WEST BABYLON, N.Y. – The bracket for the inaugural East Coast Conference Men’s Volleyball Championship is set with all four teams heading to Dominican University of New York’s Hennessy Center in Orangeburg, New York this Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21. Top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas, second-seeded Roberts Wesleyan, third-seeded Dominican, and fourth-seeded American International will compete for the first-ever ECC men’s volleyball trophy, with STAC serving as the host school.
Championship Central
Top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas (9-12) earned the inaugural ECC Men’s Volleyball Regular-Season Championship after going 5-1 in regular-season conference play, with sweeps of Roberts Wesleyan and American International and a split with Dominican.
The Spartans led the conference in assists per set (9.61), blocks per set (1.77), kills per set (10.19), and opponent hitting percentage (.213, ninth nationally). Individually, James Feuchtgruber leads the conference in blocks per set (.85) while two-time ECC Player of the Week and three-time ECC Rookie of the Week Kyran Versteegen sits second in hitting percentage (.247) and aces per set (.435).
Fourth-seeded American International (2-17, 1-5 ECC) will be St. Thomas Aquinas’ semifinal opponent. The Yellow Jackets own 26.36 team attacks per set and 8.56 digs per set, which rank second and third, respectively, in the conference. Individually, one-time ECC Player of the Week Robert Santana is second in the ECC in kills per set (3.14), points per set (3.50), and attacks per set (7.86) and third in digs per set (1.77).
STAC swept the regular-season pair of matches, 3-0 and 3-0, on March 9 and April 13; Versteegen (34 combined kills), Gabriel Vieira (20 combined kills), and Joaquin La Jara (57 combined assists) led the way for the Spartans.
The other semifinal will see second-seeded Roberts Wesleyan (8-14, 3-3 ECC) take on third-seeded Dominican (11-12, 3-3 ECC).
Despite identical conference records, the Redhawks earned the second seed after winning the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chargers with 3-0 (March 9) and 3-2 (April 13) victories during the regular season. Griffin Monrad (27 combined kills), Paul Fillion (25 combined kills), Jonah Grbic (23 combined kills), Riley Green (80 combined assists), and Moises Jimenez (36 total digs) led Roberts Wesleyan to the victories.
The Redhawks lead the conference in digs per set (9.21) and team attacks per set (27.41), which rank eighth and 12th in the nation, respectively. Individually, four-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week Jimenez (2.74 dig per set, fifth nationally), Monrad (.519 aces per set, seventh nationally), and Fillion (.338 hitting percentage, 20th nationally) all lead the conference in their respective categories while Green (8.15 assists per set) and Noah Liousfi (.803 blocks per set) sit second.
The Chargers top the conference in aces per set (1.63, 13th nationally) and hitting percentage (.207) and are led on the offensive end by five-time ECC Player of the Week Wiley, who tops the ECC in attacks per set (8.49, 11th nationally), kills per set (3.43), and points per set (4.01). Six-time ECC Setter of the Week Luke Koster leads the conference in assists per set (8.16).
The tournament will start on Saturday, April 20 with the St. Thomas Aquinas vs. American International match-up at 1:00 p.m. Roberts Wesleyan vs. Dominican will follow at 3:30 p.m. The winners of the semifinal matchups will move on to the final on Sunday, April 21 at 1:00 p.m.
Tickets for each game of the championship can be purchased in advance here. Ticket prices will be $8 for general admission and $4 for senior citizens, students, and children ages 2-5. Children under two will be admitted for free.
In addition, cash will not be accepted so those wishing to purchase tickets at the venue must still use the ECC ticket website to purchase them (QR code to scan with a smartphone will be available at the gate).
For those not in attendance, all three matches of the championship will be broadcast on the ECC Network. Viewers can tune in at www.eccsportsnetwork.com or by downloading the ECC Network app. To download the app, search "ECC Network" on Apple or Android mobile devices or on Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku streaming devices.
To read X updates throughout the tournament, follow @ECCsports. Other pertinent information about the tournament will also be available via the championship central web page on www.eccsports.org later in the week.
2024 ECC Volleyball Championship at Dominican University of New York
Semifinals - Saturday, April 20
No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 4 American International - 1:00 p.m.
No. 2 Roberts Wesleyan vs. No. 3 Dominican - 3:30 p.m.
Final - Sunday, April 21
STAC/AIC vs. DUNY/ROB – 1:00 p.m.