2015 UVC Tournament Preview
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Elmira, NY -- The 2015 United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament is less than a week away, beginning on Friday, April 9th with a pair of quarterfinal matches. The following day will feature two semifinal matches with the finals being played on Sunday, April 12th.
No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology (26-4, 8-0 UVC)
The Ducks claimed the top seed in this year’s conference tournament after running through conference play, winning 24-of-26 sets played en route to a perfect 8-0 record in UVC matches, earning the right to host the 2015 UVC Tournament. As the tournament’s top seed, Stevens will receive a bye into the UVC Semifinals where they will face the winner of the No. 4 NYU and No. 5 Elmira College matchup.
Stevens has shown that they are clear favorites as they enter the conference tournament on a 17-match win streak, one that dates back to February 21st. Of the Ducks’ 26 wins this season, 12 have come against nationally ranked opponents and of their four losses, three were against NCAA Division I programs with their only Division III loss coming to current No. 2 UC Santa Cruz.
Defending Stevens’ four-headed attack of Ryan Seifert, David Evans, Tim Ferriter, and Chris Vaughan has been a tall task for every team in the country this season and will surely be a threat that the tournament field will have to deal with. The four Ducks have combined for 864 kills, making up 66 percent of Stevens’ total kills. Additionally, Stevens’ quartet of players is hitting .326 on the season.
No. 2 SUNY New Paltz (24-4, 7-1 UVC)
After successfully recording their third consecutive 20-win season, New Paltz enters the UVC Tournament looking to defend their title from a season ago, as the second seeded Hawks will play the winner of the No. 6 Vassar College and No. 3 Nazareth College matchup. New Paltz still has one match remaining on their regular season schedule but the Hawks will most certainly be entering the conference tournament playing some of their best volleyball of the season after winning 18 of their last 19 matches, including wins against eight nationally ranked teams.
New Paltz will rely on a trio of hitters including Christopher Husmann, Anthony Bonilla, and Christian Smith. All three have over 200 kills on the season but the most dangerous is Husmann, who is registering kills on .497 percent of his attempts, the highest hitting percentage in all of NCAA Division III men’s volleyball.
No. 3 Nazareth College (26-5, 6-2 UVC)
For the first time since 2012, Nazareth will not be serving as the host of the UVC Tournament after going 6-2 in conference play, as the Golden Flyers enter the postseason as the tournament’s third seed. Nazareth has won three of the last four UVC Tournament titles, including a stretch of three consecutive championships from 2011 to 2013.
Tim Zyburt and Grant Levermore are two players to watch for Nazareth. Zyburt, a two-time UVC Player of the Week, has the third-most kills in the UVC at 330 and should be the Golden Flyers’ main target this weekend. Levermore is close behind with 232 kills and should also pose a big threat to opposing blockers. Also keep an eye on rookie setter Jake Kemp, who has 872 assists in his rookie campaign which ranks third in the conference standings.
No. 4 NYU (16-9, 5-3 UVC)
The Violets of NYU have struggled to string together consecutive wins in 2015 as they hold a 16-9 record and 5-3 mark in UVC play with one game remaining in the regular season. However, if history has shown us anything, it is that the Violets can get hot and get hot in a hurry as evidence of NYU’s run to the UVC Tournament Championship game last season despite closing the regular season winning just five of their final 11 matches.
NYU has relied on the services of Nick Benson and Chase Klein, who have 281 and 241 kills entering the conference tournament. Although the name of the game is kills, it might be NYU’s ability on defense that could set them apart from the field and spark another deep postseason run. Leading the charge on defense has been Phil Bueno and Sean Leahy, who have 81 and 72 total blocks, respectively.
No. 5 Elmira College (20-13, 4-4 UVC)
The Soaring Eagles have reached the 20-win mark for a second consecutive season as Elmira enters the UVC Tournament as the fifth seed after posting a 4-4 record in conference matches. Elmira has three nationally ranked wins under their belt but has shown that they are susceptible to lesser teams with three unranked losses on their resume. However, Elmira is entering the conference tournament on a high note, winning three of their last four matches, with their only loss coming in four sets to No. 2 UC Santa Cruz.
Erik Griffin will be the main target on offense, and for good reason, as the junior outside hitter leads the UVC with 427 kills and a 4.15 kills per set average, which ranks third in the country. Alongside Griffin is fellow junior Mike Ellison who has 250 kills.
No. 6 Vassar College (18-12, 3-5 UVC)
Vassar closed out the regular season with four straight wins and claimed victories in seven of their last eight matches, as the Brewers enter the conference tournament with an 18-12 overall record and a 3-5 mark in UVC play. The Brewers are back in the UVC Tournament after missing out on postseason play in 2014.
Youth has been the key in 2015 for Vassar, as several freshmen have played vital roles in the Brewers’ success. Rookie talents Jorge Rivera and Matthew Knigge have combined for 463 kills this season, with Rivera ranking second on the team with 243 and Knigge third with 220. Knigge is also Vassar’s leader on defense with 98 total blocks. Another rookie that has been instrumental in Vassar’s success has been their primary setter, Zechariah Lee, who has 798 assists on the year.