MEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Home of the 2008 GNAC Champions

HEAD COACH: Craig Kolek
PHONE: (603) 897-8467; ckolek@rivier.edu
ASSISTANT COACH: Craig Martin 

June 4, 2009

RAIDERS HONORED BY NCAA

Rivier College men’s volleyball team reached another milestone from their outstanding season as the NCAA has recognized the Raiders as the 2009 NCAA Division I statistical champion for winning percentage.  The Raiders', who tallied 33 wins in 35 matches, recorded a NCAA best .943 winning percentage.  This is the first Division I honor of any kind for the 15 year old Rivier volleyball program. 

April 14, 2009

RIVIER'S FERREIRA AND ANDREOZZI NAMED ALL AMERICANS

2009 AVCA Division III Men's Volleyball All-America Teams

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 13, 2009) - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its 6th Annual AVCA Division III Men's All-America Teams.   Rivier College placed two athletes on the teams for the first time in the programs history as junior Matt Ferreira and sophomore Jared Andreozzi were selected to the Second Team All America for the first time in their careers.   Andy Chace (Rivier '06) was the only other athlete in Rivier history to receive All American honors.  Chace made three appearances in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
 
Matt Ferreira, a 6-6 middle blocker for Rivier College, is a junior from Lincoln, R.I.  Ferreira ranked third in Division III in hitting percentage, and also placed among the nation’s leaders in kills and blocks per game.  Ferreira, a two-time First-Team All-NECVA honoree, receives his first AVCA All-America award.
 
Jared Andreozzi, a 6-4 outside hitter for Rivier College, is a sophomore from Barrington, R.I.  Andreozzi, who helped the Raiders to 33 wins in 2009, including a school record 30 in a row, ranked among the nation’s leaders in both kills per game and hit percentage.  Andreozzi is a first-time AVCA All-American.

The selections were made by the AVCA Division III Men's Volleyball All-America Committee: chairperson Charlie Sullivan (Springfield College); Tim Byram (Endicott College); Jonah Carson (University of California, Santa Cruz); Patrick Dorywalski (Stevens Institute of Technology); Allison Gunther (Baruch College); Keith Koch (Medaille College); and Craig Kolek (Rivier College).

April 5, 2009

2009 NECVA ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS ANNOUNCED

JERSEY CITY, NJ…The 2009 North East Collegiate Volleyball Association All Conference Teams were announced with five Raiders receiving honors.  Voting for the All Conference Teams were done by the 42 eligible coaching staffs among the NECVA’s five divisions which includes over 450 players.

Rivier College head coach Craig Kolek was named the 2009 NECVA Coach of the Year—the fourth time in the last six seasons that he has been elected by his peers as the league’s top coach. He previously earned the award in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Behind his leadership, Rivier won 30 consecutive matches, was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation, was voted the #1 team in the NECVA Poll in each of the final seven weeks of the regular season, and earned the No. 1 seed in the NECVA Tournament.

Rivier junior middle hitter Matt Ferreira (Lincoln, RI) was named First-Team All-Conference for the second year in a row..  Ferreira, the GNAC Division Player of the Year, was ranked fourth overall with a .426 hitting percentage.

Rivier junior setter Zach Hansen (Shelton, CT) earned First-Team All-NECVA honors at setter with 13.00 assists per set—second in the league.  Hansen also directed the Raiders offense to a .332 hitting percentage - once again second best in the conference.

Rivier College sophomore Jared Andreozzi (Barrington, RI) earned Second-Team All-NECVA honors as an outside hitter while Raiders junior Kyle O’Neill (Long Beach, NY) earned Second-Team honors at libero.  Andreozzi's 3.60 kills/set and O'Neill's 2.41 dig/set were both personal highs in a season.

The 16-player All-Conference team was selected from the First-Team selections in the NECVA’s five divisions—CUNYAC, GNAC, Metro, New England and Western.

2009 NECVA ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Andrew Cranford (Stevens Institute of Technology)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Billy Gimello (Nazareth College)
COACH OF THE YEAR: Craig Kolek (Rivier College)

FIRST-TEAM
NAME - SCHOOL 
Justin Brubaker - Philadelphia Biblical University 
Billy Gimello - Nazareth College 
Phil Tully - Vassar College 
Andrew Cranford - Stevens Institute of Technology 
Matt Ferreira - Rivier College 
Zack Hansen - Rivier College 
Chris DeHority - Nazareth College 

SECOND-TEAM
NAME - SCHOOL 
Alberto Bravo - Elms College 
Jared Andreozzi - Rivier College 
Sequiel Sanchez Velez - Elms College 
Joe Trinsey - Stevens Institute of Technology 
Shane Donohue - Ramapo College 
Mark Thomas - Newbury College 
A.J. Witkofsky - Endicott College 
Frank Leahy - Nazareth College 
Kyle O’Neill - Rivier College 
    

April 4, 2009

BARUCH KNOCKS OFF RIVIER

Cambridge MA
Rivier College, the No-1 seed in the NECVA tournament, ended up on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in NECVA history as No-8 Baruch College scored a 3-2 upset over the Raiders in the quarter-final round of the regional tournament.  After squandering a 24-18 lead in set one, the Raiders just couldn't find the consistency or mental toughness they needed in the rest of the sets to slow down the Bearcats.  Sophomore Jared Andreozzi had a match and tournament high 32 kills to lead the Raiders.  The 6'4 outside hitter took 55 swings with only 9 errors for a .418 hitting percentage while also putting up 5 blocks allowing him to be named to the NECVA all Tournament Team.  Fellow sophomore outside hitter Austin Soucy scored a career high 24 kills while picking up 9 digs and 5 blocks.  Junior setter Zach Hansen registered a double double with 68 assists and 11 digs while freshman Drew Corwin tallied 10 digs and 4 blocks. 
 
 
#1 Rivier College        2        28  30  27  30  16
#8 Baruch College     3         30  18  30  25  18
 
The Raiders finish the season with a 33-2 overall record, a 12-0 GNAC record, and as the first GNAC NECVA Champions in NECVA history. 

April 4, 2009

No. 8 Baruch Stuns No. 1 Rivier in Five-Game Thriller

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The first major upset of the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Championship Tournament came in a quarterfinal battle between nationally-ranked No. 3 Rivier College and No. 8 seeded Baruch College on Saturday. Following a back-and-forth battle, the Bearcats emerged with a 30-28, 18-30, 30-27, 25-30, 18-16, victory against the top-seeded Raiders. Baruch (35-9) will continue its run in a semifinal pairing with either Endicott College or Stevens Institute of Technology later in the day. Rivier closed its season with a ledger of 33-2.

Pablo Oliveira paced the Bearcats with 20 kills to go along with eight digs. Gabriel Rivera notched 15 kills, a .355 hitting percentage, and eight digs as Danial Levent posted 15 kills and six blocks. Eryk Kowalski registered 11 blocks, followed by seven from Radu Wyrwas and four by Matt McKee. Wyrwas dished out 52 assists while Levi Rachmanov collected 10 digs.

Jared Andreozzi recorded 32 kills, a .418 hitting performance, and five blocks as Austin Soucy tallied 24 kills, nine digs, five blocks, and two aces. Matt Ferreira totaled 11 kills and five blocks while Zach Hansen compiled 68 assists, 11 digs, and four blocks. Andrew Corwin chipped in 10 digs and four blocks as Scott Wright finished with 12 blocks.

April 3, 2009

No. 1 Rivier Holds off No. 16 Hunter in NECVA Tournament Opener

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Nationally-ranked No. 3 and top-seeded Rivier College defeated No. 16 seeded Hunter College, 30-24, 30-22, 30-28, in the first round of the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Championship Tournament on Friday. With the win, the Raiders improved to 33-1 on the year and will take on either Baruch College or Medaille College in quarterfinal action on Saturday. The Hawks closed their season with a ledger of 23-16.

Wojciech Jakubiak paced Hunter with 13 kills and 10 digs as Jerin Kallickal tallied 10 kills, a .412 hitting percentage, eight digs, and two blocks. Shandu Foster notched 10 kills and two blocks while Zacarias Ripoll distributed 40 assists.

