BEVERLY, Mass. — Six members of the Endicott men's volleyball program received New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) postseason honors on Tuesday, as announced by the league office earlier today.
Nikolas Kasprzak (Windham, N.H.) and George Chapell '08 headlined the group as the duo earned NECC Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year accolades, respectively.
Rafa Robert (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and Mason Mallory (Playa del Rey, Calif.) were named to the All-NECC First Team, while Kasprzak and Gavin Emenaker (Newton, Mass.) were selected to the All-NECC Second Team.
Matt Cruz (Easton, Conn.) rounded out the list of award winners as a member of the Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team.
NIKOLAS KASPRZAK | JR. | MB
Kasprzak is the first middle blocker and third student-athlete overall to claim NECC Defensive Player of the Year honors in program history.
He is joined on the list by two-time honoree Ryan Healy '19 (Fair Lawn, N.J.) and Aaron Jessee '14 (Okinawa, Japan). Both Gulls were liberos.
In 22 matches played this season (76 sets), Kasprzak averaged 1.87 kills per set, a .285 hitting percentage, a conference-best 0.92 blocks (70 total, 12 solo, 58 assisted), and 0.34 digs.
Kasprzak had two block assists or more in every match but four this season. He also ranks second overall in blocks (1.00) for conference-only matches.
Kasprzak is now a three-time All-NECC honoree and two-time major award winner. His accolades include one All-NECC First Team selection (2020), two All-NECC Second Team nods (2021, 2022), NECC Rookie of the Year accolades (2020), and NECC Defensive Player of the Year honors (2022).
RAFA ROBERT | SR. | OH
Robert was impressive in every facet of the game this season as the senior outside compiled 3.50 kills, a .376 hitting percentage, 0.30 blocks, 0.54 service aces, 1.36 digs, and a .922 serve-receive percentage.
Among his conference peers, Robert ranked in the top-5 in eight different categories.
Robert's stat line included the following rankings: kills (4th, 266), kills per set (3rd), hitting percentage (2nd), service aces (3rd, 41), service aces per set (2nd), points (4th, 319.5), points per set (2nd, 4.2), and matches started (8th, 20).
Robert produced 15 or more kills in seven matches on the year, highlighted by a career-high against 28 putaways against No. 10 nationally ranked Wentworth (3/22/22).
This is Robert's second career All-NECC First Team selection.
MASON MALLORY | JR. | OPP/OH
In 15 matches this season (40 sets), Mallory registered 3.02 kills, a .207 hitting percentage, 0.35 service aces, and 1.25 digs.
Mallory ranked sixth in the conference in kills per set, 11th in hitting percentage, ninth in service aces per set, and sixth in points per set (3.5).
He also notched 10 or more kills in five matches this season and five or more digs in six contests.
Mallory's best match of the season included career-highs in kills (19) and digs (12).
This is Mallory's first career postseason honor.
GAVIN EMENAKER | SO. | S
Emenaker put together a career year for the Gulls after taking over the setter position midway through the 2022 campaign.
In 19 matches played (51 sets) so far, Emenaker has averaged 7.55 assists per set and 1.39 digs.
He led all setters in conference-only matches with 10.00 assists per set and ranked sixth in digs (1.88).
Emenaker has tallied 30 or more assists in six matches, highlighted a career-high 54-assist performance, and collected five or more digs in seven matches (career-high 11).
As a team, Endicott tops the conference in hitting percentage at .256 thanks in large part to Emenekar's play.
GEORGE CHAPELL '08 | HEAD COACH
Chapell claimed his third straight NECC Coach of the Year award, and fifth overall, behind a 16-6 overall record and 6-0 showing in league action.
Chapell's squad played the toughest schedule in the conference this season as Endicott's opponents averaged a .527 winning percentage, .037 points higher than the second place program in the NECC.
This year's slate of matches also ranked inside the top-50 among the toughest schedules in all of NCAA Division III.
Chapell's five NECC Coach of the Year honors are the most of any program leader in conference history.
Since taking over the program in 2013, Chapell has amassed a 183-81 overall record (.693) and a 96-3 conference mark (.970).
The Gulls have captured a league-best seven NECC Championships (2013-17, 2019, 2021) and never missed the finals under Chapell's guidance.
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(Photo Credit - Ryan Atkins '23/David Le '10)
