Men's Volleyball: 2018 GNAC All-Conference Team announced; 8 Raiders honored
(Winthrop, Mass.) The Great Northeast Athletic Conference announced their annual Men's Volleyball All-Conference teams and major awards winners this afternoon and seven Raiders are scattered amongst the teams. In total, seven members of the 2018 GNAC Men's Volleyball Champions were named All-Conference with three being tabbed first-team selections.
Leading the way on the All-Conference First-Team is senior setter Garrett Bucklin (Jamestown, R.I.). Bucklin was a major reason for the team's success in 2018. Under his direction in the middle of the floor, he dished out 900 assists and averaged 10.59 assists per set. Bucklin also recorded 48 total blocks, 132 digs and added 30 kills over the course of his 85 sets played. He was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week twice (1/27 & 4/9), GNAC Defensive Player of the Week once (2/12) and was also named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Player of the Week (2/13).
Also being tabbed a first-team member is senior Grant Andler (Chicago, Ill.). Andler had a resounding season as he finished second on the team with 233 kills and a .379 hitting percentage. He also led the team with 16 block solos (44 total blocks) and a 3.11 kills per set average. Andler was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week once on March 26th.
Junior Dashaun Graham (Highland Falls, N.Y.) was a catalyst for the Raiders all season long. Despite appearing in 81 of the team's 97 sets played during the regular season, Graham averaged a 1.16 blocks per set while amassing a team-high 94 total blocks. On the offensive side of the net, he hammered down 185 kills (2.28 kills per set) and swung at a .339 clip. His 20 service aces ranks second on the team along with his 15 block solos. Graham was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week on February 12th and the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week on January 27th.
Representing the Raiders on the All-Conference Second Team are junior Dahnny Rogers (Penfield, N.Y.) and sophomore David Smith (Clinton, Ohio). Rogers was the only Raider to play in over 90 sets (91) and as the libero, scooped up a team-high 191 digs along the back line for a 2.10 digs per set average. He also selected to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team for his efforts on the court. Smith enjoyed a breakout season in which he led the team with 250 kills while recording a 2.97 kills per set average. He also finished third on the team with 133 digs (1.53 digs per set) and accumulated 37 total blocks.
Junior Khaynen Yocca (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and sophomore Cam Roth (Coventry, R.I.) were named Third-Team All-Conference after each providing valuable contributions to the overall team success. Yocca played in 53 sets registering the best hitting percentage of those who had 100+ attempts on the team as he finished at .482 on 119 kills and a 2.25 kills per set average. He also added value on the defensive front with 29 total blocks, eight block solos, and 28 digs. Roth appeared in 87 sets on the season and finished with 158 kills (1.82 kills per set) while picking up 164 digs and 38 total blocks – 10 of which were block solos. He was also named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week on April 9th.
For the fourth time in his 21 seasons at the helm of the Rivier University Men's Volleyball program, Head Coach Craig Kolek was selected by his peers as the 2018 GNAC Coach of the Year. The Raiders finished the regular season with a perfect 14-0 conference record after being selected to finish second in the pre-season coaches poll. Rivier finished the regular season with an overall record of 24-6 including impressive wins over #11 (at the time) Wentworth, Hunter and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kolek was previously named GNAC Coach of the Year in 2009, 2013 and 2016.
Here is a complete list of the 2018 GNAC MVB All-Conference Teams:
FIRST TEAM
Cameron Ponce, Johnson & Wales (Jr., S, San Jose, Calif.)
Alex Seda, Johnson & Wales (Jr., L, San Juan, P.R.)
Grant Andler, Rivier (Sr., OH, Chicago, Ill.)
Garrett Bucklin, Rivier (Sr., S, Jamestown, R.I.)
Dashaun Graham, Rivier (Jr., MH, Highland Falls, N.Y.)
Ollie Oshman, Wentworth (Sr., MH, Pennington, N.J.)
Collin Ritter, Wentworth (Sr., S, Feeding Hills, Mass.)
SECOND TEAM
Erik English, Emmanuel (Jr., OH, Simi Valley, Calif.)
Seamus McDonagh, Emmanuel (So., S, Long Beach, N.Y.)
Matt LaVasseur, Johnson & Wales (Jr., MB, Salem, N.H.)
Dahnny Rogers, Rivier (Jr., L, Penfield, N.Y.)
David Smith, Rivier (So., S, Clinton, Ohio)
Ryan Love, Wentworth (So., OH/RS, Gaithersburg, Md.)
Augusto Rodriguez-Guerrios, Wentworth (So., S, Guaynabo, P.R.)
THIRD TEAM
Nick Rusk, Emerson (Sr., OH/S, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Sanjae Holloway, Johnson & Wales (So., OH, East Hartford, Conn.)
Zach Turner, Johnson & Wales (So., MB, Coventry, R.I.)
Jordan Aprea, Lasell (Jr., OH/DS, Newington, Conn.)
Brett Krahl, Regis (Sr., MB, Santa Clarita, Calif.)
Cam Roth, Rivier (So., OH, Coventry, R.I.)
Khaynen Yocca, Rivier (Jr., MH, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Collin Ritter, Wentworth
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Ollie Oshman, Wentworth
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Peter Klembczyk, Wentworth
COACH OF THE YEAR – Craig Kolek, Rivier
INSTITUTIONAL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD – Mount Ida College
GNAC ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Marcus Cepeda, Emerson (Fr., Sacramento, Calif.)
John Carroll, Emmanuel (So., Massapequa, N.Y.)
Matt McCarthy, Johnson & Wales (So., Millis, Mass.)
Jordan Aprea, Lasell (Jr., Newington, Conn.)
Mason Leonard, Mount Ida (Fr., Langdon, N.H.)
Sebastian Valdes, Regis (Mass.) (Fr., Diamond Bar, Calif.)
Dahnny Rogers, Rivier (Jr., Penfield, N.Y.)
Kevin Devine, Wentworth (Fr., Charlotte , Vt.)
