2011 ECAC North Men's Volleyball Championship Preview
April 6, 2011
Centerville, Mass. – Top-seeded Endicott College (23-13 overall) will host the 2011 ECAC Division III North Men’s Volleyball Championship that will be contested on Saturday at MacDonald Gymnasium in Beverly. The four-team field also includes No. 2 Newbury College, No. 3 Lasell College (22-15) and fourth-seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology (20-10).
The semifinal round pits the host Gulls against Wentworth and Newbury versus Lasell. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. on dual courts. The semifinal winners will meet for the championship at 4:30 p.m.
Endicott (11-6 at home) has an explosive offense in junior outside hitter Jeremy Siden, senior outside hitter Zeke Kubisch and sophomore right-side Matt Devendorf. Siden averages 2.71 kills per set while hitting for a .249 clip. Kubisch puts down 2.39 kills and hits .223, while Devendorf records 2.24 and .236.
Travis Netherton, a freshman middle hitter, is also an offensive threat with averages of 1.97 kills and team-best .326 attack percentage, but his real value is on defense with a 1.00 block average. Junior setter Jeremy Schlosser runs the offense by dishing 8.21 assists per set. Junior outside hitter Andrew Slocum leads the squad with 265 digs.
Endicott coach Tim Byram has led the Gulls for 11 seasons, compiling a 201-148 ledger and steering the squad to six ECAC North tournament appearances.
Newbury has recorded a 23-13 mark under first-year coach Chris Taylor. The Nighthawks sport a 12-10 road and neutral record combined. Seniors James Beck, an outside hitter, and Max Daley, a middle blocker, are the team’s main offensive weapons with 2.84 and 2.67 kills per set, respectively. Beck hits for an eye-popping .427 success rate, spiking 336 kills while committing just 86 errors. Setter Matt Talamantes, another senior, directs the offense by averaging 8.36 assists, to go along with his team-high 44 service aces. Defensively, senior libero Michael Biuso has amassed 337 digs, or 2.7 per set, and Daley has stuffed 105 total blocks, or 0.85 per set.
The Lasers of Lasell are 3-6 on the road this season, but have a 10-6 neutral site record. Sophomore outside hitter Spencer Parker is the team’s top offensive threat with 3.39 kills per set, but senior middle hitter Mike Harrington (1.62 kps) is the most efficient attacker with a .333 clip. Harrington also leads the squad with a 0.82 block average. Freshman setter Andrew Glenn averages 8.86 assists and 1.39 digs.
Tom Olson is in his first season as the head coach after being on the staff the previous two years.
Wentworth is making its first-ever trip to the ECAC playoffs. The Leopards have been a solid team away from home by winning 10 of 15 matches on the road and going 2-3 on a neutral floor. Sophomore setter Tyler Moriarty has built a 9.2 assists average by going to three primary offensive targets in freshman outside hitter Ross Burdett (3.04 kps), senior outside hitter Derek Portugal (2.89 kps) and senior middle hitter Lowell Jesmer (2.33 kps). Jesmer is the team’s most proficient attacker at 33.7 percent, making only 70 errors in almost 500 attempts. Defensively, senior libero Marc Larue posts 2.45 digs per set while Jesmer records 0.78 blocks.
Wentworth coach Rob Mullowney is 36-20 in two seasons at the helm.
Team-by-team comparisons (statistics are set averages)
Kills Pct. Assists Aces Digs Blocks Record vs. Field Last 10
Endicott 11.44 .246 10.44 1.34 9.66 2.34 5-1 7-3
Lasell 10.6 .258 9.72 1.2 8.72 2.0 1-2 7-3
Newbury 11.27 .238 10.38 1.5 8.7 1.76 4-1 6-4
Wentworth 12.09 .240 10.8 1.58 10.97 1.88 0-3 6-4
Endicott 11.44 .246 10.44 1.34 9.66 2.34 5-1 7-3
Lasell 10.6 .258 9.72 1.2 8.72 2.0 1-2 7-3
Newbury 11.27 .238 10.38 1.5 8.7 1.76 4-1 6-4
Wentworth 12.09 .240 10.8 1.58 10.97 1.88 0-3 6-4
North
Bracket
Schedule:
Semifinal Round – Saturday, April 9 (at Endicott College)
No. 1 Endicott College vs. No. 4 Wentworth Institute of Technology, 2:30 p.m.
No. 2 Newbury College vs. No. 3 Lasell College, 2:30 p.m.
Championship Game – Saturday, April 9 (at Endicott College)
Semifinal Winners, 4:30 p.m.
Story courtesy of ECAC Sports Information