Five Placed on 2012 Men’s Volleyball All-Conference Teams

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Four Elms College men's volleyball players were named 2012 All-New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) and fourth-year head coach Sheila Gisbrecht was selected as the 2012 NECC Coach of the Year as voted upon by member head coaches and announced on Monday.

Coach Gisbrecht, who paced the Blazers to a 9-3 NECC tally during the 2012 season, was named coach of the year for the second time in four years (2009 and 2012). Coach Gisbrecht directed Elms to a 20-7 overall record during the season which ties the most wins in program history. The Blazers topped No. 1 Endicott College in the conference tournament title match to earn the league's automatic qualifying bid to the first-ever NCAA Division III Championship in men's volleyball.

Sophomore middle hitter Bryson Rainey (Brookline, Mass.) was named First Team All-NECC. Rainey, the 2011 NECC Rookie of the Year and a first team selection a year ago, posted a .312 hitting percentage averaging 2.45 kills per set and 2.08 digs per set during conference action this season.

Senior middle hitter Yonalvy Acosta (Holyoke, Mass.), junior outside hitter Stephen Cameron (Newington, Conn.) and sophomore setter Daniel Lebron (San Juan, Puerto Rico) were each named Honorable Mention All-NECC.

Acosta averaged 2.45 kills per set and finished with 93 total kills during the conference play in 2012 and tied for the team-high in blocks with 27. Cameron, who was named the conference tournament most valuable player (MVP), smashed a team-high 107 kills (2.67 per frame), notched 75 digs and served up 17 aces against league competition. Lebron was the league-leader in assists (361) and assists per set (9.26) during the 2012 campaingn.

Player of the Year
Jeremy Siden, Endicott (Sr, OH - Natick, Mass.)
Defensive Player of the Year
Nick Haggerty, Southern Vt. (Sr, LB - Wynantskill, N.Y.)
Rookie of the Year
Joseph Dighton, Southern Vt. (Fr, MH - Riverside, Calif.)
Coach of the Year
Sheila Gisbrecht, Elms
Team Sportsmanship Award
Regis College

First Team All-NECC
Joshua Bruno, Endicott (Sr, MB - Andover, Mass.)
Joseph Dighton, Southern Vt. (Fr, MH - Riverside, Calif.)
Joel Hendrix, Daniel Webster (Fr, MB - Kane'ohe, Haw.)
Bryson Rainey, Elms (So, MH - Brookline, Mass.)
Jeremy Siden, Endicott (Sr, OH - Natick, Mass.)
Joe Walz, Daniel Webster (So, OH - East Longmeadow, Mass.)

Honorable Mention All-NECC
Yonalvy Acosta, Elms (Sr, OH - Holyoke, Mass.)
Anthony Barahona, Southern Vt. (So, OH - Eagle Rock, Calif.)
Stephen Cameron, Elms (Jr, OH - Newington, Conn.)
Matt Devendorf, Endicott (Jr, RS - Glastonbury, Conn.)
Daniel Lebron, Elms (So, S - San Juan, Puerto Rico)