Barton College Tabbed Favorite to Win 2017 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Championship
Barton College Tabbed Favorite to Win 2017 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Championship
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Barton College Bulldogs have been tabbed the favorite to win the 2017 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Championship, the league announced today. The Bulldogs collected 78 points from the coaches, including six first-place votes.
Barton, who enters only its sixth season as a program in 2017, turned in a 22-7 overall record last season, which included a 14-4 mark in Conference Carolinas play. The Bulldogs ended their 2016 campaign with an appearance in the Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Championship final, falling to Erskine.
The University of Mount Olive enters 2017 ranked second 72 points and a pair of first-place votes. The Trojans will look to build off a 12-12 campaign in 2016, which included an 11-7 mark in Conference Carolinas play.
King University has been selected to finish third during the 2017 season after notching 59 points from coaches. The Tornado went 8-24 overall last season with a 5-13 conference mark.
Limestone College was tabbed fourth heading into 2017 by coaches with 53 points, which narrowly placed them ahead of fifth-place Belmont Abbey College with 51 points. Defending Conference Carolinas co-champion Erskine College tallied 48 points and one first-place vote to enter the season sixth.
The Saints posted a 10-15 overall record in 2016 with a 6-12 conference mark. The Crusaders turned in an 18-11 overall record and 11-7 record in Conference Carolinas play. The Fleet went 21-7 overall and 15-3 in league play to clinch a share of the 2016 regular season title.
North Greenville University registered 43 points from coaches to earn seventh, while Lees-McRae College placed eighth with 35 points. Closing out the poll is defending co-champion Pfeiffer University with 29 points in ninth.
The Crusaders managed an 11-14 overall record and 7-11 mark in league contests during the 2016 campaign. The Bobcats went 1-25 overall and 0-18 in Conference Carolinas play in 2016. The Falcons shared a regular season championship with Erskine after going 15-3 in conference while posting a 16-8 overall record.
The 2017 Conference Carolinas men's volleyball season begins on Friday, Jan. 6.
2017 Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Barton (6) |
78 |
| 2. Mount Olive (2) |
72 |
| 3. King |
59 |
| 4. Limestone |
53 |
| 5. Belmont Abbey |
51 |
| 6. Erskine (1) |
48 |
| 7. North Greenville |
43 |
| 8. Lees-McRae |
35 |
| 9. Pfeiffer |
29 |
2017 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Players to Watch:
Outside Hitters (Year):
Aleksa Brkovic (So.) - Barton^
Vasilis Mandilaris (So.) - Barton#
Liam Maxwell (Fr.) - Belmont Abbey
Daniel Fralix (Jr.) - Erskine
Eddie Moushikhian (Sr.) - King
Jeff Sprayberry (Jr.) - King^
John Sobel (Sr.) - Lees-McRae^
Kian Hollevoet (Jr.) - Mount Olive^
Opposite Hitters (Year):
Angelos Mandilaris (Fr.) - Barton
Andres Talavera (Sr.) - Erskine
Bruno Kretzschmar (Sr.) - Limestone#
Robert Poole (Jr.) - Mount Olive#
Aaron Campbell (So.) - North Greenville
Middle Hitters (Year):
Brennan Beyner (Sr.) - Belmont Abbey
Austin Quinn (Fr.) - Belmont Abbey
Jon Wheaton (So.) - King+
Hector Serviat (So.) - Lees-McRae+
Joel Muhlbach (Sr.) - Limestone+
Dylan Lavner (Sr.) - Limestone+
Ben Hamsho (Fr.) - North Greenville
Matt McManaway (Jr.) - North Greenville+
Evan Blair (Sr.) - Pfeiffer+
Liberos (Year):
Robert Valentine (Jr.) - Belmont Abbey*
Nick Wildes (Sr.) - Limestone*
Josh Donahue (Sr.) - Mount Olive*
Dustin King (Jr.) - North Greenville*
Setters (Year):
Federico Pagliara (Sr.) - Barton$
Caleb Bonaventure (So.) Emmanuel$
Nick Drooker (Jr.) - King$
Mark Shayka (Sr.) - Lees-McRae
Jeff Yasalonis (Jr.) - Mount Olive$
Alexander Schinzing (Jr.) - North Greenville$
^Karch Kiraly Award Watch List by Off the Block
#Bryan Ivie Award Watch List by Off the Block
+Ryan Millar Award Watch List by Off the Block
*Erik Shoji Award Watch List by Off the Block
$Lloy Ball Award Watch List by Off the Block
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College is currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.