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

(Winthrop, Mass.) The Great Northeast Athletic Conference announced earlier today that Rivier University juniors Grant Andler (Chicago, Ill.) and Garrett Bucklin (Jamestown, R.I.) were selected as the GNAC Men's Volleyball Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week presented by Corvias Campus Living.

Andler was named the Offensive Player of the Week after registering double-digits for kills in all three matches helping #10 Rivier to a perfect 3-0 week. The third year opposite hitter knocked down 3.23 kills per set while hitting an efficient .366 clip and 3.9 points per set average in wins against Arcadia, Elmira and SUNY Polytechnic. Andler highlighted his week with a 17-kill, .500 hitting percentage, 8-dig and 4-block performace against SUNY Polytechnic. He also averaged 1.77 digs and 0.54 blocks per set on the defensive end for the Raiders.

Speaking of defense, Bucklin was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week after scooping up 32 digs for a 2.67 digs per set average in the team's three wins on the week. The third year libero was solid registering double-digits in digs for two of the three Raider wins including a match-high 13 digs against Arcadia.

This is the second time, and second consecutive week, that a Raider was selected as the conference's Offensive Player of the Week. Senior Matt LaSance (Madison, Conn.) was named the GNAC's MVB OPOTW on February 20th. This is also the second consecutive week and fourth overall that Bucklin was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Rivier faces two tough conference opponents before taking off for Milwaukee over the Spring Break. The tenth-ranked Raiders will travel to seventh-ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology tonight for a 6pm start.