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2024 GNAC Men's Volleyball All-Conference Teams Announced

WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its 2024 Men’s Volleyball All-Conference Teams and major award winners on Tuesday afternoon. Wentworth had the most selections this year with seven.

Voting was conducted by the league’s eight men’s volleyball head coaches following the regular season and did not take postseason play into account.

The Leopards also earned three of the student-athlete major awards with Jacob LaBouliere, Brandon Dunz, and Mason Andrade all being honored. LaBouliere won his third-straight Offensive Player of the Year honor, while Dunz was named Defensive Player of the Year. Andrade was named the league’s top specialist as Libero of the Year. Lasell claimed the other two major awards with Jesus Garcia being named Setter of the Year for the second year in a row and Aidan Norris earning the Rookie of the Year honor.

Wentworth head coach Evin Giglio was voted the Coach of the Year by his peers and Dean won the Institutional Sportsmanship award.

The full list of All-Conference honorees, the All-Rookie Team, and the representatives on the All-Sportsmanship Team can be viewed below.

 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jacob LaBouliere, Wentworth

LaBouliere continued his dominant offensive play this year as he wins his third straight GNAC Offensive Player of the Year honor. He was one of league’s most prolific scorers, averaging 4.38 kills per set, ranking him second in the conference and in the top-10 nationally at the end of the regular season. LaBouliere was also extremely efficient with the GNAC’s best hitting percentage at .433, which also placed him in the top-10 on the NCAA Division III national leaderboard. He had double-digit kills in all but four matches he played in this year and hit over .500 nine times. His efforts were recognized by the conference as Offensive Player of the Week four times (weeks ending Jan. 21, Feb. 12, Feb. 25, and March 10).

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Brandon Dunz, Wentworth

Dunz was an intimidating presence at the net for Wentworth this season as he controlled the game from his middle position. He recorded 70 total blocks in the regular season with 10 solo stops and 60 assisted denials, giving him over a block per set on the year. He had multiple stops in almost every match he played in, including recording five or more stops on eight occasions. He peaked at 10 rejections in a three-set victory against UC Santa Cruz. He earned two GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, being selected in the weeks ending Jan. 21 and March 11.

SETTER OF THE YEAR

Jesus Garcia, Lasell

Garcia ran the offense for Lasell as the team’s primary setter. He averaged 8.80 assists per set, which placed him fourth in the conference, but he helped the Lasers recorded the league’s second-best hitting percentage at .292. That figure ranked in the top-15 in all of NCAA Division III at the end of the regular season. Garcia consistently racked up helper numbers, recording 30-plus assists in 16 matches. He earned Setter of the Week honors in the weeks ending Feb. 5 and March 31.

LIBERO OF THE YEAR

Mason Andrade, Wentworth

Andrade was strong at the libero position for Wentworth, helping the Leopards lead the conference by holding opponents to a .179 hitting percentage during the regular season. The sophomore libero ranked in the top-10 in the conference in total digs and digs per set, averaging 1.65. He was strong on the serve receive, making only 12 receive errors on the year.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Aidan Norris, Lasell

Norris developed into a solid attacking option for Lasell in his rookie season. He registered 102 kills during the regular season, ranking him fourth on the team and placing him in the top-25 in the GNAC. He averaged 1.79 kills per set and did so in an efficient manner as his .317 hitting percentage placed him in the league’s top-10. There were five matches this year in which Noris produced double-digit kill numbers.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Evin Giglio, Wentworth

Giglio was voted GNAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career (2014, 2017, 2022) after leading Wentworth to a near perfect season. The Leopards finished the regular season with a 28-1 overall (13-1 GNAC) record and earned the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championship Tournament. Giglio’s squad also garnered national attention as it was ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/National Volleyball Association (NVA) Division III MVB Poll all year, including an extended stint at No. 1. The Leopards led the league in almost every category and found themselves at the top of the national leaderboards as well. At the conclusion of the regular season, Wentworth ranked second in Division III in kills per set (13.01), hitting percentage (.350), assists per set (12.02), and aces per set (2.50). Defensively, the Leopards held opponents to a .179 hitting percentage and also led the league with over two blocks per set.

 

2024 Men's Volleyball All-GNAC Teams

ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM

Jan Baranowski, Sr., Lasell
Jacob LaBouliere, Sr., Wentworth
Chris Lezon, Sr., Rivier
Michael Shelley, So., Emmanuel
Jacob Waga, Sr., Wentworth
Theo Zaharewicz, Jr., Lasell

Setter - Jesus Garcia, Gr., Lasell
Libero - Mason Andrade, So., Wentworth

 

ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM

Brandon Dunz, Gr., Wentworth
Sam Etter, Jr., Wentworth
Trey Guest, So., Emmanuel
Brenden Joyce, Gr., Lasell
Sokunbuth Ly, Gr., Rivier
Joseph Perez, Sr., Regis

Setter - Josh Milke, Jr., Wentworth
Libero - Orlando Plagata, Gr., Regis                                                                                                                                          

 

ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM

Nicolai Bell, So., Wentworth
Louis Da Silva, Jr., Emmanuel (Mass.)
Pedro De Jesus, Gr., Elms
Collin Liedke, Gr., Elms
Aidan Norris, Fr., Lasell
Bayden Slavik, Jr., Emerson

Setter - Neil Rea, Sr., Rivier
Libero - Peter White, Gr., Rivier

 

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

Mekhi Burns, Wentworth
Racine Camara, Rivier
Luis Castillo, Dean
Cole Esterline, Lasell
Conner Foxwell, Wentworth
Andrew Matzouranis, Regis
Aidan Norris, Lasell
Nick Uschmann, Elms

 

MAJOR AWARDS

Player of the Year - Jacob LaBouliere, Wentworth
Defensive Player of the Year - Brandon Dunz, Wentworth
Setter of the Year
- Jesus Garcia, Lasell
Libero of the Year - Mason Andrade, Wentworth
Rookie of the Year
- Aidan Norris, Lasell
Coach of the Year - Evin Giglio, Wentworth
Institutional Sportsmanship - Dean

 

ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM

Arthur Felicio, Dean
Santino Giordano, Elms
Semaj Byrd, Emerson
Louis Da Silva, Emmanuel
Rande Monahan, Lasell
Sam Segura-Suarez, Regis
Ryan Peace, Rivier
Anthony Krzykowski, Wentworth

 

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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