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Emmanuel Headlines All-GNAC Teams
The Emmanuel College Saints landed six players on the All-Great
Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Volleyball Teams.
The Saints swept the Player of the Year balloting, as senior
outside hitter Curtis
Abram (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) was named the GNAC Player of
the Year and senior libero Jake
DeLuise (Wakefield, R.I.) was named the conference's Defensive
Player of the Year. Three Emmanuel players received 1st Team
All-GNAC honors and three others were named either 2nd or 3rd Team
All-Conference. This is Emmanuel's largest class of All-Conference
selections.
Abram's Player of the Year nod came after the Saints' all-time
kills leader received GNAC Player of the Week honors four different
times during the 2011 season. This marks the first time an Emmanuel
men's volleyball player has received GNAC Player of the Year
honors. Abram has led the Saints' offense all season, averaging
4.07 kills and 0.89 aces per set, while hitting .368 for the
year. Abram currently leads the nation in service aces and is
ranked 10th in the country in kills. His number of service
aces this year set a single-season program record at Emmanuel.
DeLuise was named the Defensive Player of the Year, another first
for the Emmanuel program. DeLuise led the Saints' backrow,
tallying 258 digs in his 103 sets played. His average of 2.50
digs per set leads the GNAC and ranks DeLuise 17th nationally in
the category. In addition to being selected the conference's
Defensive Player of the Year, DeLuise received 3rd Team All-GNAC
honors.
Joining Abram on the 1st Team were classmate Tyson
Rietz (Granite Bay, Calif.) and sophomore Nick
Updike (Manhattan Beach, Calif.). Prior to his
devastating season-ending injury, Rietz was second on the Saints'
squad in kills, aces and digs. The senior outside hitter
notched 2.20 kills, 0.66 aces and 2.10 digs per set. A 2nd
team All-GNAC selection in 2010, Rietz was named the conference's
Player of the Week back on February 28th this season.
Updike, the team's starting setter, is currently ranked 3rd in the
GNAC and 5th in the nation in aces, averaging 0.61 per game.
He is dishing out 8.51 assists, ranking him 4th in the GNAC and
24th nationally in assists per set. Updike was named to the
GNAC Weekly Honor Roll four times as a rookie and was chosen the
GNAC Player of the Week for the last week in January this
season.
Emmanuel's 2nd Team All-GNAC picks included Thomas
McCaffrey (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Cam
Todd (Los Angeles, Calif.). This is McCaffrey's second-straight
All-GNAC recognition, as he was named to the 3rd-Team last
season. The senior middle led the Saints in blocking this
year, setting the program-record for blocks in a single
season. He is currently ranked 2nd in the conference and 3rd
nationally in blocks, averaging 1.28 per set. Todd was named
the conference's Player of the Week on February 8th this
year. The senior middle hits .367, while averaging 1.62 kills
per set. Todd is the Emmanuel program leader in career
blocks. He has sent back a total of 72 blocks this season, ranking
him second behind McCaffrey for total blocks this year.
Senior opposite Keoni
Rabaino (Tucson, Ariz.), who has been a prior two-time All-GNAC
pick, was named to the conference's All-Sportsmanship Team.
Rabaino is third on the team in kills, averaging 1.78 per set,
while hitting at a .242 clip.
2011 GNAC Men's Volleyball All-Conference Teams
1st Team
Curtis
Abram - Emmanuel
Jared Andreozzi - Rivier
Tyson
Rietz - Emmanuel
Spencer Hastings - Mount Ida
Andrew Glenn - Lasell
Nick
Updike - Emmanuel
2nd Team
Thomas
McCaffrey - Emmanuel
Thomas Belton - Mount Ida
Taylor Lindner - Rivier
Cam
Todd - Emmanuel
Steven Velez - Johnson & Wales
Mike Harrington - Lasell
3rd Team
Alex Xenidis - Rivier
Steve Selnick - Emerson
Steve Visentin - Rivier
Aaron Almario - Rivier
Jake
DeLuise - Emmanuel
Sam Kazlas - Rivier
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Curtis
Abram, Emmanuel
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Jake
DeLuise, Emmanuel
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Andrew Glenn, Lasell
COACH OF THE YEAR - Scott Reslow, Johnson & Wales
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
TBD - Albertus Magnus
Chris Davis - Emerson
Keoni
Rabaino - Emmanuel
Dan Struebing - Johnson & Wales
Alex Mill - Lasell
Ryan Faer - Mount Ida
Aaron Almario - Rivier
