Four Earn Men's Volleyball All-NEAC Recognition
The Wells College men's volleyball team is in the midst of the best season in program history and as a result, individual players have earned recognition from the North Eastern Athletic Conference. The NEAC announced its 2018 Men's Volleyball All-Conference Teams and award winners on Wednesday, April 11. Brannon Perdicho and Caden O'Loughlin earned places on the All-NEAC First Team. Robert Patzer was the NEAC Rookie of the Year and earned Third Team honors, and Josh Undari also made the Third Team.
Perdicho earned a spot on the all-conference teams for the fourth year in a row. The senior outside hitter from Victor, New York was a first-team selection for the second straight season. He was on the all-conference second team in his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Perdicho was a three-time NEAC Player of the Week honoree for the weeks of Jan. 29, Feb. 26, and April 8. In conference matches, Perdicho ranked second in kills per set and points per set, and was eighth in digs per set. Perdicho reached the 1,000-career kills milestone earlier this season.
O'Loughlin earned a spot on the First Team for his sophomore season in 2018. As a freshman in 2017 he was on the Second Team. He earned NEAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the weeks of March 11 and April 8. The sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky has a well-rounded game that is reflected in the statistics. In NEAC matches, O'Loughlin ranks in the top-10 in kills, hitting percentage, service aces, digs, and points.
Patzer is the NEAC Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-NEAC Third Team. The freshman right side from Syracuse, New York is the only freshman on the NEAC all-conference teams. He played in all 27 matches for the Express. In conference matches, Patzer ranked sixth in hitting percentage and eighth in service aces. He had 17 kills and nine digs in an important late-season win over Penn State Altoona. Patzer also ranked in the top-20 in the conference in kills per set, service aces per set, and digs per set. These are his first-career conference honors.
Undari, a sophomore setter from Manor Park, New York, earned all-conference recognition for the first time. He keyed distribution for a Wells offense that ranked second in the NEAC in hitting percentage and had three different players average more than two kills per set. Undari was second in the conference in assists and third in assists per set. He was NEAC Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 18 and had 60 assists in a five-set win over SUNY Poly on Feb. 24.
Wells has established a single-season record for wins with 20 so far in the 2018 season. That is despite missing three matches due to weather cancellations, and prior to this weekend's NEAC playoffs. The Express is 20-7 overall and went 7-1 in NEAC regular season. Wells is seeded second in the NEAC playoffs and will face SUNY Poly in the semifinals on Saturday, April 14 at 2:30 p.m. The semifinal matches and Sunday's championship match, are hosted by Lancaster Bible College.