Rivier registered a .351 team hitting percentage to go along with a balanced attack. Matt Ferreira led the way with 13 kills, a .522 hitting performance, and five blocks as Scott Wright posted 12 kills, a .562 percentage, two aces, and two blocks. Austin Soucy contributed 10 kills and two aces while Andrew Corwin anchored the defense with eight digs. Zach Hansen finished the day with 39 assists and three blocks.

#1 Rivier College     3      30  30  30
#16 Hunter College  0      24  22  28

March 31, 2009

RAIDERS FINISH REGULAR SEASON 32-1

RIV Sweeps New Haven on Scottie Wright Night

Nashua NH
No-3 Rivier College (32-1 overall; 12-0 GNAC), the 2009 GNAC Champions, defeated University of New Haven in three straight sets to wrap-up their regular season with a record 29 straight wins.  Senior Scott Wright played in his last regular season match at The Muldoon and went out with a bang.  The 6'7 middle hitter put down 9 kills on 14 attempts with just 1 error for a .571 hitting percentage while tallying a team high 4 blocks.  Junior Matt Ferreira, Wright's partner as the M.O.N's, pounded out 8 kills on 12 attempts with no errors in just 2 games.  Sophomore Jared Andreozzi put down a team high 14 kills while registering 6 digs, 3 blocks, and 2 service aces.  Setter Zach Hansen dished out 43 assists and freshman Drew Corwin picked up 6 digs.  Chris Deluca and Andrew Paine rounded off the offense with 4 and 3 kills respectively. 
 
#3 Rivier College                                    3        30  30  30
University of New Haven (Division II)        0        19  28  22
 
Rivier will take on Hunter College on Friday April 3rd at 2pm in the first round of the NECVA Regional Tournament.  Rivier, the #1 seed in the tournament, will need to win to move on to their next match slated for 11:00am on Saturday April 4. 

March 30, 2009

2009 NECVA TOURNAMENT FIELD ANNOUNCED; RIVIER IS #1

JERSEY CITY, NJ…After nearly three months of volleyball have been played, the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association has announced the field of 16 which will compete for the 2009 NECVA Championship from Friday, April 3 through Sunday, April 5 at Rockwell Cage and Dupont Gym, on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA. The NECVA Tournament Selection Committee announced the 2009 bracket on March 30, with the NECVA champion receiving the league’s automatic bid to the Molten Division III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championship, to be held at Ramapo College. If Ramapo wins the 2009 conference title, the NECVA runner-up will also receive an automatic bid.

Overall, the top two teams in each of the conference’s five divisions, plus six at-large selections from among the 32 other eligible schools in the league, will battle for the 15th NECVA championship. The Metro, New England and Western Divisions each received two at-large bids.

Rivier College (31-1), the #1 ranked team in the NECVA Top 10 poll for the last six weeks, is riding a remarkable 28-match winning streak and went a perfect 25-0 against NECVA schools this season. The 2006 NECVA champions, the Raiders have earned the #1 seed in the conference tournament for the fourth time in its history. Rivier will make its ninth consecutive NECVA Tournament appearance since 2001.

2009 NORTH EAST COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT
April 3-5, 2009; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA
Click Here for Tournament Bracket 

First Round (Friday, April 3)
MATCH #1: (1) Rivier College (31-1) vs. (16) Hunter College (23-15), 2 p.m.  
MATCH #2: (2) Nazareth College (25-4) vs. (15) Emmanuel College (18-12), 2 p.m.  
MATCH #3: (3) Ramapo College (23-6) vs. (14) Elms College (18-12), 4 p.m.  
MATCH #4: (4) Stevens Institute of Technology (21-6) vs. (13) Eastern Mennonite University (13-15), 4 p.m.  
MATCH #5: (5) Endicott College (20-11) vs. (12) SUNY New Paltz (22-12), 6 p.m.  
MATCH #6:  (6) Vassar College (17-7) vs. (11) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (25-11), 6 p.m.  
MATCH #7:  (7) Newbury College (23-11) vs. (10) Philadelphia Biblical University (20-11), 8 p.m.  
MATCH #8: (8) Baruch College (33-9) vs. (9) Medaille College (15-14), 8 p.m.  

Quarterfinals (Saturday, April 4)
MATCH #9: Winner of Match #1 vs. Winner of Match #8, 11 a.m.  
MATCH #10: Winner of Match #2 vs. Winner of Match #7, 11 a.m.  
MATCH #11: Winner of Match #3 vs. Winner of Match #6, 1 p.m.  
MATCH #12: Winner of Match #4 vs. Winner of Match #5, 1 p.m.  

Semifinals (Saturday, April 4)
MATCH #13: Winner of Match #9 vs. Winner of Match #12, 4 p.m.  
MATCH #14: Winner of Match #10 vs. Winner of Match #11, 4 p.m.  

Finals (Sunday, April 5)
MATCH #15: Winner of Match #13 vs. Winner of Match #14, 1 p.m. (and live at www.necva.org)  

March 29, 2009

RAIDERS RACK UP GNAC HONORS

The 2009 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Volleyball All-Conference Awards were named with three Raiders winning individual awards along with five Raiders earning spots on the first and second All-Conference Teams.  Rivier went undefeated in conference play including a 12-0 regular season record and a 2-0 GNAC playoff record to win their second straight GNAC crown.  RIV was dominant during the 14-0 streak not dropping a set and winning 28 out of a possible 28 games played.  
 
Junior Matt Ferreira was named the Player of the Year after leading Rivier in five statistical category's.  On offense Ferreira registered 314 kills and averaged 3.78 kills with a .426 hitting percentage while tallying 95 blocks and a 1.14 block per game average on defense.  Junior Kyle O'Neill was named the Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 2.51 digs per game and tallying a personal best 228 digs.  Coach Craig Kolek became the first coach to win the GNAC Coach of the Year for Men's Volleyball.
 
Ferreira along with junior Zach Hansen and sophomore Jared Andreozzi were First Team All-Conference selections while senior Scott Wright and sophomore Austin Soucy were named to the Second Team-All Conference.  Hansen directed the Raiders offense to a Division III best .332 hitting percentage and is currently ranked second in the nation with a 12.9 assists per game average.  The 6'1 setter also leads the Raiders with 240 digs and 2.67 digs per game.  Wright is second on the team for hitting percentage at .359 as well as blocks per game with 1.13.  Andreozzi and Soucy are RIV's 1-2 punch on the outside.  Andreozzi bombed in 290 kills with a .355 hitting percentage while Soucy put down 262 kills while playing stellar defense with 164 digs. 
 
 
GNAC MEN’S VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Matt Ferreira (JR) – Rivier – Lincoln, RI

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kyle O’Neill (JR) – Rivier – Long Beach, NY

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Brendan McGourn (FR) – Lasell – Southington, CT

COACH OF THE YEAR
Craig Kolek – Rivier

FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Michael Townsend (JR) – Emmanuel – Beavertown, VA
Sean Lauro (SR) – Johnson & Wales – West Roxbury, MA
Brendan McGourn (FR) – Lasell – Southington, CT
Jared Andreozzi (SO) – Rivier – Barrington, RI
Matt Ferreira (JR) – Rivier – Lincoln, RI
Zack Hansen (JR) – Rivier – Shelton, CT

SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Curtis Abram (SO) – Emmanuel – San Luis Obispo, CA
Keoni Rabaino (SO) – Emmanuel – Tucson, AZ
Petar Yanakiev (FR) – Johnson & Wales – Varna, Bulgaria
David Rogers (SR) – Lasell – Belchertown, MA
Austin Soucy (SO) – Rivier – Tolland, CT
Scott Wright (SR) – Rivier – Salem, NH

ALL-CONFERENCE SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Ryan Mihalyak (SR) - Albertus Magnus - West Haven, CT
Evan Ong (SO) - Emerson - Pasadena, CA
Taylor Lowe (JR) - Emmanuel - Malibu, CA
Kory Helgesen (SO) - Johnson & Wales - Bensalem, PA
Tyler Hammond (SR) - Lasell - Hadley, MA
Bryan McMenamin (SR) - Mount Ida - Warminster, PA
Chris Deluca (SO) - Rivier - E. Moriches, NY

March 28, 2009

Rivier Wins Second Consecutive Men’s Volleyball GNAC Championship

Nashua, NH – For the second consecutive season, top seeded Rivier College Men’s Volleyball beat Emmanuel College 3-0 to claim the 2009 GNAC Championship.  It was a hard fought battle as Emmanuel gave it everything they had to try and slow the Raiders down, but Rivier, the #3 ranked team in Division III volleyball, proved again why they are favored to hold the top spot in next weekend’s NECVA Championship.

