The UVC announced its 2023 individual awards and all-conference teams on Wednesday, April 12. The awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
 
Vassar College senior outside hitter Andrew Kim was named the 2023 UVC Player of the Year. Kim, a five-time UVC Player of the Week and two-time AVCA National Player of the Week, has helped lead the Brewers to a 22-1 overall record, 21-game winning streak and No. 1 ranking in the most recent NVA/AVCA Division III National Men’s Volleyball Poll. Vassar is the top-ranked team for the first time in program history. In addition, Kim and the Brewers earned a 6-0 record in UVC regular season play.
 
Kim is ranked 12th nationally with a .407 hitting percentage on the season, while sitting 11th nationally in kills per set (3.85) and 12th in points per set (4.54). He is one of the leaders of the Vassar offense that ranks first nationally as a team in hitting percentage (.362), first in assists per set (12.19), second in kills per set (13.01), while leading the nation with a .957 winning percentage.
 
Kim is the second Vassar student-athlete to be named UVC Player of the Year, joining Matthew Knigge, who did so in 2017 and 2018.
 
Zach Knudsen of NYU was named the 2023 UVC Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year honor. Kundsen, a sophomore, leads the UVC and is among the national leaders with 2.78 digs per set. He has recorded at least 10 digs in a match 10 times this season, including a season-high 22 in a four-set win over Ramapo on Feb. 4. Knudsen is the first NYU student-athlete to earn this honor.
 
A pair of middle blockers, Krish Jain of New Paltz and Tristan Christofferson of Vassar, shared UVC Rookie of the Year honors. Jain, a five-time UVC Rookie of the Week in 2023, is hitting .348 with 115 kills and 61 blocks in 101 sets played this season. Christofferson, a three-time UVC Rookie of the Week, is hitting .416 with 58 blocks and 56 kills in 45 sets played. He leads the conference with 1.29 blocks per set.
 
Jain is the second UVC Rookie of the Year from New Paltz, while Christofferson is the fourth Rookie of the Year from Vassar.
 
Richard Gary of Vassar was named UVC Coach of the Year. The Brewers are the top-ranked team in the NVA/AVCA Division III rankings for the first time in program history with a sparkling 22-1 record. The Brewers have won 21 straight games, finished 6-0 in league play and will host the UVC Championship Tournament. Vassar ranks first nationally as a team in hitting percentage (.362), assists per set (12.19), blocks per set (2.49) and is second in kills per set (13.01), while leading the nation with a .957 winning percentage. Gary, who led Vassar to the 2021 UVC Championship was also named UVC Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2021.
 
St. John Fisher fifth-year student Josh Bigford, the 2019 UVC Rookie of the Year and 2020 co-Player of the Year was named a UVC first team selection for a record fifth straight season. Kim, along with junior Owen Wickens of Nazareth, who was also the 2021 Rookie of the Year, both garnered UVC first team accolades for the third straight year. New Paltz senior Pat Wing garnered UVC first team honors for the second straight season. Elmira College standout Alberto Mauricio, who leads the nation in kills per set and Vassar’s Gavin van Beveren, who leads all of Division III with a .536 hitting percentage, rounded out the UVC first team. It is the fourth straight UVC honor for van Beveren, who was previously the 2020 Rookie of the Year and three-time second team selection.
 
Overall, Vassar and New Paltz placed five members on the all-conference team, while NYU was right behind with three and St. John Fisher and Elmira had two apiece.
 
Top-ranked Vassar is set to host the six-team 2023 UVC Championship Tournament this weekend. The quarterfinals will be played on Friday, as No. 4 MIT and No. 5 Elmira meet at 5 p.m., while No. 3 St. John Fisher takes on No. 6 NYU at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, top-seed Vassar will play the winner of MIT vs. Elmira in one semifinal at 2:30 p.m., while No. 2 seed New Paltz will face the winner of St. John Fisher vs. NYU in the second semifinal at 5 p.m. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2023 UVC Championship on Sunday, April 16 at 2 p.m.
 
2023 UVC All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Andrew Kim, Sr., OH, Vassar
Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year: Zach Knudsen, So., L/DS, NYU
Co-Rookie of the Year: Tristan Christofferson, Fr., MB, Vassar
Co-Rookie of the Year: Krish Jain, Fr., MB, New Paltz
Coach of the Year: Richard Gary, Vassar
 
UVC All-Conference First Team
Alberto Mauricio, So., OH, Elmira
Owen Wickens, Jr., OH/L, Nazareth
Pat Wing, Sr., MB, New Paltz
Josh Bigford, Gr., OH, St. John Fisher
Andrew Kim, Sr., OH, Vassar
Gavin van Beveren, Sr., MB, Vassar
 
UVC All-Conference Second Team
Nick Gustafson, Sr., OPP, MIT
Brendan Spulnick, Gr., OH, New Paltz
Luke Boyer, So., OH, NYU
Gautham Dasari, Sr., OH, NYU
Griffin Stella, Jr., MB, St. John Fisher
Jacob Kim, Jr., S, Vassar
 
UVC All-Conference Honorable Mention
Oscar Munoz-Trinidad, Sr., RS, Elmira
John Ronan, Gr., MB, New Paltz
Kyle Shaffer, Gr., S, New Paltz
Zach Knudsen, So., L/DS, NYU
Adam Gulick, Sr., OPP, Vassar
 
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