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CONTACT: Eugenio Mercurio Assistant Commissioner for Sports Information Office: (315) 684-6680 Cell: (315) 404-7227 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 7, 2016 NEAC Announces 2015-16 Men’s Volleyball Regular Season All-Conference Selections and Individual Award Winners GANSEVOORT, N.Y. – The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has announced its 2015-16 Men’s Volleyball All-Conference selections, with first, second and third team honors being awarded regardless of position to a total of 21 student-athletes, as selected by the conference coaches. The NEAC has also announced its men’s volleyball individual award winners, as also selected by the conference coaches. Penn State Altoona sophomore outside hitter Matt Huey (Butler, Pa.) was selected as the NEAC Player of the Year following a tremendous all-around season for the Nittany Lions. Huey leads the conference in kills (389), kills per set (3.97), points (460) and points per set (4.7) offensively, while also being first in solo blocks (27), eighth in total blocks (69) and 10th in digs (176) defensively through 98 sets played. Those totals also leave him among the national leaders across all of NCAA Division III, where he currently ranks fourth in kills per set and fifth in points per set. Huey earned three NEAC Player of the Week awards and four Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South Region Player of the Week honors throughout the season, with the latest of each coming this past week after he helped the Nittany Lions secure their first-ever conference tournament berth following a 12-4 NEAC record. Huey, who was selected to the All-Conference First Team, also earned the program’s first-ever selection as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III National Player of the Week en route to leading Altoona to the team’s best-ever overall record of 17-10. Keuka College senior Cooper Lyon (Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada) was chosen as the NEAC Defensive Player of the Year following an outstanding season for the Wolfpack. The libero racked up 269 digs in 82 sets to post a conference-best 3.28 digs per set average, which also currently ranks second nationally and is just 0.28 behind the NCAA Division III leader. A three-time NEAC Defensive Player of the Week selection, Lyon tallied double-digit dig totals in 15 of the 22 matches he competed in, including reaching at least 20 digs twice, while committing just 17 reception errors all season. Lyon’s defensive play allowed the Wolfpack to hold their opponents to just a .174 hitting percentage on the year, which helped Keuka secure a playoff spot with a 9-7 NEAC record while also landing him on the All-Conference First Team. The remaining two individual honors were awarded to Medaille College, as freshman Brad Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) was named the NEAC Rookie of the Year and Maverick head coach Keith Koch was voted by his peers as the NEAC Coach of the Year. Schneider, who served as both the right side hitter and one of the primary setters for the Mavericks, led all conference rookies and was second overall in aces with 45, while also ranking in the top 15 in numerous other categories, including assists (578 – 8th), assists per set (4.98 – 9th), kills (259 – 11th), hitting percentage (.256 – 9th), digs (168 - 15th), solo blocks (10 – 13th), block assists (53 – 11th), total blocks (63 – 11th), and points (340.5 – 7th). His play from both positions helped the Mavericks post a conference-best team hitting percentage of .263. A NEAC Player of the Week honoree, Schneider also capped his excellent all-around season with a NEAC All-Conference First Team selection. -MoreMore-
CONTACT: Eugenio Mercurio Assistant Commissioner for Sports Information Office: (315) 684-6680 Cell: (315) 404-7227 Koch led the Mavericks to another excellent season during his 12th year at the helm, going a perfect 16-0 in conference play to clinch the NEAC regular season championship and earn the right to defend their 2015 conference title on their home floor as the tournament’s No. 1 seed this weekend. Koch’s squad also went 23-9 overall, which included a victory over nationally ranked Elmira, while leading the conference in total kills, assists, aces, blocks and hitting percentage as a team. Koch also saw three different players win NEAC Player of the Week honors and four players selected to the All-Conference First and Second Teams, respectively. Below is the complete list of the 2015-16 NEAC All-Conference First Team, Second Team and Third Team selections: All-Conference Team Selections #
Name
Institution Year Position First Team All-Conference 7 Nate Schneider Medaille College Sr. OH 16 Matt Huey Penn State Altoona So. OH 11 Connor Hinman Keuka College Sr. OH 11 Brad Schneider Medaille College Fr. OH 18 Zach Goggin SUNY Polytechnic Institute So. S 13 A.J. Davids SUNY Polytechnic Institute Sr. MB 9 Cooper Lyon Keuka College Sr. LB Second Team All-Conference 5 Joe Hacherl Medaille College Sr. LB 10 Michael Podgorny Hilbert College Fr. OH 18 Pete McKelvey Medaille College Jr. MB 17 Brannon Perdicho Wells College So. OH 10 Matt Loos D’Youville College Sr. MB 10 John Farruggia Wells College Sr. OH 7 Billy Smith Penn State Altoona Fr. S Third Team All-Conference 7 Kasey Gentry Lancaster Bible College So. OH 12 Nick Hagen SUNY Polytechnic Institute Jr. MB 7 Korey Schwab Hilbert College Sr. OH 14 Bradley Colditz Penn State Altoona Fr. OH 15 Connor Gail Keuka College So. OH 2 Brandon Stitt Penn State Altoona Sr. LB 16 Chris Busha D’Youville College Sr. S
Hometown Lockport, N.Y. Butler, Pa. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Lockport, N.Y. Feeding Hills, Mass. Hilton, N.Y. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Tonawanda, N.Y. Lockport, N.Y. Buffalo, N.Y. Victor, N.Y. Cheektowaga, N.Y. New Hartford, N.Y. Upper St. Clair, Pa. Hershey, Pa. Hilton, N.Y. Lockport, N.Y. Upper St. Claire, Pa. Euclid, Ohio Altoona, Pa. Hamburg, N.Y.
