2015-16 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball All-Conference and Major Awards Announced
2015-16 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball All-Conference and Major Awards Announced
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Erskine College outside hitter Mike Michelau has been tabbed the 2015-16 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Player of the Year, while Erskine teammate Michael Schneck garnered Defensive Player of the Year honors. Rounding out the accolades were Barton College's Vasilis Mandilaris and Jeff Lennox winning Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, the Conference announced today.
Michelau, a senior from Trevor, Wis., finished the 2015-16 season as not just one of the best players in Conference Carolinas, but the nation. He finished the regular season with a 4.51 kills per set average on 356 kills and a .337 hitting percentage. Michelau's kills per set ranked second in all of NCAA Division I-II and Conference Carolinas, while his 0.44 aces per set average ranked seventh in the country. He also registered 126 digs and 42 blocks.
A senior from Milwaukee, Wis., Schneck led Conference Carolinas and ranked second in the nation with a 2.98 digs per set average after digging 250 balls during the regular season. He would register 13 matches of 10+ kills, while tallying six matches with 15+ digs.
Mandilaris, a native of Chalkida, Greece, was named the Freshman of the Year after ranking eighth in conference with 309 total kills, while hitting at a .297 percent clip and totaling double-digit kills in 20 matches.
Lennox was named Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, having received the honor following the 2013-14 season. He led the Bulldogs to their third straight Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Championship appearance and a league-high 20 regular season wins. Picked to finish sixth in the conference, the 2016 team lost just six regular season matches and produced three separate winning streaks of five or more games.
Pfeiffer University and Erskine led the way with two first team selections each, as the Falcons’ Harrison Lutz and Jonathan Martinez joined Michelau and Schneck. Belmont Abbey College's Nolan Albrecht along with Pierre Tang-Taye of Barton College and Peyton Schirman of University of Mount Olive concluded the 2015-16 first team honorees.
Men's All-Conference First Team
Harrison Lutz, Pfeiffer
Michael Schneck, Erskine
Mike Michelau, Erskine
Nolan Albrecht, Belmont Abbey
Jonathan Martinez, Pfeiffer
Pierre Tang-Taye, Barton
Peyton Schirman, Mount Olive
Men's All-Conference Second Team
Federico Pagliara, Barton
Dustin King, North Greenville
Fabio Diniz, Pfeiffer
Roberto Perez Vargas, Erskine
Bruno Kretzschmar, Limestone
Jeff Sprayberry, King
Sonny Hirini, Pfeiffer
Men's All-Conference Third Team
David Grandy, Erskine
Kekaulike Alameda, Barton
Mike Mann, Mount Olive
Evan Blair, Pfeiffer
Luuga Vailu'U, North Greenville
Jon Childes, North Greenville
Vasilis Mandilaris, Barton
Player of the Year
Mike Michelau, Erskine
Defensive Player of the Year
Michael Schneck, Erskine
Freshman of the Year
Vasilis Mandilaris, Barton
Coach of the Year
Jeff Lennox, Barton
Men's Volleyball Regular Season Champions
Erskine College & Pfeiffer University
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 and Southern Wesleyan University are currently completing the NCAA DII membership process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.