Albany, NY – The Sage Colleges' men's volleyball team continues to earn acclaim and recognition for its success on the 2013 campaign. The Gators stand at 26-6 and had two players recognized by the Skyline Conference with the release of the weekly honors. Sophomore outside Andy Fishman (Cornwallville, NY/ Cairo-Durham) earned his eighth Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week posting, while junior outside Dylan Krowicki (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) was named to the honor roll.
Fishman still ranks as the national ace leader, marking the latest NCAA Division III statistical rankings. He now has 78 aces and 326 kills to lead Sage. He has a .276 hitting percentage as well in 95 sets played. He also has 158 digs with 31 total blocks. He ranks No. 1 with his 0.82 aces per set average, while also ranking No. 6 in points per set average (4.46), while standing No. 15 in kills per set (3.43).
Krowicki, who was placed on the Skyline Honor Roll for the second time this season, average 3.14 kills per set last week with a 2.71 digs per set average as the Gators went 4-0. Krowicki is No. 46 in aces per set (0.34). On the 2013 season, he has a .276 attack percentage in 113 sets played this season. He is also averaging 2.76 kills per set with 312 on the season. He also has 225 digs with 38 aces and 63 total blocks. He has surpassed the 600 career kill plateau as he has 630 kills with 413 digs and 92 total blocks. He also has 52 career aces in 207 sets played. He is ranked nationally with his 3.46 points per set average (No. 44) and No. 47 with his 2.76 kills per set average.
Senior setter Kyle Ray (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) ranks No. 15 nationally with his 9.51 setting assist per set average, while leading the team with his personal-best, 1,075 setting assists this season. The Gators career leader in setting assists, he boasts 2,681 setting assists with 97 aces.
Sage's senior middle hitter Spencer Hilland (Slingerlands, NY/Bethlehem Central) ranks No. 35 in digs per set (2.25) and No. 36 in blocks per set (0.82). On the season, he has 255 kills with a 0.288 attack percentage. He has added 34 aces with 86 total blocks and a team-best 236 digs. He sports an impressive career resume that now has 812 career kills (No. 1) with 528 digs (No. 2), while adding 234 total blocks (No. 1) at Sage.
Junior Connor Thompson (Delmar, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) ranks No. 16 in blocks per set this season (0.99) and has a team-best 89 total blocks this season with 158 kills and 26 digs in 90 sets played. He also ranks No. 31 in hitting percentage as well with a .318 average. He has elevated his career resume to include 356 kills with 228 total blocks in 268 sets played.
As a team, the Gators received three votes in the latest AVAC Division III Men's Poll, marking the second time this season the team has picked up votes. Sage ranks No. 5 in the team statistics in both aces per set (1.94) and win-loss percentage (0.813). Sage is ranked in the Top 20 in five additional categories. The Gators are No. 16 in digs per set (10.2), No. 17 in hitting percentage (0.243), No. 18 in assists per set (10.9), No. 18 in blocks per set (2.09), and No. 20 in kills per set average (11.82).
The Sage Colleges' men's volleyball team secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Skyline Conference Championships. The championship will take place on Saturday, April 13 at top seeded Kean University (Union, NJ) with a pair of semifinals and the championship all taking place at Kean. The Gators will face the No. 3 seeded Ramapo College Roadrunners in the semifinals at 3:30 p.m., while top seeded Kean will meet No. 4 seeded New Jersey City University at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The two winners will meet at 7 p.m. in the championship match with the league's champion garnering the automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship.
Sage has one Skyline Conference match left on the regular-season as they will host NJCU on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Kahl Gym. Overall on the 2013 season, the Gators are 26-6 overall and 11-2 in the conference and continue to rewrite the young program's record book, they have bettered the school mark for most conference wins in a season which had been 9, a feat they hit last year, while charting new waters with the team's record 26th win of the season, all under Coach Sandy Augstein-Collins.