The start of game one was very much a back and forth battle as the score remained close.  Rivier (31-1 overall; 12-0 GNAC) finally broke off a run in the middle of the match with some strong blocking and hitting from senior middle hitter Scott Wright to push Rivier’s lead to 5 at 23-18.  Rivier extended the lead even more before Emmanuel started on a short run of their own, however it proved to be too late as Rivier was able to hold off the Saints for the 30-26 victory.

Game 2 saw Rivier jump out quickly as some strong serving by freshman Drew Corwin and sophomore Austin Soucy extended Rivier’s lead to 14-7.  Rivier led by as many as 11 in the set, but some late strong attacks by Emmanuel’s Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, CA), Michael Townsend (Beaverdam, VA) and Keoni Rabaino (Tucson, AZ) chipped away at Rivier’s lead before they eventually put the game away on an Austin Soucy attack with the score 30-25.

Emmanuel jumped out to a short lead 4-2 in set 3 before Rivier came back to tie the game at 6-6.  From there it was strong net play by middle hitter’s Wright and Matt Ferreira, who combined for 8 blocks in the match, as well as strong defense by libero Kyle O’Neill (Long Beach, NY) and defensive specialist Chris Convertito (Trumbull, CT) that helped to seal the game and the match for Rivier.  Ferreira ended the match with a kill from the middle with a score of 30-23.

Setter Zach Hansen (Shelton, CT) paced the Raider attack with 39 assists and also chipped in with 1 service ace and 6 digs.  Outside hitter Jared Andreozzi(Barrington, RI) led the Raiders in kills with 11, while fellow classmate Austin Soucy (Toland, CT) added 10 kills of his own along with 9 digs.  Middle hitter Matt Ferreira (Lincoln, RI) also tallied 10 kills with Scott Wright (Salem, NH) chipping in with 9 kills and 5 block.

The Saints were led by Townsend’s 13 kills and 3 blocks while setter Taylor Lowe (Malibu, CA) dished out 27 assists.  Libero Jacob DeLuise (Wakefield, RI) picked up 9 digs and middle hitter Alex Petty (Wayland, MA) put back 3 blocks.

Both teams have qualified for next weekend’s NECVA Championship Tournament, which invites the top 16 teams from the 5 NECVA conference divisions.  The Tournament will start Friday April 3, 2009 at MIT in Boston, MA.
 
#1 Rivier College             3        30  30  30
#2 Emmanuel College      0        26  25  23

2009 GNAC Men’s Volleyball All Tournament Team:

Joseph Lipski – Lasell College
Sean Lauro – Johnson & Wales University
Curtis Abram – Emmanuel College
Taylor Lowe – Emmanuel College
Austin Soucy – Rivier College
Zach Hansen – Rivier College
Tournament MVP:  Scott Wright – Rivier College

March 28, 2009

GNAC Championship Semi-final #1

Rivier College - 3                     30  30  30
Johnson & Wales – 0               24  18  17

Nashua, NH – In the first semi-final match of the day, top ranked and host Rivier College took care of business and secured a spot in next weekend’s NECVA Championship Tournament after taking down Johnson & Wales University 3-0.

The Raiders were led on offense by senior middle hitter Scott Wright who pounded down 12 kills on just 16 attempts with 2 errors for a .625 hitting percentage.  Setter Zach Hansen, despite a sprained finger, played well, dishing out 36 assists as well as recording a season high 8 service aces along with 4 digs.  Freshmen Drew Corwin and Andrew Paine both played well in their limited time, each recording 4 kills and hitting over the .500 percent mark.

Johnson & Wales was led by outside hitters Sean Lauro and Peter Yanakiev.  The tandem made up almost half of the Wildcats kills and both passed well all match.

Between Semi-final matches, the GNAC All-Conference Teams were announced.  Six Raiders players as well as coach Craig Kolek were recognized on the two team, the most of any school.  The All Conference Teams are listed below.

GNAC MEN’S VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Matt Ferreira (JR) – Rivier – Lincoln, RI

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kyle O’Neill (JR) – Rivier – Long Beach, NY

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Brendan McGourn (FR) – Lasell – Southington, CT

COACH OF THE YEAR
Craig Kolek – Rivier

FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Michael Townsend (JR) – Emmanuel – Beavertown, VA
Sean Lauro (SR) – Johnson & Wales – West Roxbury, MA
Brendan McGourn (FR) – Lasell – Southington, CT
Jared Andreozzi (SO) – Rivier – Barrington, RI
Matt Ferreira (JR) – Rivier – Lincoln, RI
Zack Hansen (JR) – Rivier – Shelton, CT

SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Curtis Abram (SO) – Emmanuel – San Luis Obispo, CA
Keoni Rabaino (SO) – Emmanuel – Tucson, AZ
Petar Yanakiev (FR) – Johnson & Wales – Varna, Bulgaria
David Rogers (SR) – Lasell – Belchertown, MA
Austin Soucy (SO) – Rivier – Tolland, CT
Scott Wright (SR) – Rivier – Salem, NH

ALL-CONFERENCE SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Ryan Mihalyak (SR) - Albertus Magnus - West Haven, CT
Evan Ong (SO) - Emerson - Pasadena, CA
Taylor Lowe (JR) - Emmanuel - Malibu, CA
Kory Helgesen (SO) - Johnson & Wales - Bensalem, PA
Tyler Hammond (SR) - Lasell - Hadley, MA
Bryan McMenamin (SR) - Mount Ida - Warminster, PA
Chris Deluca (SO) - Rivier - E. Moriches, NY

March 26, 2009

RAIDERS OUT-BATTLE GULLS

Beverly MA
No-3 Rivier College (29-1 overall; 12-0 GNAC) won a hard fought victory over No-13 Endicott College to extend the nation's longest win streak to 26 straight matches.  The scrappy Gulls tested the Raiders resolve forcing the Blue and Gray to dig down deep and work hard for a season high 73 digs, 80 kills, and 15 blocks on the match.  Leading the way was senior Scott Wright who energized the Raiders with big kills and blocks along with timely ace serves.  The 6'7 middle hitter from Salem New Hampshire recorded 18 kills, 7 blocks, 5 digs, and 4 service aces (3 in set 5) to pace the Raiders.  Connecticut natives Zach Hansen and Austin Soucy both recorded double doubles in the 5 set battle.  Hansen directed the offense with a season high 72 assists and led all Raiders with 15 digs while Soucy pounded out a team high 21 kills and scooped up 10 digs.  Both players also recorded 4 blocks apiece.  Sophomore Jared Andreozzi was nearly unstoppable on offense with 20 kills on 36 attempts with just 2 errors for a .500 hitting percentage while junior Matt Ferreira was big in the end with 15 kills and 5 blocks.  Back court tandem Kyle O'Neill and Chris Convertito had their best match to date.  The pair combined for a stellar 41 for 41 on receive while lipping 26 Gull attacks.  Freshman Drew Corwin rounded off the Raiders with 10 digs, 4 kills, 3 blocks along with solid passing. 
 
#3 Rivier College            3            30  34  30  28  15
#13 Endicott College       2            26  36  18  30   7

March 23, 2009

RAIDERS PERFECT IN GNAC

Nashua NH
Rivier College, the 3rd ranked team in Division III volleyball, finished the regular season perfect in the GNAC after a 3-0 sweep over Mount Ida College.  The Raiders (12-0 GNAC; 28-1 overall) were led by freshman Andrew Paine with a team high 10 kills and 4 digs.  Sophomore Chris Deluca followed with 7 kills and 2 ace serves while freshman Jeffrey Matos pounded out 7 kills along with 2 blocks.  Steve Wood directed the offense with 28 assists while Chris Convertito led all defenders with 9 digs.  Freshman Alex Xenidis was efficient with 6 kills on 8 swings for a .750 hitting percentage.
 
