2010 SEASON IN REVIEW
June 3, 2010
The 2010 season was a history-making one for the Emmanuel Men's Volleyball Program. The Saints set a program-record for wins in a season with 27 victories, including multiple wins over top-ten nationally ranked teams. Emmanuel advanced to the finals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament and made the program's third North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Tournament appearance in the past four years. The Saints finished the season at 27-11 overall and went 11 and 1 in conference play during the regular season.
Fifth-year Head Coach Chris Wright received numerous accolades after leading the Saints through such a stellar season. Wright was first honored as the 2010 GNAC Coach of the Year. He was then named the NECVA Coach of the Year. He capped off his honors by receiving NECVA's 2010 David Hildebrandt Rising Star Award.
As a team, the Saints not only set a new program-record for wins in a season, they also captured new milestones in several other categories. Emmanuel set a record for kills in a match (84) and assists in a match (78) on January 23rd. The Saints also set a new program mark for services aces in a match with 29 on March 20th.
Several landmark wins highlighted the Saints' tremendous season. After 17 prior meetings, Emmanuel kicked off a ten-match mid-season win streak with the program's first-ever win over GNAC rival Rivier College. At the time, Rivier was ranked 6th nationally, and the huge victory represented the first of three consecutive Emmanuel wins over top-ten programs. The Saints went on to capture victories over then 10th-ranked Milwaukee School of Engineering and 5th-ranked Carthage, capping off a 6-0 week.
The Saints also enjoyed some national attention of their own, as Emmanuel was ranked among the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) top fifteen for five weeks during the later part of the season. Emmanuel's sophomore outside hitter Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) received a significant national individual accolade, as he was named the AVCA National Player of the Week on March 8th.
Abram was among several Emmanuel players, who achieved individual milestones during the breakthrough season. He became the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 kills and set a program-record for kills in a single season with 445. Senior setter Taylor Lowe (Malibu, Calif.) dished out his 3,000th career assist and leaves Emmanuel has the program's all-time leader in this category with 3,209 assists. Junior setter Sean O'Connor (Hampstead, NH) reached the 1,000th assist plateau.
Along with Lowe, Emmanuel has lost senior outside hitter and three-time team captain Michael Townsend (Beaverdam, Va.) to graduation this year. The duo has certainly made a mark on Saints' Men's Volleyball, helping to elevate the program over their four years with the Saints. While Lowe is the program's all-time assist leader, Townsend leaves Emmanuel as the program's all-time leader in kills with 1,338 during his amazing four-year career. He also leads past and present Saints in digs in a career with 907, aces in a career with 237, aces in a single season with 70 in 2009 and is tied for the record for aces in a match with 8 this season.
The Saints placed five players on the GNAC All-Conference list. Abram received 1st Team All-GNAC honors after averaging 4.08 kills per set (ranked 11th nationally) and hitting .328 (ranked 19th nationally) on the year. He was named the GNAC Player of the Week twice and spent three weeks on the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll. Townsend was named All-Conference for the 4th-straight year, receiving 2nd Team honors in this season. Playing both outside hitter and libero in 2010, he led the squad in aces and digs with 58 and 232, respectively, while also averaging 2.63 kills per set. Townsend wrapped up his senior season ranked 11th nationally in aces per set.
Joining Townsend on the 2nd Team were juniors Tyson Rietz (Granite Bay, Calif.) and Keoni Rabaino (Tucson, Ariz.). Rietz a transfer playing in his first season at Emmanuel, provided solid all-around play, as he was second on the team in kills, digs and aces with 3.15, 1.75 and 0.50 per set, respectively. Rabaino received All-Conference recognition for the second-straight season, after hitting .329 to go along with his 50 total blocks.
Emmanuel received solid play from junior captain Jake DeLuise (Wakefield, R.I.) and junior transfer Thomas McCaffrey (Massapequa, N.Y.). DeLuise averaged 1.50 digs per set from his libero slot. McCaffrey stepped right into the starting middle position, hit .356 on the year, and led the team with 99 blocks, averaging 0.95 per set. He was nationally ranked in this category throughout the season, finishing at 27th in the nation, and received 3rd Team All-Conference honors. McCaffrey also set a program-record for hitting percentage in a match with .857 (minimum 12 kills), the record for assisted blocks in a season with 78 this year, and was named the GNAC Player of the Week on March 22nd.
Along with Rietz and McCaffrey, newcomer Nick Updike played huge minutes in his first season at Emmanuel. Updike shared time setting with Lowe and O'Connor. His rookie season included being named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll four times. Updike averaged 6.30 assists per set. He also tied the program-record for aces in a match with 8.
Juniors Cam Todd (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Matt Salvi (Trumbull, Conn.) were other major contributors at the net this year. Todd hit .287 and totaled 70 blocks, while Salvi averaged 1.87 kills and 0.46 blocks per set for the Saints. Todd is currently the program's all-time leader in total blocks with 187 and in assisted blocks with 158.
Along with their success on the court, the Saints were also stellar in the classroom. Emmanuel received one of NECVA's Academic Awards by boasting a cumulative grade point average of a 3.13. The Saints placed eight individuals on the GNAC's Academic All-Conference list. The Academic All-Conference honorees included: Curtis Abram, Jake DeLuise, Taylor Lowe, Sean O'Connor, Alexander Petty (Wayland, Mass.), Tyson Rietz, Matt Salvi and Jim Sutherland (Concord, Calif.). Each of these players is at least sophomore status and has maintained a cumulative grade point average of a 3.25 or better.
While losing both Townsend and Lowe to graduation this May, Coach Wright will return next year for his 6th season at the helm. Coach Wright and Assistant Coach Javier Laureano will have 15 returning veterans along with a solid class of recruits for their 2011 campaign. The Saints will be seeking their first-ever GNAC Championship and another trip to the NECVA Tournament.