Dey, Felicetti, Lipton, & Riorden Earn AVCA Northeast All-Region Honors

AVCA ALL-REGION RELEASE | MEN'S VOLLEYBALL ALL-TIME ALL-REGION HONORS

BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott men's volleyball student-athletes Donovan Dey (Fairport, N.Y.), Gabe Felicetti (Charlestown, R.I.), Bryn Lipton (Rockford, Ill.), and Chad Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) have all earned American Volleyball Coaches Organization (AVCA) Northeast All-Region honors, as announced by the organization earlier today.

This is the first year that the AVCA has awarded All-Region accolades. Dey, Felicietti, Lipton, and Riorden are now eligible to be considered for AVCA All-America voting.

The AVCA All-American Teams, which are comprised of a first, second, and honorable mention squad, will be announced on Monday, April 20.

In regards to the Endicott men's volleyball program, this is the highest number of student-athletes named to an All-Region squad during a single season in program history.

DONOVAN DEY | SR. | OPP

Dey, who is a three-time All-New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) First Team selection, posted 2.96 kills per set, a .302 hitting percentage (148K-48E-331TA), 0.34 service aces (17), 1.16 digs (58), 0.56 blocks (4 solo, 24 assisted), and 3.6 points (181.0) in 15 matches played (50 sets).

Dey's NECC rankings were abundant – kills (8th), kills per set (6th), hitting percentage (3rd), service aces (14th), service aces per set (11th), block solos (17th), block assists (9th), total blocks (11th), blocks per set (7th), points (8th), and points per set (6th) – while his national rankings included Dey being positioned No. 59 in hitting percentage, No. 70 in kills per set, and No. 59 in points per set.

In the Endicott record books, Dey is ranked No. 9 in kills (790), No. 9 in kills per set (2.62), No. 7 in hitting percentage (.307), No. 9 in points (962.0), and No. 9 in points per set (3.20).

His individual highlights this season featured one double-double (18 kills, 10 digs vs. No. 14 UC Santa Cruz), a career-high 20 kills, which he accomplished twice during the year, and four matches with 15 or more kills.

GABE FELICETTI | JR. | MB

Felicetti produced 2.00 kills per set, a .425 hitting percentage (104K-25E-186TA), 0.35 service aces (18), 0.63 blocks (6 solo, 27 assisted), and 2.7 points (141.5) in 15 matches played this season en route to an All-NECC First Team selection. Among nationally ranked opponents this season (29 sets), Felicetti averaged 2.28 kills per set, a .403 hitting percentage (66K-18E-119TA), 0.72 blocks (3 solo, 18 assisted), and 2.90 points (84.0).

Felicetti also put together several top-15 NECC ranks including kills (12th), kills per set (13th), hitting percentage (1st), service aces (10th), service aces per set (10th), block solos (6th), block assists (6th), total blocks (4th), blocks per set (5th), points (11th), and points per set (12th).

Nationally, Felicetti was positioned No. 100 in aces per set, No. 113 in blocks per set, and No. 4 in hitting percentage.

His list of individual highlights this season included a career-high 17 kills (.517) in a 3-2 win against No. 4 Stevens, three matches with 10 or more kills, and three matches with five or more blocks.

BRYN LIPTON | SR. | OH

Lipton, the 2020 NECC Player of the Year, averaged 3.14 kills per set (160 total) and a .337 hitting percentage (160K-46E-338TA) to go along with 0.73 service aces (37), 2.04 digs (104), 0.49 blocks (6 solo, 19 assisted), 4.2 points (212.5), and a .982 serve-receive percentage (5E-275TA) in 15 matches played (51 sets).

Against nationally ranked opponents this season, Lipton totaled 3.10 kills per set (90 total), a .274 hitting percentage (90K-32E-212TA), 0.52 service aces (15), 2.07 digs (60), 0.59 blocks (5 solo, 12 assisted), 4.00 points (116.0), and a .971 serve-receive percentage (5E-172TA).

The programs included in that list, which features any team that was at one point nationally ranked during the 2020 season, includes No. 14 UC Santa Cruz, No. 13 Wentworth, No. 4 Stevens, No. 12 MSOE, No. 7 St. John Fisher, MIT, and Vassar. The national rankings previously mentioned mark that program's national ranking at the time Endicott played against them.

Individually, Lipton was well-ranked among his NECC peers in the following categories: kills (7th), kills per set (4th), hitting percentage (2nd), service aces (2nd), service aces per set (1st), digs (17th), digs per set (10th), block solos (6th), block assists (14th), total blocks (15th), blocks per set (11th), points (5th), and points per set (3rd).

When compared to all student-athletes in Division III, Lipton ranked No. 7 in aces per set, No. 111 in digs per set (as an outside hitter among 198 ranked student-athletes), No. 34 in hitting percentage, No. 54 in kills per set, and No. 29 in points per set.

Lipton also produced a team-high four double-doubles this season, notched 15 or more kills in a match four times, and had three or more service aces in a match eight times (season-high five). Additionally, Lipton became the fifth student-athlete in program history to reach the 1,000 career kill plateau with 14 kills on 28 swings (.429) against No. 7 St. John Fisher on March 7.

Lipton currently ranks fifth all-time in kills (1,001), fourth in kills per set (3.24), second in service aces (148), third in service aces per set (0.48), first in reception percentage (.972, 1,570 receptions), and fourth in points (1239.0) and points per set (4.01).

Along with those career rankings, the senior outside is now a four-time All-NECC First Team selection, a two-time NECC Player of the Year and the 2017 NECC Rookie of the Year, among his many other All-Region and All-American accolades.

Lipton also is just the second student-athlete to earn All-Conference First Team honors four times during his career and the first outside hitter to achieve the accomplishment.

CHAD RIORDEN | SR. | S

Riorden also put together a stellar senior campaign for the Gulls, which resulted in receiving his first career All-NECC honor (second team).

In 16 matches played (48 sets), Riorden averaged 9.58 assists per set (460 total) to go along with 1.52 digs (73), 0.40 service aces (19), and 0.27 blocks (2 solo, 11 assisted).

Riorden's NECC ranks include being situated No. 1 in assists per set, No. 3 in total assists, No. 7 in service aces per set, and No. 8 in service aces. Meanwhile, he finished the year nationally ranked No. 21 in assists per set and No. 60 in aces per set.

His individual highlights also featured a 10.04 assists per set average against nationally ranked opponents, one double-double (career-high 59 assists, 12 digs), three matches with 50 or more assists, and five matches with 40 or more assists. Of those five matches with 40 or more assists, four of them occurred in back-to-back fashion against Lasell (1/29, 40), MIT (2/1, 51), Johnson & Wales (2/1, 42), and No. 13 Wentworth (2/6, 52).

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)