BEVERLY, Mass. – After going 11-1 in conference play during the regular season and defeating Regis (Mass.) and Daniel Webster to collect their second straight NECC Championship, the Endicott men's volleyball receive several individual accolades from the NECC including Defensive Player of the Year honors to senior libero Aaron Jessee (Okinawa, Japan) and the Coach of the Year award to second-year coach George Chapell.
Endicott's senior duo in the middle of Mike Coniglione (Glenville, N.Y.) and Travis Netherton (Waukegan, Ill.) repeated NECC First Team honors for the second consecutive season while senior right side Josh Anderson (La Canada, Calif.) earned his first collegiate postseason award with a Honorable Mention nod.
Jessee finished the year tops in the NECC with zero serve receive errors on 178 attempts against league opponents while averaging 2.76 digs per set (80 total) in 29 sets played against the NECC. Overall, Jessee ranked second in the conference and 14th among NCAA Division III players with 2.70 digs per set.
Coniglione and Netherton were among the league leaders in hitting percentage and blocks per set throughout the year with Coniglione averaging 0.86 blocks with a .354 hitting percentage against NECC opponents. Netherton led the conference at 1.14 blocks per set average while hitting .333 in nine conference matches. Overall, Netherton was second on the team with 215 kills and second in total blocks with 77 while also contributing with 13 aces. Coniglione finished with 183 kills, a .308 hitting percentage, and a team-high 93 blocks including 13 solo blocks.
Anderson impressed in conference play this season, totaling 61 kills and a .279 hitting percentage with 19 blocks. Overall, Anderson had 143 kills (1.86 per set), 50 blocks, and 86 digs (1.12 per set).
Chapell earned his first ever Coach of the Year award in just his second season at the helm of the Endicott men's volleyball program. Dealing with lineup changes and injuries throughout the year, Chapell was able to maintain a lineup that could compete both against in-conference and out-of-conference opposition. Chapell now has a 43-22 (.661) winning percentage in his two years at Endicott including a 23-1 record as associate members of the NECC.