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The North Eastern Athletic Conference has fourteen NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Bryn Athyn College, Cazenovia College, College of St. Elizabeth, Gallaudet University, Keuka College, Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Pennsylvania State University - Abington, Pennsylvania State University - Berks, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Morrisville State College, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Wells College, and Wilson College. Associate members are: Cedar Crest College (W Swimming), D’Youville College
CONTACT: Eugenio Mercurio Assistant Commissioner for Sports Information Office: (315) 684-6680 Cell: (315) 404-7227
(M Volleyball), Hilbert College (M Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Medaille College (M&W Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Penn State Altoona (M Volleyball) and Rutgers University - Camden (M Golf). The North Eastern Athletic Conference has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in the sports of men’s and women’s tennis. For more information, please visit www.neacsports.com.
CONTACT: Eugenio Mercurio Assistant Commissioner for Sports Information Office: (315) 684-6680 Cell: (315) 404-7227 Koch led the Mavericks to another excellent season during his 12th year at the helm, going a perfect 16-0 in conference play to clinch the NEAC regular season championship and earn the right to defend their 2015 conference title on their home floor as the tournament’s No. 1 seed this weekend. Koch’s squad also went 23-9 overall, which included a victory over nationally ranked Elmira, while leading the conference in total kills, assists, aces, blocks and hitting percentage as a team. Koch also saw three different players win NEAC Player of the Week honors and four players selected to the All-Conference First and Second Teams, respectively. Below is the complete list of the 2015-16 NEAC All-Conference First Team, Second Team and Third Team selections: All-Conference Team Selections #
Name
Institution Year Position First Team All-Conference 7 Nate Schneider Medaille College Sr. OH 16 Matt Huey Penn State Altoona So. OH 11 Connor Hinman Keuka College Sr. OH 11 Brad Schneider Medaille College Fr. OH 18 Zach Goggin SUNY Polytechnic Institute So. S 13 A.J. Davids SUNY Polytechnic Institute Sr. MB 9 Cooper Lyon Keuka College Sr. LB Second Team All-Conference 5 Joe Hacherl Medaille College Sr. LB 10 Michael Podgorny Hilbert College Fr. OH 18 Pete McKelvey Medaille College Jr. MB 17 Brannon Perdicho Wells College So. OH 10 Matt Loos D’Youville College Sr. MB 10 John Farruggia Wells College Sr. OH 7 Billy Smith Penn State Altoona Fr. S Third Team All-Conference 7 Kasey Gentry Lancaster Bible College So. OH 12 Nick Hagen SUNY Polytechnic Institute Jr. MB 7 Korey Schwab Hilbert College Sr. OH 14 Bradley Colditz Penn State Altoona Fr. OH 15 Connor Gail Keuka College So. OH 2 Brandon Stitt Penn State Altoona Sr. LB 16 Chris Busha D’Youville College Sr. S
Hometown Lockport, N.Y. Butler, Pa. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Lockport, N.Y. Feeding Hills, Mass. Hilton, N.Y. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Tonawanda, N.Y. Lockport, N.Y. Buffalo, N.Y. Victor, N.Y. Cheektowaga, N.Y. New Hartford, N.Y. Upper St. Clair, Pa. Hershey, Pa. Hilton, N.Y. Lockport, N.Y. Upper St. Claire, Pa. Euclid, Ohio Altoona, Pa. Hamburg, N.Y.
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The North Eastern Athletic Conference has fourteen NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Bryn Athyn College, Cazenovia College, College of St. Elizabeth, Gallaudet University, Keuka College, Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Pennsylvania State University - Abington, Pennsylvania State University - Berks, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Morrisville State College, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Wells College, and Wilson College. Associate members are: Cedar Crest College (W Swimming), D’Youville College
CONTACT: Eugenio Mercurio Assistant Commissioner for Sports Information Office: (315) 684-6680 Cell: (315) 404-7227
(M Volleyball), Hilbert College (M Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Medaille College (M&W Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Penn State Altoona (M Volleyball) and Rutgers University - Camden (M Golf). The North Eastern Athletic Conference has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in the sports of men’s and women’s tennis. For more information, please visit www.neacsports.com.