Rivier, the top seed in the GNAC, will host the GNAC tournament on Saturday 3/28.  Rivier will play against Johnson & Wales University at noon in the first semi-final followed by Emmanuel College against Lasell College in semi-final #2  at 2:00pm.  The winners of both semi-final matches will face off at 4:00pm for the GNAC Championship.
 
#3 Rivier College                    3            30  30  30
Mount Ida College                   0           14  20  19

March 21, 2009

RAIDERS LEAP OVER LEOPARDS

Nashua NH
No-3 Rivier College (27-1 overall; 11-0 GNAC) extended their win streak to 24 matches with a 3-0 sweep of Wentworth Institute of Technology.  High flying Jared Andreozzi led the Raiders with a team high 13 kills on 18 attempts with just 2 errors for a .611 hitting percentage.  It was crazy eights for three other jumping Raiders as senior Scott Wright, junior Matt Ferreira, and sophomore Austin Soucy tallied 8 kills apiece.  The trio also put down 3 blocks each while Soucy was solid with ball control registering a team high 7 digs, 2 ace serves and a perfect 12 for 12 on receive.  Defensive players Kyle O'Neill, Chris Convertito, and Drew Corwin combined for 12 digs highlighted by O'Neill who had 6 of the 12.  Junior setter Zach Hansen directed the offense to a .322 hitting percentage separating RIV from the Leopards. 
 
#3 Rivier College                              3            30  30  30
Wentworth Institute of Technology      0            20  23  25

March 19, 2009

RAIDERS TAME MUSTANGS

Newton Center MA
No-3 Rivier College (11-0 GNAC; 26-1 overall) moved to a perfect 11-0 in GNAC play with a 3-0 sweep of Mount Ida College.  All Raider attackers scored at least one kill as a balanced Raider attack prevailed once again.  Freshman Andrew Paine led the way with a match high 12 kills while fellow classmates Alex Xenidis, Tajh Stokes, and Jeff Matos combined for 7 kills and 4 blocks.  Sophomores Chris Deluca and Steve Wood played steady in 2 games to balance off the Raider offense.  Deluca bombed in 6 kills on just 11 attempts with no errors for a .545 hitting percentage while Wood directed the offense with 13 assists.  On defense first year players Drew Corwin and Chris Convertito combined for 9 digs in the 3 sets. 
 
#3 Rivier College            3        30  30  30
Mount Ida College           0        21  14  18

March 17, 2009

RIVIER SWEEPS JOHNSON & WALES 

Raiders Clinch - Will Host GNAC Tournament 
 
Nashua NH
No-3 Rivier College (10-0 GNAC; 25-1 overall) defeated GNAC foe Johnson & Wales University in three straight sets to remain a perfect 10-0 in conference play.  The Raiders struggled to find their defensive intensity in set 1 but clamped down in the last two sets to cruise to their 22nd straight win.  Senior Scott Wright was a monster for RIV in the first 2 sets pounding out 6 kills and a team high 3 service aces along with 2 blocks.  Junior Matt Ferreira followed Wright's lead with 8 kills on 11 swings for a .636 hitting percentage in just 2 sets.   Junior Zach Hansen dished out 32 assists while scooping up 4 digs and sophomore Austin Soucy led all Raiders with 9 kills, 6 digs, and a perfect 15 for 15 on receive.  Sophomore pin hitters Chris Deluca and Jared Andreozzi combined for 11 kills and 2 blocks while first year players Andrew Paine and Tajh Stokes combined for 4 kills.  Stokes led RIV with 3 blocks as well.
 
On Saturday March 28th Rivier will host the GNAC Championship Tournament.  This will be the second straight year the Blue and Gray have had the honor of hosting the championship tournament.
 
#3 Rivier College                        3        30  30  30
Johnson & Wales University         0        23  19  19

March 16, 2009

Rivier Travels to Puerto Rico, Take on National Team

Over spring break many college students like to travel to warm destinations to escape the cold winter months, relax and have a good time.  This was no exception for the members of the Rivier College Men’s Volleyball Team as they geared up to travel to sunny Puerto Rico as a team.  What they did do that was just a little different was to set up an exhibition match against the Puerto Rican National Team. 

The Puerto Rican National B Team consisted of 18-24 year olds that the international volleyball committee deems to be the top young players on the island of Puerto Rico.  These players are looked at to one day become part of the Puerto Rico Olympic program, a program that just barely missed making the 2008 Summer Olympics. 

As the story was told by the president of the international volleyball federation, Puerto Rico beat the U.S. Olympic team in the first qualifier of the year, in which the top 3 teams of the tournament make the Olympics, neither team finished in the top three.  The loss to Puerto Rico left the U.S. team in fourth place and temporarily out of the Olympics.  However, in the next tournament, in which only the winner would move on to the Olympics, the U.S. beat Puerto Rico in the finals to secure the Olympic birth and ultimately go on to win Olympic Gold.  With the addition of some of the young players on the B team, Puerto Rico is looking to make a strong push for the 2012 Olympics.

Rivier was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, as the national team is currently underway practicing for an upcoming international tournament in Mexico at the beginning of May.  When the international volleyball committee was told of the Division III team looking to play a match in Puerto Rico, the initial reaction was one of inferior competition, but after hearing of the team’s success and current #3 ranking in the country they were willing to take a chance. 

I’m glad to report that the Puerto Rican team was not expecting what Rivier had to offer.  When the match started there was lots of joking and laughing going on from the Puerto Rican team as they expected the game against a division III team to be an easy one.  Needless to say, there was very little laughing when Rivier led the match 2-1 going into game 4.  Puerto Rico had a hard time stopping Rivier’s middle hitters, Scott Wright and Matt Ferreira, as setter Zach Hansen directed the offense to near perfection.  Game 4 ended up going to Puerto Rico and unfortunately the game had to be stopped as time constraints wouldn’t allow for a game 5, Rivier came away with a 2-2 tie.  In the second match, the Puerto Rican team made a number of key adjustments after Rivier took game 1 and proceeded to win the next 3 to take the match 3-1.

After the matches, Rivier was invited back to play against the team again next year.  The international volleyball committee was very pleased with the level of competition that Rivier had to offer and was happy that they could effectively judge the skill level and mentality of their own players.  Hopefully this experience will open up more doors for division III men’s volleyball in the future as well as improve the visibility and reputation of Rivier College.  I know the players and coaching staff at Rivier will never forget this trip and will look to build on this experience to help push them to a national championship.

To view a picture slideshow of the Rivier match against the Puerto Rican National Team, click here.

March 5, 2009

RAIDERS SLEW LASERS

FERREIRA REACHES MAJOR MILESTONE
 
No-3 Rivier College (9-0 GNAC; 24-1 overall) defeated Lasell College in three straight sets to remain undefeated in conference play.  The Raiders had help from everybody as 12 out of a possible 13 attackers scored at least one kill in the match.  Junior Matt Ferreira lead the way with a solid 8 kills and 2 blocks helping RIV to win their 21st straight match.  On his second swing of the night, Ferreira became only the 5th player in Raider history to record 1000 kills.  Sophomore Austin Soucy paced the offense with a team high 12 kills while junior libero Kyle O'Neill played great defense with a team high 14 digs.  Setter Zach Hansen had another outstanding night registering his umpteenth double double with 35 assists and 10 digs.  Hansen  also put in a team high 3 ace serves and helped out with 2 kills and 1 block.  Senior Scottie Wright was big at the net again with 4 blocks and sophomore Chris Deluca laced in 5 kills on just 10 attempts. 
 
#3 Rivier College        3        30  30  30
     Lasell College        0        18  22  22
 
The Raiders will take a break in their regular season schedule for some fun in the sun in Puerto Rico.  It won't be all sand and sun though as the Raiders have two exhibition matches against the Puerto Rico National Team.  RIV's schedule is as follows:
 
Tuesday March 10th at 5:00pm at  Coilseo Guillermo Angulo, Carolina
Thursday March 12th at 5:00pm at Coliseo Mario Jimenez, Guaynabo

March 3, 2009

RIVIER SWEEPS EMMANUEL; REMAINS UNDEFEATED IN GNAC 

Boston MA
No-3 Rivier College (8-0 GNAC; 23-1 overall) defeated Emmanuel College in three straight sets to remain undefeated in conference play with an 8-0 record.  The third ranked team in the nation looked all but average, struggling on receive as well as their overall offense, while trying to hold off a scrappy, persistent, and hungry Emmanuel College team.  The Blue and Gray were able to fend off the upset minded Saints however with timely blocks and kills in the end.  Senior Scott Wright played well in the win with 10 kills and a team high 7 blocks.  The 6'7 middle blocker had the Raiders lone ace serve.  Sophomore Jared Andreozzi proved tough to stop on offense with a team high 11 kills and a .526 hitting percentage.  The outside hitter also picked up 6 digs and 2 blocks.  Setter Zach Hansen scored yet another double double with 35 assists and a team high 13 digs while Matt Ferreira put down 10 kills and 5 blocks. 

