2012 SEASON IN REVIEW
May 22, 2012
The Emmanuel Men's Volleyball Team completed another impressive season in 2012. The Saints kicked off the year as the 12th ranked team in the nation, based on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) pre-season poll. Despite a challenging schedule, Emmanuel held its spot among the nation's Top 15 for much of the 2012 campaign and finished the year with an impressive 17 wins and 12 losses.
Vying for a spot in the inaugural NCAA Division III national tournament, the Saints advanced to the championship match of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament. Emmanuel competed in the program's fourth GNAC championship game in the five-year history of the tournament. The Saints' NCAA Tournament hopes were thwarted by GNAC rival Rivier College, who earned the conference's first automatic bid.
The Saints received numerous GNAC accolades throughout the season, culminating with four Emmanuel student-athletes named to the GNAC All-Conference Teams. Freshman Ashanti Jackson (Sacramento, Calif.), who led the Saints all season in kills, landed a spot on the GNAC 1st Team. His phenomenal rookie season was highlighted by four GNAC Rookie of the Week nods (2/6, 2/13, 2/27 and 4/2), as well as one GNAC Player of the Week honor (2/20). Jackson finished the season with 290 kills and averaged 3.30 per set, which ranked him 22nd among the nation's leaders.
Joining Jackson on the 1st Team was junior setter and three-year starter Nick Updike. This is Updike's second consecutive appearance on the GNAC 1st Team. During the 2012 season, Updike was named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll twice (4/2 and 4/16), as well as to the MIT Invitational All-Tournament Team and to the GNAC All-Tournament Team. The junior captain led the Saints in both service aces and assists and finished the season ranked 16th nationally in aces (0.45 per set) and 25th in assists (8.62 per set).
Emmanuel will lose senior middle Tom McCaffrey (Massapequa, N.Y.) to graduation this year. The three-time GNAC All-Conference player has left his mark on the Emmanuel men's volleyball program. McCaffrey owns all of Emmanuel's single-season blocking records, as well as the all-time records for total blocks (337) and assisted blocks (246). He wrapped up his senior year as the nation's 23rd leader in blocks per set (0.91). McCaffrey was Emmanuel's third leader in kills this year, averaging 1.88 per set, while hitting a team-best .366 on the season.
Along with Jackson, the Saints got big numbers from fellow-rookie Zach Whitermore (Whitehall, Pa.). Together, Jackson and Whitermore combined for over 500 kills in 2012, with Whitermore recording 217 of them. As Emmanuel's 2nd leader in kills, Whitermore ranked 11th in the GNAC with 2.44 kills per set, hitting .262 for the year. The rookie was also one of the Saints' top servers and finished the season ranked 4th in the GNAC.
In addition to returning Updike, Jackson and Whitermore to his starting line-up, third-year Head Coach Adam Martel is also pleased to welcome back Austin Cockerill (Darien, Conn.) and Ben Mathews (York, Pa.), who each played in all 29 matches and earned solid time in the Saints line-up as freshmen. Cockerill got starts in half of the Saints' matches and finished the year as the team's fourth leading hitter, averaging 1.41 kills per set. Mathews was consistent throughout the season as one of the Saints' liberos. He totaled a team-high 631 serve receptions this season and recorded a .938 reception percentage.
Senior middle Alexander Petty (Wayland, Mass.) was solid for the Saints for the past four seasons. Petty hit .357 in 2012 and earned a spot on the April 16th GNAC Weekly Honor Roll and the GNAC All-Tournament Team. Petty was named to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team and was recently recognized at the Emmanuel Athletic Awards Night, where he received the College's Senior Unsung Hero Award.
Along with McCaffrey and Petty, Coach Martel will lose senior captain Michael Mottola (Quincy, Mass.) and senior defensive specialist Tim Ramistella (Westport, Conn.) to graduation in May. Joining the five returning starters for the 2013 season are six experienced veterans, including Sean Baxley (Saint James, N.Y.), Cody Diehl (Derry, N.H.), Ryan Kessler (Santa Clarita, Calif.), Brett Pettis (Haverhill, Mass.), Owen Burton (Monroe, Conn.), Cameron Palmer (Damascus, Md.).
With a highly competitive schedule slated for the 2013 campaign, Emmanuel will look to make another run at the GNAC title with hopes of the program's first-ever NCAA appearance.