Tournament Website
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The No. 1 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team will face the No. 15 Wentworth Institute of Technology in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday, April 22, at 12:30 p.m. at Kidera Gymnasium, hosted by Nazareth College. This is the first time New Paltz and Wentworth will play each other since February of 2006, when the Hawks swept the Leopards, 3-0.
RECORDS: New Paltz is 30-2 overall and has yet to lose to a Division III team this season, claiming the 2016 United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Championship in the process… Wentworth is 23-8 overall and won the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship.
No. 1 New Paltz
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 3 (2014, 2015, 2016)
NCAA Championships: None
The Hawks will be making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row and are the number one seed… New Paltz has five players who received 2016 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III All-America honors… Senior outside hitter
Andy Fishman, senior middle blocker
Christopher Husmann, senior setter
Christian Smith and junior middle blocker
Steven Woessner were all named to the AVCA All-America First Team, while senior libero
Kevin Nardone was named AVCA Honorable Mention All-America… The Hawks are ranked second in all of Division III in hitting percentage (.376) and kills (13.23 per set)… New Paltz is also ranked third in Division III in service aces (2.20 per set) and assists (12.14 per set)… Woessner leads the team and is second in the nation in hitting percentage (.529)… Husmann is second on the team and fifth in Division III in hitting percentage (.446)… Junior opposite
Joe Norman leads the team in kills (2.84 per set), while Fishman leads the Hawks in service aces (0.52 per set)… Smith is ranked first on the team and ninth in Division III in assists (10.28 per set)… On the defensive side, Nardone leads the team in digs (1.82 per set)… New Paltz is coached by
Radu Petrus, who is in his 10th season with the Hawks and has a 225-103 overall record… This is the first time New Paltz and Wentworth are playing each other in Petrus' tenure… Back in 2014, Petrus was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year.
No. 15 Wentworth
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (2016)
NCAA Championships: None
The Leopards advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Hunter College, 3-0, in their first-ever NCAA Tournament match on Saturday, April 16… Junior middle blocker Alex Potts was selected to the 2016 AVCA Division III All-America Second Team, the first player in program history to receive All-America honors… Wentworth is ranked fourth in Division III in service aces (2.14 per set), fifth in hitting percentage (.312) and 10th in kills (12.33 per set)… Potts leads the team and the nation in hitting percentage (.532)… Junior outside hitter Jake Reed leads the team in kills (2.92 per set), and sophomore outside hitter Sean Mullen leads the team and is fifth in Division III in service aces (0.69 per set)… Sophomore setter Kevin McPeek is ranked first on the team in assists (10.08 per set)… Defensively, junior libero Mike Rogachefsky leads the team in digs (2.22 per set)… Wentworth is led by fifth-year head coach Evin Giglio, who has accumulated a record of 106-52 during his time at Wentworth.
WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of this match will face either No. 5 Rutgers University-Newark or the No. 4 Stevens Institute of Technology in the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, April 23, at 4 p.m.