March 3, 2009

HANSEN NAMED GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Zach Hansen, a 6-1 junior setter for then No-4 Rivier College, has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Week.  He earned the award after leading his team to two wins, which included victories over one Division I opponent and one Division II opponent.  In the first Raiders' win, a sweep over Division I Harvard University, Hansen had 44 assists in leading his team to a .505 hitting percentage.  He also had 6 digs, 5 blocks, and 2 ace serves in the win.  In Rivier's next match, a 3-0 sweep over Division II University of New Haven, Hansen scored a double double, dishing out 32 assists and getting 12 digs, while also adding 2 blocks.  For the week Hansen averaged 13 assists and 4.1 digs per game, while guiding his team to a .386 hitting percentage.  This honor marks the second time Hansen has earned the GNAC Player of the Week honors. 

February 27, 2009

RAIDERS ROLL THROUGH CHARGERS

New Haven CT
No-4 Rivier College (22-1 overall; 7-0 GNAC) went through the motions on Friday night but still was able to defeat Division II University of New Haven in three straight sets.  After an emotionally draining win over Harvard two nights prior the Raiders struggled to get into a good flow during the match against the Chargers.  Sophomore Chris Deluca provided a needed spark for RIV as he had his hand in all areas with 6 digs, 5 kills, 2 blocks, 2 assists, and 1 service ace.  Sophomore Jared Andreozzi led all Raiders with 10 kills followed by senior Scott Wright, sophomore Austin Soucy, and junior Matt Ferreira with 7, 6, and 5 kills respectively.  Wright also led all blockers with 5 blocks.  Junior setter Zach Hansen led all defenders with 12 digs while freshman libero Chris Convertito played well with 7 digs of his own. 

February 25, 2009

RAIDERS HANDLE HARVARD

Cambridge MA
No-4 Rivier College (21-1 overall; 7-0 GNAC) extended the nation's longest win streak to 18 matches after a dominating 3-0 win over Division I Harvard University.  The Raiders showed off the whole package of a high powered offense, solid blocking, tough serving, and consistent passing to control the Crimson for most of the match.  Rivier hit a sensational .505, picked up 14 blocks, bombed in 6 ace serves, and had only 2 receive errors for their best effort to date.  Setter Zach Hansen made great decisions all match, dishing out 44 assists, allowing for 3 Raiders to reach double digits in kills.  The 6'1 junior also tallied 5 blocks and 2 ace serves in the effort.  Sophomore Austin Soucy led all attackers with 12 kills while passing a team high 22 for 22 on receive and picking up 2 blocks and 4 digs.  The tandem of Jared Andreozzi and Scott Wright were nearly unstoppable on offense combining for 22 kills with no errors and a .688 hitting percentage.  Andreozzi also played great defense with a team high 8 digs and 3 blocks while Wright put up 3 blocks and 2 ace serves.  Freshman Drew Corwin was clutch in the end of set three with 3 big kills and 1 block while tallying 9 kills (9-1-13 - .615) and 2 blocks on the match.  Junior middle blocker Matt Ferreira led all Raiders with 7 blocks and chipped in with 8 kills while libero Kyle O'Neill passed 14 for 14 on receive. 
 
#4 Rivier College                        3            30  30  39
Harvard University (Division I)     0            18  19  37

February 24, 2009

HANSEN NAMED GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Zach Hansen, a 6'1 junior setter for then No-5 Rivier College, has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Week.  He earned the award after leading his team to two wins last week, which included a win over one Division III-ranked opponent.  In the Raiders' first win, a sweep of Emerson College, Hansen played in just one set but dished out 12 assists.  He also had 2 blocks in the win.  In Rivier's next match, a 3-1 win over then No-8 Newbury College, Hansen scored a double double, dishing out 58 assists and getting 13 digs, while also adding 2 aces and 2 blocks.  Hansen averaged 14 assists/set and 2.6 digs/set for the week, while guiding his team to a .296 hitting percentage.  This is the second consecutive week, and third time this season, that an athlete from Rivier receives this award. 

2009 NORTH EAST COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION
TOP 10 POLL #5

February 24, 2009

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Rivier College (20-1) continues to roll and for the second consecutive week, the Raiders, winners of 17 in a row, are the #1 ranked team in the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association. RIV earned seven of 10 first place votes after posting three wins last week, including a 3-1 decision over then NECVA fourth-ranked Newbury.

Stevens Institute of Technology is second again this week after recording two wins, including a sweep of then NECVA ninth-ranked SUNY New Paltz. The Ducks (13-3), received two first place votes, but dropped two points in the poll and with 88 points, are just two ahead of third place Vassar College. The Brewers (13-3) won the Vassar Invitational with a 3-1 win over Nazareth College, and also knocked off Philadelphia Biblical University and Elms College while winning their eighth consecutive match. Vassar received the final first-place vote.

Nazareth moves up one spot to fourth in the poll. The Golden Flyers (14-4) swept PBU and Elms to advance to the Vassar Invitational finals, and also knocked off Medaille College during the week. Ramapo College moved back into fifth place. The Roadrunners (16-2) defeated Baruch College, 3-2, on the road, during the week before having their 14-match winning streak end in a wild 3-0 loss to Sacred Heart University.

After starting the season 16-1, winning 15 in a row, Newbury College (16-4) had a week it would rather forget. The Nighthawks dropped two spots, from fourth to sixth this week, after losing three road matches against top competition in Harvard University, Endicott College and NECVA #1 Rivier.

Philadelphia Biblical University (9-8) suffered losses to Hunter College, Nazareth and Vassar, but remained in seventh place by one point over surging Endicott College (16-7). The Gulls jumped two spots from 10th to eighth after upsetting Newbury, 3-0. Endicott also defeated Emmanuel and Lasell during the week. Eastern Mennonite University (8-10) fell one spot to ninth. The Royals defeated Stevenson University early in the week before losing three matches against Division II competition. SUNY New Paltz (12-7) falls one spot to 10th; the Hawks were 2-1 during the week, only losing to Stevens.

The NECVA will release its weekly poll every Tuesday leading up to the conference championship, April 3-5, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Rockwell Cage in Cambridge, MA.

February 23, 2009

RAIDERS PICK UP WIN #20

Boston MA
No-5 Rivier College (7-0 GNAC; 20-1 overall) defeated Emerson College to become the first 20 game winner in all of men's volleyball.  The Raiders, who posted a .487 hitting percentage on the match, had little trouble with the Lions from start to finish.  Sophomore Chris Deluca led the charge as he racked up 11 kills on just 16 attempts with only 1 error for a .625 average.  The opposite hitter also tallied 5 assists, 4 digs, 2 blocks, and 2 service aces for a complete all around game.   Outside hitters Kyle O'Neill and Andrew Paine scored 10 kills apiece and combined for 12 digs while middle hitters Tajh Stokes and Alex Xenidis put away 7 kills each and combined for 5 blocks.  Libero Chris Convertito scooped up a team high 10 digs and utility player Drew Corwin had a team high 22 assists and 4 ace serves.
 
#5 Rivier College        3        30  30  30
Emerson College        0        10  15  15

February 21, 2009

RAIDERS TAKE DOWN #8 NEWBURY; SWEEP ALBERTUS MAGNUS

Nashua NH
No-5 Rivier College (19-1 overall; 6-0 GNAC) extended their win streak to 16 straight with wins over rival Newbury College and GNAC opponent Albertus Magnus College. 
 
