Posted: Jan 24, 2012
The Endicott men’s volleyball team will welcome back 13 players from their 2011 roster and invite four impactful newcomers into the fold as the Gulls look to turn in their fourth straight season with at least 20 wins under 12th year head coach Tim Byram.
Byram’s 2012 Gulls are an experienced bunch that feature four North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) All-New England honorees including senior libero Andrew Slocum who went on to earn NECVA First Team All-Conference. Slocum, along with fellow seniors Joshua Bruno and Jeremy Siden, will captain the Blue and Green as they aspire to reach the NCAA Division III Tournament which is in its first year of existence.
Endicott will be competing as the preseason favorites in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) in 2012 and should the Gulls win the conference championship on April 14th they will earn an automatic qualifying bid into the field of nine for the NCAA Division III Tournament. Endicott has appeared in the NECVA Tournament in each of the past five seasons including last year’s quarterfinal run that ended with a 3-1 loss to Emmanuel. The Blue and Green have also competed in the ECAC New England Tournament where they made it to the championship match in both 2008 and 2011.
Endicott’s roster boasts depth and skill at each position, especially on defense as the Gulls ranked fourth in country last season in blocks per set (2.36). Two of Endicott’s middles, sophomore Travis Netherton and senior Joshua Bruno, ranked ninth and 11th in the NCAA in blocking, respectively. Netherton, a NECVA All-New England Second Team selection, amassed 122 total blocks in his rookie campaign, the most by Endicott freshman since A.J. Witkofsky (’10) stopped 110 attacks at the net in 2007. Bruno totaled a career-high 99 blocks in 2011, shattering his previous best of 28 from his sophomore season. Both Netherton and Bruno will also be factors in the Endicott attack after registering 242 and 138 kills, respectively, last spring.
In a backup role, sophomores Brandon Chadwick and Mike Coniglione will continue to provide much needed depth in the middle after combing for 59 blocks last year. Both players chipped in offensively with 39 kills each. Six-foot-six freshman Tommy Stoeckinger, a highly-regarded middle blocker out of Loyola High School in Malibu, California, should also make an immediate impact on the court for the Gulls.
At the libero position, Slocum’s 285 digs in 2011 ranked sixth in Endicott’s single-season records and his .965 career reception percentage ranks sixth all-time. The Gulls other defensive specialists include sophomore Aaron Jessee and freshmen Stewart Allendorph and Kristian Catalan. Jessee registered 72 digs after appearing in 35 of Endicott’s 38 matches last season while Allendorph (Bethlehem-Central, New York) and Catalan (Lincoln-Sudbury, Massachusetts) will look to adjust to the college game after strong high school careers.
Endicott outside hitter Jeremy Siden was selected as a NECVA All-New England Second Team member after totaling 318 kills with a .242 hit percentage in his junior year. Siden, who averaged a team-high 2.69 kills per set, goes into his final season for the Gulls ranked in the top-10 for kills, kills per set, and attack attempts in Endicott men’s volleyball history. Junior Brennan Lowe is expected to see increased playing time after appearing in 27 matches in 2011 and averaging 1.55 kills per set in 42 sets played. Sophomores Kevin Duggan and Lance Pepper will provide depth at the outside hitter position.
Junior Matt Devendorf and sophomore Josh Anderson will take on the right side hitting responsibilities in 2012, after a 2011 season that saw Devendorf earn NECVA All-New England Second Team accolades and Anderson impress in his rookie campaign. Devendorf was third on the team last year in kills (250) and tops in service aces (46). Defensively, he was a factor at the net with 82 blocks. Anderson, in just 17 matches played after coming back from illness, had 83 kills and a 1.69 kills per set average. He also had 39 blocks.
Finally, the Gulls will use both Jeremy Schlosser and Carter Roche in the setting game as the duo combined for over 1,300 assists last year. Schlosser averaged 8.04 assists in 122 sets played for a total of 981 while Roche’s 334 assists were critical in Endicott’s offensive approach. With plenty of offensive weapons at their disposal, both players are expected to accumulate high totals in 2012.
The Blue and Green will kick off their 2012 season with their annual match up against NCAA Division I member Harvard at home on Tuesday, January 24th. Endicott’s second match of the season will feature the first of two meetings with \#2 nationally ranked Springfield which will take place on Friday, January 27th on the road. The Gulls non-conference schedule also includes matches against nationally-ranked MIT and Stevens Tech. Endicott will compete in the MIT Invitational (February 11-12) and their annual Endicott Invitational (March 24-25) before playing for NECC Championship glory in mid-April. Should Endicott win the NECC, the NCAA Division III Tournament will be held from April 21st-28th with the championship hosted by Springfield College.
