A total of seven players from the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American honors. The group includes Cody Chidsey, Nate Ellis, Jack Fredricks, Tomasz Kziazkiewicz, Kevin McCandless, Kyle Seeley, and Rob Wingert. All four CVC Tournament teams were represented on the AVCA All-American list.
Rutgers-Newark led the way with three players on the All-American team list. Cody Chidsey picked up his second consecutive All-American honor with teammate Jack Fredricks joining him on the All-American Second Team. Chidsey, from Bath, Pa., is fourth nationally in hitting percentage, converting at a .449 clip which was good for No. 1 in the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC). Chidsey finished fourth on the Scarlet Raiders in kills (197) and kills per set (2.12) while adding 69 blocks.
Fredricks had a career year in 2016, leading the Scarlet Raiders in kills with 257 and kills per set with 2.79. The third-year standout earned All-CVC honors, notching 119 total digs which was third on the team and 49 blocks. He eclipsed double-digit kills in 11 different matches, putting down seven or more in 21 outings.
McCandless was named Honorabl Mention All-American and ran an incredibly efficient Rutgers-Newark attack, setting the Raiders to a hitting percentage of .338 which is presently the third-highest mark in the nation and tops in the CVC. He ranks sixth nationally in assists per set (10.54) heading into the NCAA Tournament and set three different teammates to top-10 ranks in the CVC in kills per set.
Stevenson placed two players on the AVCA All-American list with Rob Wingert earning Second Team honors and Nate Ellis being named honorable mention. Wingert, the 2016 CVC Tournament MVP and Player of the Year, led the conference with 1,112 assists and 10.80 assists per set. He ranks fourth in both categories nationally. The senior also ranked fourth in the league with 181 digs and fifth with 67 block assists. Wingert recorded at least 40 assists and 10 digs three times this season with a season-best 51 assists in a four-set win over Marymount (Va.).
Ellis, who was named to the CVC All-Tournament Team, earns his postseason honor after ranking 14th in Division III and fourth in the conference with a .403 hitting percentage while ranking tied for sixth in the country with 1.12 blocks per set. Ellis has totaled at least a .500 hitting percentage while recording at least 10 attacks 12 times. In a three set win versus Penn State Altoona, Ellis totaled 10 kills on 13 swings for a .769 hitting percentage. He finished the final six games of the season with 24 block assists and five solo blocks.
Juniata College's Kyle Seeley was named to the Second Team after a career year for the Eagles this season. The junior middle blocker led Juniata in kills (303), total blocks (70), and service aces (26) and also added 78 digs. Seeley had a season-high 15 digs against Hunter on February 20. He recorded season highs of seven total blocks twice (1/30 vs. Mount St. Joseph and 4/2 vs. Cairn) and five service aces twice (2/6 vs. Wells and 3/22 vs. Thiel). Seeley tallied four 20+ kill performances with a season-best 24 coming on March 30 against Penn State Altoona. Seeley totaled 370 points for Juniata, which led all players and was one of just two players to play in all 26 matches this season.
Marymount University's Tomasz Ksiazkiewicz becomes the program's first All-American, doing so in just the third year of the program. The junior ranked third in the CVC this season with a .407 hitting percentage while posting 214 kills throughout the season to rank eighth in the league, and 15th in kills per set after averaging 2.40. As a middle blocker, Ksiazkiewicz put up a wall this season, leading the conference in blocks per set (1.12) and solo blocks (24), while registering fourth most in block assists (76) and fourth in total blocks (100).
For a complete list of the 2016 AVCA All-Americans click HERE