Stevens claimed three of the four major conference awards, while five were selected to the AVCA All-Region Team
4/15/2024 4:00:00 PM
By: Stevens Athletic Communications
NEWTOWN, Pa. / LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 15, 2024) –The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) each handed out end of season awards on Mondayand the No. 2Stevens Institute of Technolgy men's volleyball team was well represented in both.
Junior Koby Sherman was named the MACPlayer of the Year outright after being named Co-Player of the Year one year ago. Head coach DanBuehring earned the MACCoach of the Year awardfor the thirdstraight season, while graduate student Connor Feulner earned his first MAC Defensive Player of the Year honor. Messiah's Seth Graybill was named MAC Rookie of the Year to round out the MAC's individual awards.
In addition to their major conference awards, Sherman and Feulner were each named to the AVCA's All-Region IIITeam. Graduates student Louden Moran and Percy Bickfordand sophom*ore Tyler Hoke also represented the Ducks onthe All-Region Team. Stevensled the country withfive honorees, while Wentworthand Springfield (Region I) each had four selections. For the Region III major awards, Southern Virginia took two of the three, as Christian Sheaffer was named Player of the Year and Tom Peterson was named Coach of the Year. Graybill, who earned MAC Rookie of the Year, was also awarded Region III Newcomer of the Year.
Sherman and Feulner also landed on the All-MAC First Team, along with Moran and junior libero Jesse Knuckles.Bickford andHoke were each named to the MAC's Second Team, while graduate student Nathan Lancia received an honorable mention.
Sherman has been adominant force on the offensive end for the Ducks this season as he leads the team with 238 kills, averaging 3.17 kills per set. The MAC Player of the Year had two games in which he tallied 20+ kills this season, as he produced 23 on February 3 against No. 12 Juniata, and then another 24 at No. 4 Springfield on February 24. He picked up one double-double this season, recording 13 kills and 11 digs against No. 11 Carthage. Sherman was named the MAC Tournament MVP for the third-straight season, as he picked up nine kills and three blocks in the championship game. On the defensive end, Sherman ranks third on the Ducks with 55 total blocks, averaging 0.73 per set. The Sunnyvale, California native leads Stevens with 75 sets played.
Feulner anchored the Ducks defense all season long, as he has totaled 74 blocks which ranks second on the team. He is averaging exactly one block per set, which ranks fourth in the MAC. The graduate student also produced 37 digs. Despite winning the MAC Defensive Player of the Year award, Feulner has had solid numbers on the offensive end as well. He has recorded a .579 hitting percentage, which would have been one of the best in the country if he had enough attacks per set. He has picked up 143 kills and averaged 1.93 per set, which ranks fourth best on the team.
Buehring collects his third straight MAC Coach of the Year accolade after piloting the Ducks to their third consecutive MAC title. The Ducks spent the majority of the season inside the top three of the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and entered this week's NCAA Tournament with a 31-1 record, tying for the third-most in the program's lengthy history. The Ducks' current .969 winning percentage is currently the top mark in program history. Stevens is 15-0 at home this season, extending its winning streak at Canavan Arena to 52. The Ducks have also won 39 straight regular-season MAC matches.
Moran will leave Stevens after this season as one of the best setters in program history, as he lands on the conference's first team and the all-region team. He has totaled 661 assists so far this season. In the Ducks' match against #5 Arcadia in the MAC Semifinals, the graduate student surpassed 3,000 career assists, becoming just the second player in program history to achieve that mark. He contributed 8.93 assists per set, which ranks fourth in the MAC. Moran also has recorded 60 kills, a team-high 30 aces, 139 digs, and 36 blocks. He also has tallied three double-doubles this year.
Hoke made the conference's second team as a middle hitter and was named to the all-region team. Despite Feulner winning Defensive Player of the Year, Hoke has had better numbers overall for Stevens. He ranks tops on the Ducks with 83 blocks and has amassed 1.12 blocks per set so far this season, which ranks sixth in Division III. On the offensive side, Hoke has picked up 104 kills so far, which is fifth best on the Ducks. He totaled a season-high eight blocks against No. 2 Wentworth on January 20.
Bickford joins Hoke on the conference's second team and the all-region team. The graduate student currently ranks second on the Ducks in total kills and 19th in the MAC with 181. His 2.45 kills per set is 15th best in the MAC. Bickford dropped a season-high 16 kills back on March 9 in a match against Stevenson. The Santa Monica, California native also has 102 digs so far this season and an average of 1.38 per set, which is fourth-best on the team.
Knuckles landed on the All-MAC First Team as a Libero. Knuckles leads the Ducks and the MAC in digs per set this season, averaging 2.17. He has totaled 141 digs in 65 sets played. The junior had a season-high 17 digs in the match at No. 2 Wentworth back in January. He also currently has a receiving percentage of .949. On the offensive end, Knuckles has provided 42 assists.
Lancia rounds out the All-Conference selections for the Ducks as he was named an Honorable Mention. The graduate student currently ranks third on the Ducks in kills this season with 154. Lancia picked up a season-high 15 kills against Juniata back on January 27. He is averaging 2.08 per set. Lancia also has 101 digs this year, which is fourth best on the team.
Up Next: The Ducks are in the NCAA Tournament and will take on Hiram in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, April 19th at 4 p.m.inside Canavan Arena. Springfield and Juniata will meet at 6:30 in the second game on Friday, with the winners meeting in the quarterfinal round on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Ducks are 1-0 all-time against Hiram, while Stevens has already beaten Juniata twice this year and Springfield once.Live stat and live video linksareposted to stevensducks.com, and ticket links will be posted as soon as possible.
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