CVC Tournament Preview | CVC All-Conference Release

NEWARK, N.J. (April 7, 2016) – Four members of the Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball team have been named All-Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC), it was announced Thursday afternoon.
 
A year after having a trio of Scarlet Raiders named all-conference, Rutgers-Newark volleyball had four receive the honor in senior middle Cody Chidsey, junior outside Jack Fredricks, senior libero Quocmy Nguyen and senior setter Kevin McCandless.
 
The Scarlet Raiders had the most players in the league earn all-conference honors after a 23-2 regular-season. Rutgers-Newark went 10-2 in the CVC and earned the conference's No. 2 seed in this weekend's CVC Tournament hosted by Stevenson University – the tournament's No. 1 seed.
 
Rutgers-Newark will take on third-seeded Marymount University in the semifinal, with the winner battling the winner of fourth-seeded Juniata College and top-seeded Stevenson Saturday for the conference crown.
 
Chidsey earns his second All-CVC honor in as many years and was the 2015 CVC Player of the Year. He led the Scarlet Raiders and the CVC in hitting percentage at .455, sitting fourth in the nation in that metric. The Bath, Pa. native has 185 total kills this year, adding 19 service aces and 63 blocks (.72 per set). Seven times Chidsey eclipsed double-digit kills, hitting at least .350 in 18 different matches. He earned one CVC Player of the Week honor, hitting .447 and averaging 2.36 kills per set in 12 conference battles.
 
Fredricks led Rutgers-Newark in kills per set (2.79), hitting an efficient .325 from his outside position. He was sixth in the conference in kills per set and eighth in hitting percentage, 11 times putting down double-digit kills and having at least five in 22-of-25 matches. The East Brunswick native contributed in all aspects this year, tallying 105 digs and 47 blocks, going for at least five kills and five digs in eight contests. He pocketed a double-double in the team's win over No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology, ending the regular-season with eight-straight matches with seven kills or more.
 
McCandless cemented his status as one of the top all-around setters in the country, helping the Scarlet Raiders to the third-best hitting percentage (.342) in the nation. The senior is sixth in Division III in assists per set, handing out 10.52, totaling 915 helpers this season. He had at least 30 assists 20 times this year, eclipsing 10 per set in 18 contests. The Virginia native, ended the year with 10 or more assists per set in nine-straight matches, getting it done all over the court with 41 kills, a hitting percentage of .422, 19 service aces, 99 digs and 43 blocks. The All-CVC honor is the second of his career and he is the reigning CVC Tournament MVP.
 
Nguyen recently cracked the top-50 in digs per set at No. 48 with 2.16, but that barely scratches the surface when it comes to his positive effect on the Raiders. A great communicator and excellent passer, Nguyen consistently helped the Raider offense get going with his defense and passing. He has 190 digs this season and just 19 receiving errors, topping double-digit digs nine times and ending the year with 10 or more in 4-of-5 matches. A two-time All-CVC pick, Nguyen sits second on the Scarlet Raiders in assists with 47.
 
"I am incredibly proud of all four of these guys because I know how hard they've worked," said Head Men's Volleyball Coach Pedro Trevino. "I am also proud of our entire team, because without fantastic performances from up and down the roster, individuals wouldn't be able to receive these types of honors."
 
Rutgers-Newark, currently ranked No. 5 in the nation, is 23-2 overall and went 10-2 in the CVC play to earn the No. 2 seed in the conference.
 
The Scarlet Raiders will take on Marymount beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, and with a win would play in the CVC title match Saturday at 2 p.m.