittner has one more year with the 49ers.

“I don’t think we’re real big, but they are good all-around volleyball players,” McLaughlin said of his team. “They have good skills and show some speed, too.”

2009 U.S. Pan American Cup Roster

1 Eric Vance (OH, 6-4, 195, Camarillo, Calif., Cal State Northridge)

3 Dean Bittner (Opp, 6-7, 187, Lakewood, Calif., Long Beach State)

4 Matt McKinney (Opp, 6-9, 225, Santa Ynez, Calif., UCLA)

5 Isaac Kneubuhl (L, 6-1, 190, Pukalani, Hawai’i, Cal State Northridge)

6 Tyler Hildebrand (S, 6-5, 196, Mesa, Ariz., Long Beach State)

7 Robert Tarr (OH, 6-6, 200, Cape Canaveral, Fla., Long Beach State)

8 Nate Meerstein (MB, 6-9, 209, La Porte City, Iowa, Penn State)

9 Nils Nielsen (OH, 6-4, 180, Fallbrook, Calif., Cal State Northridge)

10 Brian Thornton (S, 6-3, 187, San Clemente, Calif., UC Irvine)

11 Max Holt (MB, 6-9, 198, Cincinnati, Ohio, Penn State)

14 Austin Zahn (MB, 6-8, 220, Hermosa Beach, Calif., USC)

19 Dustin Watten (L, 6-0, 162, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State)