Conference Carolinas Announces All-Conference Men's Volleyball Honors
Conference Carolinas Announces All-Conference Men's Volleyball Honors
High Point, N.C. - Conference Carolinas announces the All-Conference Team honors in conjunction with the upcoming Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament. Pfeiffer claimed the league regular season title as conference regular season play concluded last week. First round quarterfinal match-ups were as follows: No. 1 seed Pfeiffer hosted No. 8 seed North Greenville, No. 4 Limestone hosted No. 5 King, while on the other side of the bracket No. 2 seed Erskine hosted No. 7 seed Barton, and No. 3 seed Mount Olive hosted No. 6 seed Belmont Abbey.
No. 2 seed Erskine and No. 3 seed Mount Olive advanced on one side of the bracket and will face each other at 5PM in the first semi-final. On the other side of the bracket No. 1 seed Pfeiffer and No. 4 seed Limestone advanced and will face each other in the second semi-final match starting at 7:30PM. Due to being the highest seed in the postseason, Pfeiffer University will host the Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Tournament Final 4 and Championship matches.
The tournament champion will receive an automatic berth to the Men's Volleyball NCAA Championship. Link here for all your MVB Championship information throughout the tournament at: Men's Volleyball Championship Link
Head coaches from conference member institutions nominate and then vote upon the award winners who represent the best of the best for the conference. Each Men's Volleyball All-Conference First, Second, and Third Team is made up of five position players, a libero, and a setter. Individual awards include Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Player of the Year.
Player of the Year
Brady Markle, Lees-McRae College- OH
Markle put together a season for the ages by leading the nation with 5.23 kills per set. The York, Pa., native amassed 392 kills in 75 sets and recorded double-digit kill in 19 of LMC's 22 matches. He smashed 38 kills in a five-set thriller against North Greenville March 4 while hitting .526 in the contest. The 38 kills is the highest mark by any player in a single game in the country this season. From March 21-April 8, Markle went for 20 kills or more in each contest, including 25 in consecutive matches (April 4 & 8). He led the Bobcats to their first win of the season with a 12-kill effort against Charleston (W. Va.) while swinging at a remarkable .579 clip. Markle is the first men's volleyball player in Lees-McRae history to garner Conference Carolinas Player of the Year accolades.
Defensive Player of the Year
Michael McMahon, Barton College – L
McMahon leads the nation in total digs with 369, breaking his own NCAA Division I-II single-season record (25-point rally scoring era) of 355 set last year. In doing so, he also broke the NCAA Division I-II career record for digs in the 25-point rally scoring era, surpassing the old mark of 1,013 in his final career home match on April 4. McMahon reached double-figures in digs 18 times in 2015 and had 20 or more three times, including a school-record 28 against University of Mount Olive on April 1. The Dana Point, Calif., resident is being honored as Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
Freshman of the Year
Nick Drooker, King University- S
Nick Drooker has had an impressive rookie campaign wearing the Scarlet and Navy as he was selected as the Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year. The Richmond, Va., native leads the conference in total assists with 953 going into the Conference Carolinas Tournament semifinals and his average of 9.25 assists ranks fifth in the league. He has made a big impact on the Tornado offense as they have one of the most potent offenses in the conference, ranking near the top the league in kill and attack percentage. Drooker has eclipsed the 40-assist mark in a match 12 times, including five matches with at least 50 helpers. He has also played stellar defense, accounting for four double-doubles. He averages 1.60 digs per set and 0.55 blocks per set for the Tornado defensively.
Coach of the Year
Paul Lawson, Pfeiffer University
In his second year at the helm, Paul Lawson guided the Falcons to their second Conference Carolinas regular season title in school history. Lawson led his team to 16 straight Conference Carolinas victories and saw his program's win total rise by five from a season ago. The Falcons .857 winning percentage in the regular season ranks fourth in the nation and is the best in program history. Lawson is the all-time leader in coaching wins and has his team just three wins shy of tying the record for most wins in a single season.
Regular Season Champion
Pfeiffer University
All-Conference 1st-Team
Michael Michelau, Erskine - OH
Brady Markle, Lees-McRae - OH
Nolan Albrecht, Belmont Abbey - OH
Pierre Tang-Taye, Barton - OH
Roberto Perez Vargas, Erskine – OH
David Specian, Pfeiffer – S
Michael McMahon, Barton - L
All-Conference 2nd-Team
Fabio Diniz, Pfeiffer - OH
Sonny Hirini, Pfeiffer - OH
Jonathan Martinez, Pfeiffer – OH
Andrew Sydow, Mount Olive– MH
Eddie Moushikhian, King – OH
Tyler Yanez, Mount Olive – S
Josh Donahue, Mount Olive - L
All-Conference 3rd-Team
Joel Muhlbach, Limestone – MB
Matthew McManaway, North Greenville - MB
Bret Rutledge, Mount Olive – OPP
Bruno Kretzschmar, Limestone – OH
Tanner Medina, Barton – MB
Federico Pagliara, Barton – S
Dustin King, North Greenville - L