2011 SEASON IN REVIEW
May 10, 2011
The Emmanuel College Men's Volleyball Team boasted another sensational season in 2011. The Saints topped their phenomenal 2010 campaign with another record-breaking season this year. The team's unprecedented success included a new record for wins in a season with 28, rewriting the record books for individual single-season records and making the program's 4th NECVA Tournament appearance in the past five years.
After advancing to the quarterfinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament and to the second round of the NECVA Tournament, the Saints finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 28-9 and an 11-1 mark against GNAC opponents. Ranked among the nation's Top 15 throughout the season, Emmanuel faced and defeated several other nationally-ranked programs during the regular season. The Saints' wins included victories over SUNY New Paltz, Baruch, Vassar, Endicott, MIT and a 3-2 defeat of GNAC rival Rivier College on March 1st.
Emmanuel entered the NECVA Tournament with the program's highest-ever seed. The 6th-seeded Saints faced and defeated the 11th-seeded Gulls of Endicott College, 3-1. Emmanuel then suffered a 3-1 loss to 3rd-seeded Baruch in the tournament's quarterfinal round.
The Saints received numerous individual post-season accolades. Senior outside hitter Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) was voted an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American, becoming the college's first-ever male student-athlete to receive All-America honors. In addition, Abram was named a 1st Team All-NECVA selection, another first for an Emmanuel men's volleyball player.
Emmanuel landed six individuals on the GNAC All-Conference Teams. The Saints swept the Player of the Year balloting, as Abram was named the GNAC Player of the Year and senior libero Jake DeLuise (Wakefield, R.I.) was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Three Emmanuel players received 1st Team All-GNAC honors, including Abram, Tyson Rietz (Granite Bay, Calif.) and Nick Updike, while three others were named either 2nd or 3rd Team All-Conference, Thomas McCaffrey (Massapequa, N.Y.), Cam Todd (Los Angeles, Calif.) and DeLuise. Senior opposite Keoni Rabaino (Tucson, Ariz.) was named to the GNAC's All-Sportsmanship Team. This was Emmanuel's largest class of All-Conference selections.
Abram, who led the Saints in both kills and aces this season, will graduate as the program's all-time kills leader with 1,662 kills. He also owns the program records for single season kills (517), single match kills (37), single season aces (100) and single match aces (10).
In addition to the new marks set by Abram in 2011, Updike set a new record for assists (1,087), DeLuise set a new digs record (295), and McCaffrey set all three single season blocks records (154 total, 102 assisted and 52 solo) this year. With four years under his belt, Todd will graduate as Emmanuel's all-time leader in total blocks (267) and assisted blocks (217).
First-year Head Coach Adam Martel was proud of his team's accomplishments both on and off the court this season. In addition to the Saints' stellar play on the court, the team posted a 3.13 cumulative grade point average and received one of the NECVA Team Academic Awards. Four Emmanuel players also received individual NECVA honors for their academic success, as DeLuise, Rietz, Sean O'Connor (Hampstead, N.H.) and Jim Sutherland (Concord, Calif.) earned over a 3.5 cumulative GPA.
Coach Martel will lose an incredible class of nine seniors (Abram, DeLuise, Rabaino, Rietz, Sutherland, O'Connor, Todd, Matt Salvi and Mike DelSignore) to graduation in May. However, he has brought in a superior recruiting class to compliment the eight returning veterans for the 2012 season. With the newly approved NCAA Tournament for Division III Men's Volleyball, the Saints will be looking to win the program's first-ever GNAC Championship and secure an automatic bid to the big dance in 2012.