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Men’s Volleyball Set To Compete In Newly Formed
United Volleyball Conference
Coming off a successful 20-12 season and a 7-2 North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Metro Division slate, the Stevens Instiute of Technology men’s volleyball team enters the 2011 campaign ready to compete in the newly formed United Volleyball Conference (UVC). Under the tutelage of head coach Patrick Dorywalski, the Ducks will look to continue their tradition of excellence on the Hudson as they set their sights on the league’s inaugural championship crown en route to a 14th-consecutive NECVA Tournament appearance.
The 12-team UVC, comprised of 12 outstanding NCAA Division III athletic and academic institutions, including Elmira College, Penn State-Behrend College, former NECVA Western Division members: D’Youville College, Hilbert College, Medaille College, Nazareth College, and SUNY IT, and former NECVA Metro Division members: Bard College, New York University, Stevens Institute of Technology, SUNY New Paltz, and Vassar College, will also operate as a division of NECVA.
“I believe the UVC could be one of the premier Division III volleyball conferences in the nation with the level of elite programs coming aboard. NYU, Stevens, Vassar, D’Youville, Medaille, and Nazareth – those, in my opinion, are consistently six of the top 15 programs in the country on a year-to-year basis,” said Dorywalski. “We’re definitely excited about the opportunity to be a part of UVC especially as we move towards the new NCAA Division III Championship in 2011-12. It’s a great conference to be associated with.”
Last season, Stevens finished in the top-25 nationally in five NCAA statistical categories, ranking third in blocks per set (2.82), eighth in assists per set (13.36), 12th in both kills per set (14.31) and hitting percentage (.267), and 24th in digs per set (10.65).
Returning to the Ducks this season are a trio of All-NECVA Metro Division honorees in seniors SteFan PremDas (Hollywood, Fla.), Timothy Karl (Williamsville, N.Y.), and Brandt Grobeis (Livingston, N.J.). Averaging 3.24 kills and 1.51 digs per set, PremDas, a first-team selection who will look to continue to improve in his final season at Castle Point, proved to be a reliable threat from the outside, helping to balance out the Stevens attack.
Earning second-team, All-Metro Division accolades, Karl finished the season ranked sixth nationally in blocks per set with 1.26 per frame. The Williamsville, N.Y. native, who also averaged 1.90 kills per set, notched 116 block assists and 135 total blocks last season, ranking sixth and seventh all-time for any single-season in program history.
A returning co-captain, Grobeis enjoyed another stellar campaign as a junior, racking up 1,267 assists – the fifth-highest total in school history. His 12.18 assists per set during 2010 ranked sixth nationally as he moved into third-place all-time on the Ducks’ career helpers chart. A dedicated student-athlete, Grobeis also excelled in the classroom, garnering second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition.
Also returning to the fold this season are fellow seniors Jonathan Landis (Sellersville, Pa.), Aaron Ostrovsky (Simi Valley, Calif.), and Bryant DeFranco (Nesconset, N.Y.). Despite appearing in just 73 sets last season, Landis led the squad in kills (4.10) and points (4.62) per set, ranking 10th and 20th, respectively, amongst all NECVA student-athletes.
An anchor on the Ducks’ defense, Ostrovsky finished 16th in the nation in digs per set with 2.90 per contest and will look to improve upon that mark this year as the team’s starting libero. A first-time co-captain, DeFranco made the most of his appearances last season, averaging 2.28 kills and 1.68 digs per set, and will look to take on a more active leadership role on this year’s squad.
Hoping to build upon a solid foundation laid as freshmen are a talented corps of second-years in Jake Modestow (Hampden, Mass.), James Mataras (River Vale, N.J.), Ricky Budar (Honolulu, Hawaii), Thomas Hannum (Libertyville, Ill.), and Jon Rohan (Aberdeen, N.J.).
Modestow made his presence felt inside last season, ranking 12th in all of NECVA in blocks with 1.08 per set. Not to be outdone, Mataras averaged 1.00 blocks and 2.19 kills per set in his first season in Cardinal and Gray, while Budar and Rohan saw limited action in reserve roles. Hannum made a good impression in his first full year at Castle Point, averaging 2.13 kills and 1.11 digs per set.
