Feb. 2, 2006

BEVERLY, MA - Endicott College freshman outside hitter Clay Ostrander (Wheaton, IL/Warrenville) was named the Conference Rookie of the Week and New England Rookie of the Week by the Northeast Collegiate Volleyball Association.

Ostrander was instrumental in helping the Gulls earn a No. 8 ranking in the NECVAC Poll and a No. 12 ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III national poll.

Ostrander's 4.55 kills per game average was a big reason for Endicott's 5-2 record. The Gulls' two losses came last Saturday in New Jersey to NYU, the No. 3 team in the latest AVCA Poll, and Stevens Institute of Technology, ranked No. 7 by AVCA. Stevens Tech is the top-ranked team in the NECVA Poll.

Ostrander had 21 kills in EC's season-opening, 3-2, victory over Division I foe Sacred Heart. In the win, he hit .273, recording 19 kills, 10 digs, four aces and four blocks. Ostrander also had a .350 percentage in a victory at Emmanuel and hit .560 with 18 kills in a sweep of Wentworth.

Ostrander led the Gulls in games against Stevens Tech and NYU. He averaged 14.5 kills and 4 aces in the tri-match and hit .706 with 13 kills in a shutout win over Mt. Ida.

The outstanding 6-foot-4 outside hitter has a .392 hitting percentage and has reached double digits in kills in each of the six matches in which he has competed. Ostrander is averaging 1.41 digs, .082 aces and .45 blocks per game.