Men's Volleyball: LaSance, Bucklin named GNAC Players of the Week

Men's Volleyball: LaSance, Bucklin named GNAC Players of the Week

(Winthrop, Mass.) The Great Northeast Athletic Conference announced their weekly award recipients and a pair of Raiders were selected as Players of the Week. Senior setter Matt LaSance (Madison, Conn.) was tabbed the GNAC Men's Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week and junior libero Garrett Bucklin (Jamestown, R.I.) was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week.

LaSance led Rivier to a perfect 3-0 week including wins over #7 Kean University, conference foe Johnson and Wales University and future GNAC opponent Regis College. The fourth year setter directed the Raider offense to a .307 hitting percentage while averaging 13.45 assists per set. LaSance registered a career high 61 assists in the 3-2 win over #7 Kean while distributing over 40 assists in both 3-0 wins against JWU and Regis. He also recorded 1.55 digs and 0.55 service aces per set on the week.

Bucklin once again was solid in the back row for Rivier registering 31 digs and 2.82 dig per set average on the week. The third year student-athlete out of Rhode Island highlighted his week with a 16-dig performance in the win over #7 Kean. Bucklin's receive and floor defense anchored the Raiders to an undefeated 3-0 week.

This is the first time in LaSance's career that he has been named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week and is also the first Raiders to achieve this feat in 2017. Bucklin is no stranger to the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honoree as he was been selected in three out of the first five weeks of the season.

The #13 ranked Raiders will travel to Utica, New York for the SUNY Poly Invitational this weekend (Friday & Saturday). Rivier will open up with Arcadia University on Friday night before taking on Elmira and SUNY Poly on Saturday.