New Team, Same Mission

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Under second-year head coach Sheila Gisbrecht, the Elms College men’s volleyball team has its sights set on one thing: returning to greatness.

Last season, the Blazers had a record-setting year, as the team won a school-record 20 matches; won the inaugural New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship; captured the school's first-ever Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship in any sport, and earned, for the second consecutive year, a berth into the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Tournament.

The Blazers return three players from last season’s decorated squad, and will need their six newcomers to adapt quickly if they want to get back to the NECC, ECAC and NECVA championships.

“The most exciting thing about this group will be its growth factor,” Coach Gisbrecht explained. “Teams that see us in the beginning of the season are going to see a completely different squad by the end of the season. We will not take little steps in our capacity as a team - when we make improvements they will be giant leaps.”

Despite having a younger, inexperienced team, the possibilities for this group are endless. With new players competing in different roles, the combinations that could arise excites Coach Gisbrecht.

“This group’s willingness to try different roles could create an opportunity to catch our opponents by surprise,” she explained. “Once we get the general understanding of the game, this adaptability would allow us to do some things that a group more set in their ways might not be ready for.”

Here is a look at the 2010 men’s volleyball squad.

SETTERS

Junior Mike Ryan (Ludlow, Mass.) will direct the offense this season as the team’s primary setter. In addition to having nice ball handling skills and decent foot speed, his fluent swing and solid leaping ability could have him playing multiple roles.

Sophomore Mike Martin (Enfield, Conn.) brings the capacity to play multiple positions on the floor.

“With a little technical refinement, he will develop into an amazing leaper,” Coach Gisbrecht stated. “In addition, his athleticism allows him to get to balls that other teams will presume are down.”

HITTERS

Sophomore Mike Kleckner (Bethlehem, Pa.) brings experience and excitement and experience to the Blazers’ offensive attack.

“He is a strong hitter with a go-for-broke attitude,” Coach Gisbrecht explained. “Not only will he bring experience, but he will be our fire starter. He is an excitable player.”

Sophomore Yonalvy Acosta (Holyoke, Mass.) brings experience, and a natural ability to play solid defense that will prove beneficial for Elms this season.

“Yonalvy could be one of the best blockers in our conference,” Coach Gisbrecht noted. “In the front row he will slow down great hitters and shutdown weaker ones.”

With newly developed wrist control that will allow him to hit to numerous areas on the court, Acosta will be an offensive threat as well.

Newcomer Stephen Cameron (Newington, Conn.) is a quiet presence on the court, but can also be one the flashiest.

“He has a great snap on the ball, but is also very intelligent with his placement,” Coach Gisbrecht stated. “Once he gets the timing and arm extension on his swing, he will be a hitter to reckon with.”

MIDDLES

Experience at the middle hitter position comes in the form of sophomore Courtney Johnson (Belchertown, Mass.). Johnson’s quickness on the court and newly improved passing techniques could be his best attributes.

“That, tied with his accurate serving ability, will earn us some great points when he on the back line,” Coach Gisbrecht noted.

Two players that are new to volleyball but will provide immediate impact are freshman Wilfrido Fermin (Bronx, N.Y.) and sophomore Aaron Coifman (Caracas, Venezuela).

“Wil will be our surprise by the end of the season,” Coach Gisbrecht explained. “He is probably the greatest leaper on the team and has not realized his full leaping potential. Once he gets the feel for playing volleyball, he will develop into one of the best middle hitters in our league.”

The 7-foot 0-inch Coifman has that one thing that you can’t teach that makes him a natural volleyball player: height.

“He will be an intimidating factor at the net even before he learns how to block,” Coach Gisbrecht stated. “With some hard work and dedication, he could develop into a solid player by the end of the season.”

DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST

Sophomore Juan Carlos Salmeron (Springfield, Mass.) will play libero for Elms this season and will also be the third set of hands directing the offense. Coach Gisbrecht also mentioned that with a little work on passing control, he could be a strong digger.

“With great foot speed, Carlos will play multiple roles for us this season,” Coach Gisbrecht explained. “He has a go-for-everything mentality that allows him to get unexpected touches on the ball.”

SCHEDULE

The Blazers compete as members of the NECC and NECVA. Each year the NECVA's postseason tournament champion is granted an automatic bid into the four-team Molten Division III National Championship.

Elms begins its 2010 campaign with a NECVA New England tri-match against Wentworth Institute of Technology and Southern Vermont College on Jan. 16. The Blazers then host Endicott College in home conference action on Jan. 18 before traveling to the SUNY New Paltz Tournament on Jan. 22-23. Elms closes out January by hosting Regis (Jan. 28) and Newbury (Jan. 30).

The squad will spend most of February, March and April on the road, playing just two home games in February and March and one in April.

The Blazers will host Lesley University on Feb. 13, Daniel Webster on Feb. 15 and MIT and Mount Ida on March 20 in a tri-match.

Elms’ road contests include Southern Vermont (Feb. 6), Lesley (Feb. 10), the Vassar Invitational (Feb. 19-20), a tri-match at MIT with Emmanuel on Feb. 27, at Daniel Webster (March 5), Regis (March 6), Johnson & Wales (March 16), Newbury (March 18) and Wentworth on March 23. The Blazers will then compete at the NECC Championships on March 27.

An away match at Endicott on April 1 and a home contest with Rivier on April 6 conclude regular season action. Elms then participates at the NECVA Championship on April 9.

WRAP UP

A world of opportunity awaits the Blazers’ men’s volleyball team in 2010. Despite having just three returners, that experience, coupled with the fact that the squad is willing to work as a cohesive unit puts Elms in a great position to return to greatness.

“Our returners bring a richer understanding of the sport to the table,” Coach Gisbrecht explained. “They have college experience, they know how we want to run our systems. For our returning players, they earned their starting roles with hard work and leading by example. They are living examples of the adage ‘hard work pays off’. Hopefully this will act as an inspiration to their teammates.”