Rounding out the 2011 Ducks roster are five standout freshman: David Evans (Penfield, N.Y.), Tyler Mackanin (Rocklin, Calif.), Paul Dubuke (Camarillo, Calif.), Gary Aramini (Fair Lawn, N.J.), and Ryan Seifert (Chicopee, Mass.) – all of whom figure to contribute early and often to Dorywalski’s squad.
Stevens opened up its 2011 season with a pre-season training trip to Europe. After arriving in Zurich, Switzerland on January 5, the team traveled to the National Sporting and Cultural Centre (Centre National Sportif et Culturel), better known as d'Coque, in Kirchberg, a quarter of Luxembourg City. Over the course of their five-day stay, the Ducks competed in the four-team Novotel Cup sponsored by the Volleyball Federation of Luxembourg.
Competing against the national teams of Luxembourg, Belarus, and Scotland, the Ducks took the opportunity to tune up for a rigorous 2011 NECVA slate, while enjoying the invaluable experience of international competition.
“This was a once in a lifetime experience for our student-athletes. To have the opportunity to play these international teams, in a national center, with our anthem being played in front of thousands of people is something they’ll be able to hold onto, look back on, and never forget,” said Dorywalski. “The team was a little jet lagged but still managed to play very well against Luxembourg. The middles were effective when we could run them, but the service was difficult to handle on the first day of competition. In our second match against Belarus - the clear favorite in the tournament - we played much better, but the sheer height difference was a factor as you can see in the blocking statistics. Our match against Scotland was a great match as we held our own and we were the only match that went five (sets).”
Following the tournament, Stevens headed to Friedrichshafen, Germany, to complete their training at the German Volleyball Federation’s national training center before returning to Castle Point on January 17.
The Ducks open up the regular season by hosting the Stevens Invitational on January 22-23 featuring Hunter College, Mount Olive College, and Newbury College. Stevens will then travel to New York University on January 26 before facing Baruch College, Rivier College, D’Youville College, and Rutgers-Newark in the Golden Dome Invitational on January 29-30.
Stevens returns home on Ferburary 2, opening UVC play against Vassar before squaring off with new league rivals Nazareth and Hilbert on February 5-6 during the first of two Crossover weekends. The Ducks take a quick break from conference action to take on Juniata College and Division I Harvard University before facing conference foes Bard College, SUNY-IT and SUNY New Paltz.
Stevens will play host to NYU on February 23 in what will serve as the team’s Duck Country event before welcoming Grand Canyon University to Canavan Arena on February 28. After a battle with Philadelphia Biblical University on March 2, the Ducks will compete in the second UVC Crossover weekend on March 5-6 before closing out the year with matches against Rutgers-Newark, Division I opponents New Jersey Institute of Technology and Sacred Heart University, and Baruch College.
The first-ever UVC Championships will be held on March 26-27 before Stevens hosts the NECVA Championships in Hoboken, N.J. on April 1-3.
Helping Dorywalski navigate this challenging 2011 schedule are assistant coaches Jeffrey Lipton, Austin Voges, and Andrew Fessler. Lipton, who previously served as a Stevens men’s volleyball assistant coach from 2002-06, will return to the Ducks’ sideline for the upcoming 2011 season.
In his final full season at Castle Point in 2005, Lipton helped Stevens to a 25-9 overall mark and 12-0 conference record. The Ducks, who were ranked as high as fifth on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, took home the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) championship, while placing third in the Molten Invitational.
Prior to Stevens, Voges served as a coach for the Long Island Volleyball Club (LIVBC). Serving as the Boys 15 national team coach in 2004-05, he took the reins of the Boys 17 Regional club in 2006. Since 2007 Voges has served as the Boys 16 National team coach. Voges has also served as the head junior varsity boys coach and assistant varsity coach at Lindenhurst High School in Lindenhurst, N.Y. for the last two years. Fessler will enter his first season on the Stevens bench after a decorated four-year playing career as a Duck.
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