In a match-up between two of the top teams in Division III volleyball, No-5 Rivier out battled No-8 Newbury for a hard fought victory.  The Raiders jumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead in the match but stalled in set 3 with the score at 26-26, giving up 4 unanswered points to lose the game.  Set 4 showed to be an exciting one with both teams trading leads throughout the set.  RIV jumped ahead 29-26 but couldn't close out the set until 33-31 to win the match 3-1. 
Outside hitter Austin Soucy scored his first double double of the season stroking home a team high 18 kills while scooping up 11 digs.  The sophomore also tallied 5 blocks and 1 ace serve while passing a perfect 32 for 32 in the 4 set effort.  Senior middle hitter Scottie Wright was big at the net blocking a team high 8 Newbury attacks while scoring 11 kills.  Freshman Drew Corwin put down 7 kills on 15 attempts with just 1 error for a team high .400 hitting percentage.  The 6'2 opposite hitter also had 3 blocks and 5 digs along with a perfect 16 for 16 on receive.  Setter Zach Hansen posted yet another double double with 58 assists and 13 digs while chipping in with 2 blocks and 2 service aces.  Juniors Matt Ferreira and Kyle O'Neill recorded 16 kills and 18 digs respectively while sophomore Jared Andreozzi had 10 kills and freshman defensive specialist Chris Convertito played well off the bench. 
 
#5 Rivier College            3         30  30  26  33
#8 Newbury College       1         27  24  30  31
 
In the opening match of the day against Albertus Magnus College, Rivier won their 6th GNAC match to remain undefeated in conference play.  Sophomore setter Chris Deluca dished out 27 assists in the win while picking up 5 digs.  Freshman Andrew Paine put down a team high 11 kills followed by fellow classmates Alex Xenidis, Jeff Matos, and Tajh Stokes who had 9, 8, and 5 kills respectively and combined for 5 of the Raiders 7 blocks.  5'5 outside hitter Chris Convertito played well with a team high 12 digs while chipping in with 3 kills and 1 block.  Sophomore Nick Giuffre rounded off the winning team with 3 digs, 2 kills, and 1 block. 
 
#5 Rivier College            3        30  30  30
Albertus Magnus             0         7    8   11

February 17, 2009

RAIDERS CRUISE PAST LIONS

HANSEN REACHES MAJOR MILESTONE
 
Nashua NH
No-5 Rivier College (5-0 GNAC; 17-1 overall) defeated Emerson College in three straight sets to remain undefeated in conference play.  In the match, junior Zach Hansen became only the second player in Raider history to reach the 3,000 assists mark.  The 6'1 setter from Shelton, CT dished out 12 assists in just one game to push his total to 3,010 for his career.  First year player Alex Xenidis was a difference maker from start to finish as he put down 5 kills on just 8 attempts with no errors for a .625 hitting percentage.  The 6'1 middle hitter also led the Raiders with 3 blocks and chipped in with 4 digs and 2 service aces.  Sophomore hitter Chris Deluca led all Raiders with 8 kills while freshmen Jeffrey Matos and Andrew Paine contributed with a combined 11 kills.  Freshman libero Chris Convertito scooped up 5 digs while classmate Drew Corwin distributed 17 assists and added 4 service aces and 6 digs for the Blue and Gray. 

February 16, 2009

ANDREOZZI NAMED GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jared Andreozzi, a 6-4 sophomore outside hitter for No-5 Rivier College, has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Week.  He earned the award after leading his team to 5 wins last week.  In the Raiders' first win, a sweep over Lasell, Andreozzi led his team with 14 kills while hitting .417 on the match.  In Rivier's next match, a 3-0 win over MIT, Andreozzi put down 11 kills - another match high.  He also tallied 5 digs and 2 blocks in the win.  He followed that performance up with a 19 kill and .567 hitting percentage in the Raiders 3-1 win over then No-15 Baruch College, and closed out the week with a combined 17 kills in 3-0 wins over New Jersey City University and Hunter College.  For those 5 matches, Andreozzi averaged 3.81 kills/set and a .459 hitting percentage.  This honor marks the first time Andreozzi has earned the GNAC Player of the Week honors.  This is the third time this season an athlete from Rivier has earned this award. 

February 14-15, 2009

RIVIER 4-0 AT ENDICOTT INVITATIONAL

Beverly MA
No-5 Rivier College (16-1 overall; 4-0 GNAC) won 12 out of a possible 13 sets this weekend to go a perfect four for four in match play at the Endicott College Invitational Tournament.  Sophomore outside hitter Jared Andreozzi (Barrington, RI) sparked the Raiders all tournament long bombing in 36 kills in just 10 sets while hitting for an efficient .508 on the attack.  He was named to the All Invitational Team for his outstanding play.  
 
#5 Rivier College vs SUNY IT
Freshman Andrew Paine pounded in 10 kills with just 1 error on 14 attempts to led all Raiders.  Paine's .643 hitting percentage helped RIV dominate IT offensively.  Fellow freshmen Alex Xenidis and Jeffrey Matos played well with 5 and 2 kills respectively while sophomore Chris Deluca swung for 6 kills of his own.  Xenidis got it done defensively as well with a team high 4 blocks while first year libero Chris Convertito led Rivier with 5 digs on defense.

Rivier College        3        30  30  30
SUNY IT                0        15  15  16
 
#5 Rivier College vs #15 Baruch College
In a match that was dominated by offense - RIV stood tall with 3 Raiders in double digits for kills in just 4 sets.  Junior Matt Ferreira paced the Raiders with 20 kills including a cool 5 kills/set average and .531 hitting percentage.  All Tournament Team selection Jared Andreozzi wasn't far behind with 19 kills and a .567 hitting percentage.  Sophomore outside hitter Austin Soucy rounded off the trio with 10 kills.  Setter Zach Hansen directed the Raiders offense with 56 assists and also led all Raiders with 7 digs while putting back 4 blocks.  Junior libero Kyle O'Neill passed nails all match and picked up 5 digs.  Ferreira had a team high 5 blocks while senior Scott Wright followed with 4 blocks of his own.

Rivier College        3        30  27  30  30
Baruch College      1         28  30  26  28
 
#5 Rivier College vs New Jersey City University
All possible Raider offensive players scored at least 2 kills in this one for a complete team effort.  Matt Ferreira and Jared Andreozzi were the heavy hitters once again with 13 and 11 kills respectively while Wright and Soucy followed with 7 and 6 of their own.  Deluca, Drew Corwin, Xenidis, Paine, Matos all combined for 13 kills on the match.  Chris Convertito passed a match high 24 for 25 on receive and scooped up 6 digs.

Rivier College        3        30  30  30
NJCU                     0        24  21  20
 
#5 Rivier College vs Hunter College
The middle hitter tandem of Scott Wright and Matt Ferreira helped lead Rivier to victory.  Wright was nearly perfect on offense with 10 kills on just 14 attempts with no errors.  Ferreira tallied 13 kills on offense and was just as good on defense with 4 blocks.  Drew Corwin played a steady all around game with 5 kills and 3 blocks along with a perfect 11 for 11 on receive.  Outside hitters Austin Soucy and Jared Andreozzi combined for 11 kills while libero Kyle O'Neill led all defenders with 7 digs.

Rivier College        3        30  30  30
Hunter College       0        24  23  21

February 12, 2009

RIVIER DEFEATS MIT

Cambridge MA
No-5 Rivier College (12-1 overall; 4-0 GNAC) collected win number twelve with a convincing 3-0 sweep over Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  The Raiders, off to the best start in program history, did it with outstanding blocking, great ball control on receive and solid serving.  Senior Scott Wright led the blocking brigade with 6 blocks while Matt Ferreira, Zach Hansen, Austin Soucy, Jared Andreozzi, and Drew Corwin all put up 2 blocks apiece.  Junior libero Kyle O'Neill led all receivers with 16 out 17 attempts while Corwin, Soucy, and Chris Convertito were flawless with 32 for 32 on receive.  RIV bombed in 7 service aces with five players scoring 1 or more winners. 

Setter Zach Hansen once again had a great all around match picking up a double double in the the three set match.  The junior dished out 43 assists and scooped up a team high 12 digs.  Andreozzi and Ferreira led all Raiders with 11 kills a piece while Soucy followed with 9 kills of his own.  Corwin, continuing to improve in his first season, laced in 7 kills (10 attempts with just 2 errors for a .500 hitting percentage) and picked up 9 digs.  Chris Deluca, Alex Xenidis, and Andrew Paine all played well off the bench for the Raiders. 
 
