Tournament PageNEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The No. 3 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team is prepared to compete in the 2015 United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament this weekend from April 10-12 in Hoboken, N.J., hosted by Stevens.
The No. 2 seed Hawks earned a first-round bye and will play either No. 3 seed Nazareth or No. 6 seed Vassar in the semifinals on Saturday, April 11 at 4:30 p.m. The winner of that match will face either No. 1 seed Stevens, No. 4 seed NYU or No. 5 seed Elmira in the finals on Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m.
No. 1 Stevens (26-4, 8-0 UVC)
UVC Championships: None
UVC Tournament Appearances: 5 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Stevens enters the UVC Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second time in five years… The Ducks are 8-0 in UVC matches this season… Stevens is looking to avenge last year's championship final loss to New Paltz… The Ducks have qualified for the NCAA Tournament three years in a row
… This marks the Ducks' 5th straight UVC Tournament appearance… Stevens has appeared each year in the playoffs since the UVC's inception in August of 2010… Statistically, the Ducks are second in UVC in assists per set (11.85), kills per set (12.95) and rank third in the conference in blocks per set (2.32), hitting percentage (.322) and opponent hitting percentage (.171)… Junior outside hitter David Evans ranks third in the UVC in kills per set (3.71) and fourth in service aces per set (.43), while junior middle hitter Etan Bennett is fifth in the conference in blocks per set (1.07)… Stevens has won 17 of its last 18 matches and are riding a 17-match winning streak… The Ducks are lead by 25th-year head coach Patrick Dorywalski… The men's team has posted a 342-138 mark over the last 14 years under Dorywalski.
No. 2 New PaltzUVC Championships: 1 (2014)UVC Tournament Appearances: 5 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) The Hawks enter the UVC Tournament as the second seed for the second year in a row… New Paltz has appeared each year in the conference tournament since going into the UVC… The Hawks currently have a 7-1 conference record and are looking to claim back-to-back championships…The Hawks led the conference in hitting percentage (.332), assists (12.42 per set), and kills (13.34 per set)… New Paltz is second in the conference for service aces (1.88 per set) and opponent service aces (1.13 per set)… Junior middle blocker
Christopher Husmann leads the Hawks in hitting percentage (.497), while sophomore middle blocker
Steven Woessner is ninth in the UVC for hitting percentage (.342) and fifth for service aces (0.35 per set)… Junior setter
Christian Smith is tenth in the conference for assists (5.44 per set)… On the defensive end, the Hawks are led by junior libero
Kevin Nardone, who averages 2.43 digs per set… New Paltz is coached by
Radu Petrus, who is in his ninth season with the Hawks and has a 168-95 overall record… In 2014, Petrus was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year.
No. 3 Nazareth (26-5, 6-2 UVC)UVC Championships: 3 (2011, 2012, 2013)UVC Tournament Appearances: 5 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Nazareth enters the UVC tournament as the No. 3 seed with a 6-2 conference record… The Golden Flyers have a great amount of tournament experience by claiming the first three UVC titles since its formation in 2010… Statistically, the Golden Flyers are second in hitting percentage (.324) and first in opponent hitting percentage (.167)… Nazareth leads the conference in blocks, averaging 2.45 per set… Senior middle blocker Luke Lawatsch is second in the UVC for hitting percentage (.433) and blocks (1.21 per set)… Freshman setter Jake Kemp is fifth in the conference for assists per set (8.30) and junior outside hitter Tim Zyburt is fifth in the conference for kills (3.40 per set)… The Golden Flyers have a .839 winning percentage… Nazareth is coached by Cal Wickens, who is in his 11
th season with a 237-81 (.745) record, including a 38-4 mark in conference matches and won conference titles in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
No. 4 New York UniversityUVC Championships: NoneUVC Tournament Appearances: 3 (2012, 2013, 2015) The Violets enter the UVC Tournament this year as the number four seed… NYU has appeared in the tournament in the last three years and currently has a 5-3 conference record…The Violets are second in the conference for blocks (2.36 per set) and fourth in hitting percentage (.233)… NYU is sixth in the conference for both assists (11.09 per set) and kills (11.92 per set)… Junior outside hitter Nick Benson is second in the UVC for kills (3.83 per set) and setter Patrick Merrick is fourth in the conference for assists (8.74 per set)… Sophomore outside hitter Chase Klein is eighth for service aces (0.33 per set) and junior middle hitter Phil Bueno is fourth in the UVC for blocks (1.11 per set)… The Violets are led by head coach Jose Pina, who is in his 22nd season with a 287-276 record.
No. 5 Elmira (20-13, 4-4 UVC)UVC Championships: NoneUVC Tournament Appearances: 4 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Elmira enters the UVC Tournament as the No. 5 seed for the first time… The Soaring Eagles are 4-4 in UVC matches this season… Elmira is looking to avenge last year's semifinal loss to NYU… Statistically, the Soaring Eagles are ranked third in assists per set (11.66), kills per set (12.35), opponent kills per set (9.66), and service aces per set (1.74)… Junior outside hitter Erik Griffin ranks first in kills per set in the conference (4.15), while senior libero Rob Shade ranks first in digs per set (2.83)… Junior outside hitter Mike Ellison ranks sixth in kills per set (3.25)… Elmira has won nine of its last fourteen games, including five straight… The Soaring Eagles are lead by third-year head coach Stephen England… The program reached numerous firsts under England in the 2014 season including an 8-3 UVC record, a No. 10 national ranking, and he coached two UVC All-Conference selections.
No. 6 Vassar (18-12, 3-4 UVC)UVC Championships: NoneUVC Tournament Appearances: 4 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) The Brewers enter the UVC tournament as the No. 6 seed with a 3-4 conference record… Last year was the only year the Brewers did not make it into the conference tournament since its 2010 formation… Vassar is currently first in the conference for service aces averaging 2.27 per set… The Brewers are seventh in the conference for assists (10.49 per set), kills (11.42 per set), and blocks (1.79 per set)… Freshman middle hitter Matthew Knigge is third in the conference for hitting percentage (.391) and freshman setter Zechariah Lee is first in the UVC for service aces (0.70 per set) and third for assists (9.17 per set)… Sophomore libero Trey Cimorelli is ranked fifth in the conference for digs (2.46 per set)… The Brewers are led by head coach Robert Wolter, who is in his fourth season… Wolter has a 49-45 record with the Brewers, including a UVC Tournament semifinal appearance in 2013.
