2018 Men's Volleyball Preview and Players to Watch
2018 Men's Volleyball Preview and Players to Watch
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The 2018 Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball preseason poll has been released. Barton College enters the season as the favorite to win the Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Championship, according to Conference Carolinas coaches.
1. Barton College: The Bulldogs landed four first-place votes and tallied 66 points from Conference coaches to enter the season ranked first.
Barton had its best year in its short program history during the 2017 season, as they went 23-6 overall and 16-2 in Conference Carolinas play. They managed the season sweep of the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament championships, while also punching their first ticket to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship.
The 2018 Bulldogs will rely on a stellar group of hitters, including a trio of all-conference returners in Aleksa Brkovic and the Mandilaris brothers. Brkovic and Vasilis Mandilaris enter the season on the Karch Kiraly watch list by Off the Block, while Angelos Mandilaris is on the Bryan Ivie watch list.
Players to Watch:
- ^*Aleksa Brkovic (Jr.) - Outside Hitter
- I*Angelos Mandilaris (Jr.) - Opposite Hitter
- ^*Vasilis Mandilaris (Jr.) - Outside Hitter
2. University of Mount Olive: The Trojans sit only two points behind the Bulldogs with 64 points, while also receiving three first-place votes from Conference coaches.
Mount Olive finished last season as the runner-up in the Men's Volleyball Championship, posting a record of 18-10 overall and 14-4 in league play. The Trojans return three all-conference performers in Josh Donahue, Robert Poole and Bret Rutledge. Poole was featured on the Bryan Ivie list as one of the top opposite hitters in the nation, while Rutledge earned a spot on the Karch Kiraly list for top outside hitters.
Players to Watch:
- *Josh Donahue (Sr.) - Libero
- I*Robert Poole (Sr.) - Opposite Hitter
- ^*Bret Rutledge (Sr.) - Outside Hitter
3. King University: The Tornado were tabbed third after receiving 62 points from Conference coaches with one first-place vote.
King went 28-4 last season with a 16-2 conference mark, which earned them a co-regular season championship with Barton. The Tornado return a plethora of talent, including the reigning Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year and Karch Kiraly watch list selection in Jeff Sprayberry.
King also returns all-conference selections Nick Drooker, Jimmy Nuckolls and Jon Wheaton. Drooker was the lone Conference Carolinas setter named to the Lloy Ball watchlist. Nuckolls earned a spot on the Erik Shoji watch list for the top liberos in the nation, while Wheaton was tabbed a top middle blocker in the nation on the Ryan Millar watch list.
Players to Watch:
- $*Nick Drooker (Sr.) - Setter
- ^*Jeff Sprayberry (Sr.) - Outside Hitter
- +*Jon Wheaton (Sr.) - Middle Blocker
T4. Belmont Abbey College: The Crusaders of Belmont Abbey check-in with 44 points and are tied with the Crusaders of North Greenville for fourth-place.
Belmont Abbey went 9-17 overall and 8-10 in league play in 2017. The Crusaders will look to sophomore outside hitter Liam Maxwell to lead the charge, as he was tabbed a Karch Kiraly watch list selection to start the year.
Players to Watch:
- ^Liam Maxwell (So.) - Outside Hitter
- Gavin Schaffer (Sr.) - Opposite Hitter
- Robert Valentine (Sr.) - Libero
T4. North Greenville University: North Greenville garnered 44 points from coaches to enter the season tied for fourth with Belmont Abbey.
North Greenville posted a 7-11 record in Conference play last season and went 8-19 overall. The Crusaders have the fortune of returning Matt McManaway, an all-conference selection in 2017 and Ryan Millar watch list selection, who should play a big role in their success this season. Also returning for NGU is Erik Shoji watch list selection Dustin King.
Players to Watch:
- Ben Hamsho (So.) - Middle Blocker
- &Dustin King (Sr.) - Libero
- +*Matthew McManaway (Sr.) - Middle Blocker
6. Lees-McRae College: The Bobcats collected 39 points and are tabbed sixth to open 2018. Lees-McRae turned in a 10-17 overall mark in 2017 with an 8-10 league record.
Players to Watch:
- Robert Bowling (Fr.) - Outside Hitter
- Wes Rogman (So.) - Opposite Hitter
- Hector Serviat (Jr.) - Middle Blocker
7. Limestone College: The Saints are narrowly ranked seventh to begin 2018 after earning 37 points. Limestone posted a 13-11 overall record and 12-6 Conference mark last season.
Players to Watch:
- Francisco Salinger Cenzual (Fr.) - Opposite Hitter
- Logan Riley (Jr.) - Setter
- Anthony Savage (Sr.) - Outside Hitter
8. Erskine College: The Flying Fleet closed out the preseason poll in eighth with 36 points. Erskine finished last year with a 4-21 record while going 4-14 in league contests.
Players to Watch:
- &Bryan Cardozo (Sr.) - Libero
- Matt Friddle (Fr.) - Setter
- Danny Hermida (Fr.) - Outside Hitter
*denotes 2017 All-Conference Carolinas selection
2018 Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Barton (4) |
66 |
| 2. Mount Olive (3) |
64 |
| 3. King (1) |
62 |
| T4. Belmont Abbey |
44 |
| T4. North Greenville |
44 |
| 6. Lees-McRae |
39 |
| 7. Limestone |
37 |
| 8. Erskine |
36 |
^Karch Kiraly Award Watch List by Off the Block
IBryan 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 11 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, 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.