# 5 Rivier College        3        30  30  30
      MIT                      0        20  21  21

February 9, 2009

RAIDERS SWEEP LASERS

Newton, MA
No-5 Rivier College (4-0 GNAC; 11-1 overall) defeated Lasell College in three straight sets to remain undefeated in GNAC play with a 4-0 record.  The Raiders had trouble from the start to finish finding their groove and struggled to put away the pesky Lasers at any time during the match.  Zach Hansen, Chris Deluca, and Drew Corwin showed good preparation, focus and determination to carry the Raiders to victory.  Hansen seemingly did it all for RIV with a 40 assist, 8 dig, 4 block, 3 service ace, 2 kill performance.  Deluca was steady on offense with 5 kills and a .417 hitting percentage while Corwin passed nails all match and scooped up 3 digs.  First year players Andrew Paine and Alex Xenidis contributed off the bench with a combined 3 kills, 3 digs, and 2 blocks for Rivier. 
 
#5 Rivier College        3            30  30  30
     Lasell College        0            24  20  27

February 6, 2009

RIVIER DOWNS EMMANUEL

Nashua NH
No-6 Rivier College kicked off Alumni/Family Weekend with a not so caring and sharing 3-0 sweep of Emmanuel College at The Muldoon on Friday night.  The Raiders put the accelerator to the floor with a high octane offense and a stingy defense to contain a tough Emmanuel team.  Rivier hit for a season high .426 hitting percentage on offense due to great decision making and execution by setter Zach Hansen.  The junior setter dished out 45 assists and worked three Raider hitters into double digits for kills for the second straight match this week.  Matt Ferreira led all Raiders with 16 kills on just 25 swings with only 4 errors for a .480 hitting percentage.  The outside hitter tandem of Jared Andreozzi and Austin Soucy were virtually unstoppable combining for 23 kills and a .555 hitting percentage.  Scott Wright and Drew Corwin rounded off the offense with 7 and 6 kills respectively.  The defense was led by libero Kyle O'Neill and Hansen who both picked up 8 digs followed by defensive specialist Chris Convertito with 6 digs.  Corwin and Soucy chipped in with 5 digs apiece.  Wright led all Raiders with 4 blocks while Corwin, who did all the little things right, had 3 blocks and 2 ace serves. 
 
#6 Rivier College        3        30  30  30
Emmanuel College      0        24  24  18

February 4, 2009

RIVIER SWEEPS ELMS

Nashua NH
No-6 Rivier College (9-1 overall; 2-0 GNAC) defeated Elms College in three straight sets to win their home opening match of the season at The Muldoon on Wednesday night.  The Raiders set the tone early with a sizzling .461 team hitting percentage and 4 block effort in set one.  Unforced errors by RIV pushed set two to extra points with the home team prevailing at 36.  Set three showed both teams trading points with offensive blows until late in the game when RIV clamped down on the defense to seal the match.

Setter Zach Hansen led the Raiders with a solid all around effort.  The 6'1 setter dished out 49 assists while directing the Raider offense and also tallied a team high 8 digs and 4 blocks on defense.  Hansen distributed the offense with precision allowing for four Raiders to reach double digits in kills.  Senior Scott Wright set the tone early for RIV with a 6 for 6 kill performance in set one and eventually went on to score 13 total kills on the match.  Wright's counterpart in the middle, junior Matt Ferreira, tallied a team high 14 kills and added 3 blocks.  Sophomore outside hitter's Austin Soucy and Jared Andreozzi put down 11 and 13 kills respectively and Soucy also played steady defense with 8 digs.  Junior libero Kyle O'Neill scooped up 5 digs. 
 
#6 Rivier College        30  36  30
    Elms College         26  34  24

Febraury 2, 2009

STOKES NAMED GNAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Tajh Stokes, a 6-2 freshman middle hitter for No-6 Rivier College has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Rookie of the Week.  He earned the award after leading his team to their second GNAC win of the season against Albertus Magnus College.  In the Raider's win, a sweep against Albertus Magnus, Stokes pounded out a team high 10 kills along with a .421 hitting percentage.  He also had 2 blocks and 3 ace serves in the victory.  This honor marks the first time Stokes has earned the GNAC Player of the Week honors.  This is the third consecutive week that an athlete from Rivier has received this award.

January 30, 2009

RIVIER BLANKS ALBERTUS MAGNUS

New Haven, CT
No-6 Rivier College (2-0 GNAC; 8-1 overall) picked up GNAC win number two with a 3-0 sweep over Albertus Magnus College.  RIV's first year players controlled the match from start to finish with a .337 team hitting percentage, 17 team ace serves, and 38 team digs.  Freshman middle hitter Tajh Stokes paced the Raiders with a team high 10 kills and 2 blocks and also chipped in with 3 ace serves.  Freshmen Andrew Paine and Jeffrey Matos followed Stokes and combined for 16 kills while outside hitters Chris Convertito and Alex Xenidis scored 8 kills to round off the attack.  Tito and Alex scooped up a team high 11 and 10 digs respectively.  Sophomore setter Chris Deluca dished out 18 assists and sophomore libero Nick Giuffre gathered 6 digs.
 
#6 Rivier College                    3        30  30  30
Albertus Magnus College         0          9  13  11

January 27, 2009

SPORTS IMPORTS/AVCA
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Sports Imports/AVCA Division III Men’s National Player of the Week

Zach Hansen – Rivier College
Junior, Setter, 6-2 | Shelton, Conn. (Shelton High School)

Zach Hansen, a 6-2 junior setter for then-No. 10 Rivier College, has been named the Sports Imports Division III Men’s National Player of the Week. He earned the award after leading his team to four wins last week, which included victories over two Division III-ranked opponents and one Division I opponent. In the Raiders’ first win, a sweep of Johnson & Wales, Hansen had 31 assists in leading his team to a .412 hitting percentage. He also had nine digs and one block assist in the win. In Rivier’s next match, a 3-1 upset over then-No. 7 Ramapo, Hansen scored his first of two double-doubles on the week, dishing out 53 assists and getting 12 digs, while also adding two aces, two solo blocks and one block assist. He followed that performance up with a 31-assist, nine-dig performance in the Raiders 3-0 win over then-No. 14 Philadelphia Biblical, and closed out the week with his second double-double, in which he handed out 47 assists and picked up 11 digs. He also had one ace and two block assists in the win. For those four matches, Hansen averaged 11.57 assists and 2.93 digs per game, while guiding his team to a .319 hitting percentage. This honor marks the second time Hansen has earned Sports Imports Division III Men’s National Player of the Week honors. He last received the award on Feb. 18, 2008. This is also the second consecutive week, and the ninth time overall, that an athlete from Rivier receives the award. Senior middle blocker Matt Ferreira earned the award last week. Rivier is coached by Craig Kolek.

January 26, 2009

FERREIRA AND CORWIN RECEIVE HONORS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK

Rivier College's Matt Ferreira (left) has been named the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association's (NECVA) Player of the Week as well as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Week while Drew Corwin (right) has been selected as the GNAC Rookie of the Week.
 
Ferreira, a 6-6 middle hitter, earned the honors after leading the No-6 ranked Raiders to a 7-1 start while being virtually unstoppable in the middle.  The Raiders faced five nationally ranked Division III teams and one Division I team in the eight game stretch and Ferreira's overall hitting percentage of .492, which included two games over .700, lead the Rivier squad.  The junior from Lincoln Rhode Island was also dominant on defense tallying a team high 35 blocks and a 1.21 blocks/game average.  NECVA is a 42 team conference which includes teams from New England as well as teams far North as Buffalo and as far South as Virginia.  This is Ferreira's first selection this season as NECVA Player of the Week and his second straight week as the GNAC Player of the Week.
 
Corwin, a 6-2 right-side hitter, has been a consistent player for the streaking Raiders.  The first year player has played in every set thus far for RIV and has bombed in a team high 17 ace serves in the eight matches.  The Sudbury Massachusetts native has been a solid contributor since the start of the season with 45 digs, 26 kills, and steady passing.  This is Corwin's second selection as GNAC Rookie of the Week in as many weeks.
  

