Six Men's Volleyball Players Pick Up EIVA All-Conference Honors
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - April 16, 2008 - Several Springfield College men’s volleyball student athletes were honored by the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association this week for their outstanding efforts this season. The Pride, which captured the 2008 Molten Division III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championship this past weekend, has rattled off 20 wins, the most since 2003.Andy Sipe was named to the EIVA All-East Second Team and was just one of two Division III players to be named to the squad. The New Oxford, Pa. native was chosen after another outstanding year for the Pride. The three-time All American hit .388 on the season, 10th highest in the conference, as he averaged 1.81 kills per game. A major presence at the net, Sipe recorded 114 blocks on the season, averaging 1.33 stops per game, which was fourth highest in the conference.
Eric Shoemaker and Mark Ribeiro were each selected as members of the EIVA All-Academic Team for their success in the classroom. Shoemaker, who hails from Mount Wolf, Pa., is majoring in computer graphics and currently maintains a 3.54 GPA. Shoemaker has seen success on the court as well as he was recently tabbed the Most Outstanding Player in the Molten Division III National Championship. In his first year on the SC campus after transferring from the University of Hawaii, Ribeiro has a GPA of 3.58 in his general studies major.
AJ Nally, Cal Palumbo, Brandon Waas, and Sipe were all chosen as EIVA Division III All-Stars after leading the Pride to its fifth national championship. Nine players and one libero from the EIVA Division III teams were chosen, with the Pride securing the most players on the team with four.
Nally, a native of Rochester, N.Y., had a standout year in his sophomore campaign for the Pride. Recording a team-best 300 kills on the season, the outside hitter also excelled on the defensive side of the ball as he ranked sixth in the EIVA with 2.43 digs per game. Nally, who was last year’s AVCA Newcomer of the Year, was chosen to the All-Tournament Team after the Pride’s national championship victory.
For the second year in a row, Waas was selected as an EIVA All-Star, after anchoring Springfield’s defense. A Spencerport, N.Y. native, Waas ranked seventh in the conference in digs with 2.28, as he recorded 182 digs this season. Seeing plenty of action on serve receive, Waas had a 94.7 serve reception percentage, as he was aced just 22 times in 413 attempts.
The 2008 AVCA Division III Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-America Selection, Cal Palumbo burst onto the Springfield volleyball scene this year. An efficient hitter out of the middle, the Hilton, N.Y. native ranked fifth in the conference in hitting percentage with a .430 in his first year. He averaged 1.09 blocks per game as he registered 102 stops this season.
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Head Coach Charlie Sullivan
With four national championships to his credit, Charlie Sullivan will enter his 11th season as head coach of the men's volleyball team in 2009. In 10 previous years at the helm, Sullivan owns an overall record of 139-114 for a .549 winning percentage. Read more.