Vassar Trio, Springfield's Vega, NYU's Li Highlight ECAC DIII North Men's Volleyball Awards and All-ECAC Teams
DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced its 2017 Division III North Men’s Volleyball major award recipients and All-ECAC selections.
Matthew Knigge of Vassar College and Luis Vega of Springfield College shared the honor for ECAC North Offensive Player of the Year. Senior Trey Cimorelli, also of Vassar, collected the honor for Defensive Player of the Year, with New York University’s Alex Li garnering the accolade for Rookie of the Year. Vassar’s Richard Gary completed the major awards with the honor for Coach of the Year.
Knigge’s award comes after he won Player of the Year in the United Volleyball Conference (UVC). In 32 matches, the junior middle hitter has posted 334 kills on 602 attempts, good for a .427 attack percentage, and accounted for 454.5 points for the Brewers. Knigge has also posted 160 total blocks to average 1.38 per set thus far, a mark which leads the nation as Vassar prepares for the NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship beginning April 28.
Vega earns ECAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year after serving as an offensive catalyst for the Springfield attack this season and leading the Pride to the top overall seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. In 25 matches during the regular season, the senior amassed 324 kills while wracking up 381 total points in 77 sets played. With the NCAA tournament on the horizon, the outside hitter currently leads the nation in attack percentage (.463) and ranks fifth in the country in points per set (4.95) and kills per set (4.21).
Cimorelli garners ECAC Defensive Player of the Year following a season in which he claimed his second-consecutive UVC Libero of the Year award. The senior appeared in 33 matches for Vassar during the regular season and UVC tournament, compiling 319 digs for an average of 2.73 digs per set. Keyed by two separate five-match streaks with 10 or more digs, Cimorelli was the only player in the UVC to crack the 300-dig mark. He enters the NCAA tournament as the nation’s active career leader in both digs (1,153) and sets played (437).
Li’s ECAC Rookie of the Year honor caps an accolade-filled freshman campaign in which he was named ECAC North Rookie of the Week on four occasions. The rookie outside hitter established himself as a crucial cog in the NYU attack, leading the Violets in multiple offensive categories en route to earning top rookie honors in the UVC. In 25 matches during the regular season and UVC tournament, Li posted 402.5 points, 343 kills and 3.73 kills per set, all of which represented team bests.
For Gary, the honor for ECAC Coach of the Year comes on the heels of leading Vassar to its first-ever regular-season conference title. In his first year at the helm, Gary guided the Brewers to a 26-7 mark during the regular season and conference tournament, including a perfect 8-0 mark in UVC action. Under his guidance, Vassar earned an at-large bid to the NCAA DIII Men’s Volleyball Championship to mark the program’s first appearance in the tournament since the NCAA began sponsoring a championship in 2012.
Co-Offensive Player of the Year
Matthew Knigge – Vassar College, Jr.
Co-Offensive Player of the Year
Luis Vega – Springfield College, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year
Trey Cimorelli – Vassar College, Sr.
Rookie of the Year
Alex Li – New York University, Fr.
Coach of the Year
Richard Gary – Vassar College
All-ECAC First Team
Matthew Knigge – Vassar College, Jr.
Alex Li – New York University, Fr.
Steven Tarquinio – Hunter College, Sr.
Luis Vega – Springfield College, Sr.
Kyle Jasuta – Springfield College, So.
Luis Garcia Rubio – Springfield College, Sr.
Trey Cimorelli – Vassar College, Sr.
All-ECAC Second Team
Sean Bisnett – Regis College (Mass.), Jr.
Ben Crusinberry – Hunter College, Sr.
Ricardo Padilla Ayala – Springfield College, Jr.
Zechariah Lee – Vassar College, Jr.
Joseph Muir – Hunter College, Jr.
Nicolas Sanchez – Hunter College, Sr.
Eli Irizarry Pares – Springfield College, So.
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