BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott graduate student Nikolas Kasprzak (Windham, N.H.) has earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Northeast All-Region honors, as announced by the association earlier today.
This is Kasprzak's first career All-Region award and the program's 11th overall since 2008.
Kasprzak was one of 14 student-athletes selected to the AVCA Northeast All-Region Team. The region is comprised of the Skyline, GNAC, and NECC conferences as well as Springfield from the Independent Pool.
With today's announcement, Kasprzak is now eligible for AVCA All-America honors, which will be released on Monday, April 24.
If selected, Kasprzak would become the sixth student-athlete in program history to garner AVCA All-America accolades joining elite company in Rafa Robert (San Juan, Puerto Rico), two-time honorees Dan Coleman '09 (Millis, Mass.) and Jeremy Fontaine '05 (Belchertown, Mass.), three-time honoree Bryn Lipton '20 M'21 (Rockford, Ill.) and Endicott Hall of Famer A.J. Witkofsky '10 (Scotia, N.Y.).
Kasprzak put together a banner year this season by becoming the first student-athlete in NECC men's volleyball history to win conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year accolades in the same season.
He was also named to the All-NECC First Team for the first time in his career.
Kasprzak accomplished the historic feat behind the following numbers: 23 matches played (72 sets), 178 kills, 2.47 kills per set, .432 hitting percentage, 0.63 digs per set (45 total), 0.81 blocks per set ( 7 solo, 51 assisted), 221.5 points, and 3.1 points per set.
Kasprzak ranked first in the NECC in hitting percentage and first in blocks per set for conference-only matches (1.47, 5 solo, 20 assisted, 25 total).
Nationally, Kasprzak is positioned No. 8 in the country in hitting percentage.
Kazprzak's other highlights this season included tying the four-set blocks record with 10 total (two solo, eight assisted) against SUNY Potsdam. He also compiled 10 or more kills as a middle in eight matches, produced five or more blocks in three contests, and registered a .500 hitting percentage or better in seven matches (min. 10 attempts).
In the playoffs (two matches), Kasprzak collected 28 kills (3.50 per set), a .625 hitting percentage, eight digs, and four blocks (all assisted).
YEAR IN REVIEW
The Gulls went 14-10 overall and 8-0 in league play before falling to Nichols in the conference championship, 3-1.
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