Albany, NY-- The Sage Colleges' department of athletics recently honored members of the varsity teams at the Athletic Awards Banquet. Junior middle hitter Spencer Hilland (Slingerlands, NY/Bethlehem Central), a member of the men's volleyball team at Sage was named the recipient of the Gator of the Year award as the team's Most Valuable Player.
Sophomore Cory Gransbury (Round Top, NY/Cairo-Durham) and his brother, junior Ryan Gransbury (Round Top, NY/Cairo-Durham), both members of the men's volleyball team at Sage were named the recipient of the Most Improved Player Award and the Team Spirit Award, respectively.
Head coach Jason Wood said of Spencer, "Spencer's ability on the court was a key aspect to our success this season." Woods, continued, "His ability to play numerous positions at a high-level made it difficult for other coaches to defend him. Spencer is one of those players that other coaches game plan against, his stats show that he is one of the most dominant players in the Skyline Conference."
Over the course of the 2012 season, Hilland garnered numerous honors including his second straight selection to the Skyline Conference All-Star First Team.
Hilland becomes the first player in program history to earn back-to-back spots on the league's first team. He racked up a personal-best 317 kills this season, while adding 190 digs, 87 total blocks and racked up an impressive .237 hitting percentage. Through the most recent NCAA Division III statistics release, Hilland ranked nationally in two different categories. He was 16th in kills per set average (3.37), while ranking 22nd in blocks per set (0.91). He surpassed the 500 career kill plateau last month and now has a program-best 557 career kills. He has also connected on 148 career total blocks with 292 digs in 161 sets played as a Gator.
Wood said of Cory, "Cory is one of those players that never complains or questions what is being done, his work ethic and desire to better himself and his team is what makes him a special player." Wood added, "Cory continuously looks to improve upon his ability to better the team, his hard work and dedication makes us a better program."
Over the course of the 2012 season, Cory played in 85 sets and racked up 103 digs, while adding 11 kills with eight aces. A two-year letterwinner for the team, he has now played in 117 career sets with 124 career digs and has 11 serving aces with 13 career kills.
Woods said of Ryan, "Ryan is the player that every team needs." Wood added, "He brings a different type of energy to our team. His attitude, character and personality are aspects of the game that you cannot coach. His energy was a key component to our success this season."
As a newcomer to Sage this season, Ryan played in 67 sets and racked up 57 digs with six aces.
The Gators went 17-10 overall and were among the league's semifinalist after earning the program's third straight post-season bid. The 17 wins was a new high-water mark for wins for the young Gator team.
Sage ranked 17th nationally in win percentage .654, while ranking 13th in digs per set (10.37), 27th in assists per set (10.14), 27th in blocks per set (1.89), 28th in hitting percentage (.207), and 29th in kills per set (11.01).