January 23-24, 2009

RAIDERS 3-0 AT RAMAPO QUAD

Mahwah NJ
No-10 Rivier College (7-1 overall; 1-0 GNAC) traveled to Mahwah New Jersey to take on No-7 Ramapo College and No-14 Philadelphia Biblical University as well as Division I Sacred Heart University and returned to Nashua with three more wins added to it's record.  The Raiders opened up the weekend with a sound 3-1 win over No-7 Ramapo College to give the Roadrunners their first loss of the season.  RIV then followed up the opening day victory with a 3-0 sweep and complete team win over No-14 PBU followed by a hard fought 3-1 victory over Division 1 SHU.

Junior Zach Hansen was the catalyst for the Raiders all weekend.  The 6'1 setter led Rivier's offense to a .296 hitting percentage over the three matches including an individual performance of 131 assists (11.9 assists/game) and 32 digs (2.91 digs/game).  Junior Matt Ferreira had another outstanding weekend on both sides of the net.  The 6'6 middle hitter led all Raiders with 40 kills, a .456 hitting percentage (40K -9E -68Attempts) and 11 blocks.  The sophomore outside hitter tandem of Jared Andreozzi and Austin Soucy combined for 64 kills.  Soucy also passed well and scooped up 21 digs in the three matches.  Junior libero Kyle O'Neill registered a team high 35 digs and a 3.18 digs/game average in the back row for the Blue and White while senior middle hitter Scott Wright put down 25 kills (including 7 kills in set four against Ramapo to seal the win) on the weekend.  Freshman opposite hitter Drew Corwin once again was consistent with 23 digs, 9 kills, 6 assists, 4 ace serves, 2 blocks and steady passing in the three matches.  Chris Deluca and Chris Convertito provided good energy off the bench.
 
#10 Rivier College        3            30  30  23  30
#7 Ramapo College      1            23  28  30  22
 
#10 Rivier College        3            30  30  30
#14 PBU                      0             21  20  23
 
#10 Rivier College        3            30  26  30  30
DI SHU                        1            19  30  23  24

January 21, 2009

RIVIER OFF TO 1-0 START IN GNAC

Providence, RI
#10 Rivier College (1-0 GNAC; 4-1 overall) won their first GNAC match of the year with a 3-0 sweep over Johnson & Wales University.  The Raiders offense hit for a .412 clip to control the Wildcats and the match.  Rhode Island native and AVCA Player of the Week, Matt Ferreira, dominated the match with an impressive outing.  The 6'6 junior middle hitter tallied a team high 4 blocks on defense while registering 11 kills and a .733 hitting percentage (11-0-15) on offense.  Setter Zach Hansen directed the Raiders offense with 31 assists and played steady defense with 9 digs. The outside hitter trio of Chris Deluca, Austin Soucy, and Jared Andreozzi combined for 19 kills and a .404 hitting percentage while first year players Andrew Paine and Alex Xenidis chipped in with 2 kills a piece.  Libero Kyle O'Neill passed well with only 1 error on 18 attempts and scooped up a team high 10 digs.
 
#10 Rivier College                   3        30  30  30
Johnson & Wales University      0        22  23  23

January 20, 2009

SPORTS IMPORTS/AVCA
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Sports Imports/AVCA Division III Men’s National Player of the Week

Matt Ferreira – Rivier College
Junior, Middle Blocker, 6-6 (Lincoln (R.I.) High School)

Matt Ferreira, a 6-6 junior middle blocker for then-No. 11 Rivier College, has been named the Sports Imports Division III Men’s National Player of the Week.  Ferreira led the Raiders to three wins last weekend in the Carthage/Milwaukee School of Engineering Wisconsin Classic.  He started the event on fire with a 20-kill, nine-block, three-dig performance, hitting .548, in four games against Medaille College.  Later that day, he tallied 11 more kills on a .500 hitting percentage, and added two blocks in a sweep of MSOE.  Ferreira followed up his opening act the next day by tallying 11 more kills, while hitting .500 again, and totaling five more blocks in a sweep of Baruch College.  He finished out the weekend with 18 kills and four blocks against then-No. 6 Carthage in a five-game thriller that ended 15-13 in the final frame.  Ferreira finished the Classic averaging four kills and 1.33 blocks per game, and hit .481.  This honor marks the eighth time a player from Rivier has received the Sports Imports Division III Men’s National Player of the Week award, and is the first for Ferreira.  The Raiders are coached by Craig Kolek.

January 19, 2009

FERREIRA AND CORWIN TAKE GNAC HONORS

Junior Matt Ferreira (left) and freshman Drew Corwin (right) were named the GNAC Player of the Week and GNAC Rookie of the Week respectively for their stellar play in the Raiders first four matches of the season.  The Raiders faced three nationally ranked teams and finished in first place at the Wisconsin Classic with a 3-1 record thanks to major contributions from both players.  Ferreira, a 6'6" middle hitter from Lincoln Rhode Island, led the Raiders with a .481 hitting percentage and a 1.33 blocks/game average and dominated play in the middle for most of the weekend.  Corwin, a 6'2" right side hitter from Sudbury Massachusetts, played in all 15 of the Raiders sets and led the team with 12 ace serves.  Corwin also chipped in with 16 kills, 22 digs, and 5 blocks.

January 17-18, 2009

RIVIER OPENS 3-1 AT WISCONSIN CLASSIC

Milwaukee, WI
#10 Rivier College (3-1 overall; 0-0 NECVA) kicked off the 2009 season with a near dominating four match weekend at the Wisconsin Classic.  Over the two day event, Rivier swept both #12 Baruch College and Milwaukee School of Engineering 3-0 while also defeating #15 Medaille College 3-1.  The Raiders lone setback came at the hands of Carthage College, then ranked 6th in the nation, who defeated Rivier in a tight 5 set match.  Junior Zach Hansen (Shelton, CT) led the Raiders with a great effort on both sides of the court.  The 6'1 setter directed the Raiders offense to a .297 hitting percentage while dishing out 194 assists and also led the defense with a team high 37 digs.  Sophomore outside hitter Jared Andreozzi (Barrington, RI) led all Raiders with 63 kills and a 4.20 kill/game average while junior middle hitter Matt Ferreira (Lincoln, RI) was impressive out of the middle with a team high .481 hitting percentage and 1.33 blocks/game average.  Sophomore outside hitter Austin Soucy (Tolland, CT) returned to the hard court with a 45 kill and 3.00 kill/game performance while senior middle hitter Scott Wright (Salem, NH) chipped in with 33 kills and 13 blocks.  Junior libero Kyle O'Neill (Long Beach, NY) tallied a team high 2.38 digs/game while first year player Drew Corwin (Sudbury, MA) laced in a team high 12 service aces.  First year players Chris Convertito and Alex Xenidis played well off the bench for the Raiders.
 
#10 Rivier College        3        31  30  30  30
#15 Medaille College    1        33  24  22  28
 
#10 Rivier College        3        32  33  30
      MSOE                    0        30  31  23
 
#10 Rivier College        3        30  30  30
#12 Baruch College      0        20  25  23
 
#10 Rivier College        2        30  31  22  40  13
#6  Carthage College   3        28  33  30  38  15

January 13, 2009

Rivier Ranked #11 In Pre-Season Division III Men's Volleyball Poll

Bison/AVCA Division III Men’s Top 15 Coaches Poll
Preseason Poll: January 13, 2009

Rank, School, (First-Place Votes)
1   Springfield (15) 
2   UC Santa Cruz (1) 
3   Vassar 
4   Juniata 
5   NYU 
6   Carthage 
7   Nazareth 
8   Stevens 
9   Ramapo 
10 Newbury 
11 Rivier 
12 Philadelphia Biblical 
13 Eastern Mennonite 
14 MIT 
15 Hunter 

Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more ballots: Endicott 20; Medaille 9; Elms 8; D'Youville 7; Baruch 5; MSOE 5.

Next Poll: January 20, 2009

** The AVCA does not recognize any rankings below 15 in the poll as it is not possible when voters only select the top 15 teams and only teams with two or more votes are listed. It would be accurate and logical to say “listed” instead of “ranked” in the poll for spots below 15.

Poll Conducted and Distributed by the American Volleyball Coaches Association

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