Raiders advance to 5th straight GNAC Championship Game

(Nashua, NH) The Rivier College Raiders have moved on to their 5th straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship game tonight as they took three sets from visiting Albertus Magnus College in the GNAC Semifinals.

Rivier, who is ranked 12th nationally, took the sets by scores of 25-14, 25-23 and 25-13.

Senior Alex Xenidis (Shelton, CT) was the pace setter for the Raiders (25-8 overall) as he recorded a game high 11 kills on his way to a .667 hitting percentage. Both sophomore Aaron Almario (Alhambria, CA) and freshman Chris Markuson (Cupertino, CA) had 8 kills for Rivier while freshman Shane Spellman (Norwich, CT) chipped in with 7. Junior setter Steve Visentin (Cheshire, CT) had 35 assists and senior libero Chris Convertito (Trumbull, CT) registered 10 digs – both were game highs.

For Albertus Magnus, freshman Glenn Johnson (Newington, CT) was the team leader with 6 kills as the Falcons finish the 2012 season with a 19-9 overall record. Sophomore Douglas DeSousa (Danbury, CT) and freshman Chase Brinton (Bethany, CT) had 5 kills while sophomore Carlos Torres (Adjuntas, Puerto Rico) recorded 17 assists. DeSousa was the defensive specialist as he had 7 digs on the night.

Rivier will now host Emmanuel College in the 2012 GNAC Men's Volleyball Championship Game. Emmanuel, who is the #2 seed in the tournament, defeated Johnson and Wales University in the other semifinal tonight, 3-0. In the two previous meetings this season, the Raiders were a perfect 2-0 against the Saints – winning 6 of the 7 sets they've played. Championship game time is set for 1pm inside the Muldoon Gymnasium on the campus of Rivier College.