Men’s Volleyball Begins New Chapter in 2012

Now in her fourth season as head coach of the men's volleyball program, Sheila Gisbrecht and the Elms College men's volleyball team are poised to open the page to a new chapter in Blazers volleyball in 2012.

The 2012 campaign marks an important one for the sport of men's volleyball as teams across the nation will be competing to obtain a bid in the first-ever NCAA Division III Championship in the sport. Elms, a member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), begins its quest to win the league and secure the conference's automatic bid on Saturday, Jan. 28 when it opens its season at the SUNY Institute of Technology Tournament.

The Blazers, selected to finish second in the NECC Preseason Poll, return the 2011 NECC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-NECC selection sophomore Bryson Rainey (Brookline, Mass.) as well as senior outside hitter Yonalvy Acosta (Holyoke, Mass.) who earned his all-conference first team honors for the second consecutive season in 2011. Also returning is sophomore libero/setter Daniel Lebron (San Juan, Puerto Rico) who secured Honorable Mention All-NECC accolades during his debut season.

Overall, Elms returns five players to its squad of 11, including junior outside hitter Stephen Cameron (Newington, Conn.), sophomore outside hitter/opposite hitter Kordel Latimer (Lynn, Mass.) and sophomore setter Kevin Welsh (Wilbraham, Mass.) who missed most of his freshman season due to injury.

In 2012, the Blazers welcome in five newcomers to the team including senior outside hitter/libero Carlos DeLeon (Carolina, Puerto Rico) who has not played since the 2009 season in addition to four freshmen.

Here is a glimpse at how Elms' contingent of newcomers will mesh with a talented group of returning players:

Hitters

During the 2011 season, Acosta led the team with 295 kills and a .290 hitting percentage, while Rainey added 259 kills and hit at a 2.84 clip. Rainey was also second on the team in digs (207) and blocks (55), while Acosta finished first in blocks with 65.

Cameron added 151 kills, 21 service aces and 138 digs in 74 sets for the Blazers, while Latimer saw his first action in Elms' 3-1 victory over Johnson & Wales University to conclude its campaign.

Acosta, Cameron and Latimer bring a combined six years of experience to the outside hitter position, and the addition of DeLeon who returns to the squad for the first time since 2009, will make the Blazers' offensive attack extremely potent.

As a freshman in 2008, DeLeon was second on the team in kills with 360, second in service aces with 53 and was second with 275 digs. As a sophomore, DeLeon continued to produce, notching 261 kills, 25 service aces and 246 digs and will look to provide the same kind of spark in 2012. DeLeon is currently the program's second all-time leader in aces and digs, and is third all-time at Elms in kills.

Last season, Rainey patrolled the middle and will be joined this year by freshmen Angel Castro (Carolina, Puerto Rico) and Timothy Frappier (Wilbraham, Mass.). Freshman Nicholas Green (Ware, Mass.) will begin his first season with the program as an opposite hitter for the Blazers.

Setters

Nine matches into the season, Lebron took over the setting duties for an injured Welsh and was stellar in his new role. Lebron handed out 709 assists (6.75 per set), tallied a team-high 44 service aces and was third on the squad in digs with 191. Lebron's 709 helpers is third-best on the program's all-time assists list.

In his limited action last season, Welsh dished out 183 assists (6.10 per set) and totaled 38 digs, and registered a collegiate career-high 38 assists against Lesley University in Elms' second match of the season.

Defensive Specialists

Lebron and DeLeon have seen action at the libero position during their careers at Elms and can expect the same in the upcoming campaign.

They will be joined by freshman defensive specialist Michael Fidalgo (Springfield, Mass.) who will look to develop his passing skills throughout the season and help get the Blazers' high-powered offense in gear.

Schedule

The journey for the 2012 NECC tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III Championship begins on Jan. 28 at the SUNY IT Tournament. A two-day event that features four matches for Elms, this weekend's  tournament pits the Blazers against Bard College and SUNY IT on Friday, and versus Gallaudet University and Lancaster Bible College on Sunday.

Elms then opens conference play against Lesley University on Feb. 2 before the Blazers host Newbury College and Mount Ida College in tri-match action to mark the 2012 home-opener on Feb. 4.

A match against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Feb. 15 marks the only other home date for the Blazers during the month of February. Six of Elms' eight matches during the month of March, however, will be held at Picknelly Arena, including a stretch of five straight from March 21-31.

Wrap Up

For Coach Gisbrecht and the Blazers' men's volleyball team, the 2012 season marks the beginning of a new chapter for the program. With the focus set on winning the NECC tournament championship and earn the league's automatic bid to the first-ever NCAA Division III Championship in men's volleyball, Elms is poised to make history.