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NEWARK, N.J. (January 15, 2016)- The Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball team will open its 2016 season on Saturday when it hosts The Golden Dome Classic in Newark.
Coming off a run to the 'Elite Eight' of the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship and a Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) title, the Scarlet Raiders won't sneak up on anyone this year as they find themselves ranked eighth in the nation according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Top-15 Preseason Poll and tabbed first in the CVC Preseason Poll.
"This year is going to be different in that we will have a target on our back," said Head Coach
Pedro Trevino. "We aren't going to surprise a single team, and that means we have to play that much better and that much more consistently to achieve what we want to achieve."
The Scarlet Raiders will waste little time in testing themselves and will host defending national champ and second-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology Saturday at 11 a.m. That match will be the first of many against teams ranked in the national poll before taking into account that three different CVC teams are in the top-15 (No. 7 Juniata College, No. 8 Rutgers-Newark and No. 14 Stevenson University).
Leading the Scarlet Raiders will be a deep senior class of six student-athletes that are also the first-ever recruiting class for Trevino at Rutgers-Newark.
Highlighting that group is AVCA All-American and the reigning CVC Player of the Year in middle hitter
Cody Chidsey. Chidsey hit .444 last year, ranking third in the nation in that statistic and was No. 32 nationally in kills per set. A second-team All-Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) pick as well, the Bath, Pa. native eclipsed double-digit kills 17 times in 2015, including 11 in the team's NCAA victory over Endicott College. A hard worker, Chidsey hopes to have his best season as a Scarlet Raider in his final campaign in Newark.
Setter
Kevin McCandless is another Raider primed for a big season after an excellent 2015 in which he was an all-conference selection. The facilitator was the MVP of the CVC Tournament and was a prime reason the Scarlet Raiders were eighth in the country in hitting percentage, ninth in kills per set and 12th in won-loss percentage after a 22-10 record. McCandless has 2,245 assists in his career including 1,044 as a junior, adding 355 digs and 104 total blocks.
Libero
Quocmy Nguyen is back after an all-conference junior season and is ready to lead the Scarlet Raider defense. An excellent communicator and an extension of the coach on the floor, Nguyen should see a big-time numbers bump playing all the way around the rotation throughout the season. He was a major reason the Scarlet Raiders finished 2015 so strong and completed the year with 235 digs and nearly 50 assists.
Travis Mintzer - one of the team's top opposite hitters - came into preseason in the best shape of his career and should be one of R-N's go-to guys. A CVC All-Tournament selection, Mintzer was second on the team in kills with 240 and kills per set (2.31), earning 26 starts and 31 appearances as a junior. With continued hard work on both sides of the net, Mintzer will be key if the Scarlet Raiders want to go deep into the 2016 postseason.
Senior
Christopher Kopacz is back for his final season and has been a leader in practice and throughout the offseason. Someone with a great serve, Kopacz has the confidence in the coaching staff in big spots and hopes to see his role grow as the year progresses. For his career, Kopacz has played in 42 matches and 92 sets, tallying 63 kills and 46 digs.
Veteran
Nick Collins is the final senior in the group and his commitment in the weight room has resulted in a lot of improvement to his game. A libero, Collins will be battling for playing time and has displayed a strong desire to do whatever is necessary to win, racking up 59 kills in 119 sets to go along with 115 digs and 11 assists in his career.
"I expect a lot from our senior class and so far I am happy with what they have given me," said Trevino. "They all work incredibly hard and have demonstrated a commitment to our program, and all six are 100 percent dedicated to helping us take the next step."
Two immensely talented juniors are on the squad in outside hitter
Jack Fredricks and middle hitter
Nick Kuti.
Fredricks came into school in marvelous shape and has displayed increased ball control throughout the preseason. He has the talent and size to be a top player in the conference after earning CVC All-Tournament honors as a sophomore, and the coaching staff thinks he is just beginning to tap into his potential. Fredricks finished the '15 season with 196 kills and a hitting percentage of .285.
Kuti may be one of the most athletic players in the conference and has a lot of confidence heading into his first year as an upperclassmen. A middle hitter with the versatility to play a variety of roles for the Scarlet Raiders, Kuti was one of the top middles in the nation last year, hitting .381 and compiling 214 kills. He led the team and was one of the best blockers in the conference and nation as well, finishing the year with 132 denials in 108 sets played.
Seven sophomores are on the roster in outside hitter
Justin Sandy, opposite
Francisco Bruno, middle
Dom Gutowski, outside
Corey Pieper, outside
Ricky Crumlish and outside/opposite
Marcus Molina.
Sandy has shown a lot of improvement in his all-around game and should see increased time. The coaching staff has seen much better ball control in his attacks and is clearly a player that wants the chance to prove himself after making 15 appearances as a rookie.
Bruno played in seven matches as a freshman and is another highly gifted athlete. Bruno has demonstrated much more confidence is his second preseason and will absolutely be in the mix for chances as an opposite for Coach Trevino.
Gutowski is a middle that comes to work every day and competes. He makes the position one of great depth for Rutgers-Newark, has a tremendous knack for the block and is developing a great rapport with the setters. He should see increased numbers across the board after playing in seven matches as a freshman.
Pieper has displayed the greatest growth since last year, and after serving as the team's backup setter in 2015, has moved to the outside. The second-year Raider is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team, is highly versatile and could show himself to be one of the squad's biggest assets as the year progresses after playing in 50 sets as a rookie.
Crumlish will be battling for playing time on the outside and hopes to work himself into the rotation after taking the hardwood for 47 sets as a rookie, recording 32 kills, 15 aces and four blocks as a freshman.
An offensive middle, Chemin is an athletic player that has improved with a lot of reps this preseason. Chemin played in six matches as a freshman and with continued development in the blocking department should see his role grow.
Molina transferred to Rutgers-Newark just one week ago and will be working his way into the mix as the year progresses. He has wonderful size with excellent ball control and has the ability to play multiple positions for Coach Trevino.
Freshman
Brendon Frank highlights a deep freshman class, hailing from California. He passes well and controls his attack and with continued growth could see a role for the Scarlet Raiders.
Kevin Vicente and
Arnan Romua will provide the Scarlet Raider defense with depth and
Ammar Rahim will do the same at the position of setter, while
Hakim Colwell will give the Scarlet Raiders another option as an opposite.
After Saturday's matches vs. Stevens and the College of Mount Saint Vincent (11 a.m.; 3 p.m.), R-N will take part in the Johnson & Wales Tournament and the Kean University Tournament the following two weekends. R-N opens conference play on February 6 at Stevenson, and the team's home finale will be Tuesday, March 29. The regular-season finale is at Thiel College on April 2 with the CVC Tournament slated for April 8 and 9 at the regular-season conference champion.
A grand total of nine matches will be played against teams in the top-15, so the Scarlet Raiders will be tested throughout the season.
"We have a tough schedule this year so there are going to be bumps along the way," said Trevino. "I think one of the keys to the season will be how we respond to those bumps. How do we come back after a tough loss? Can we forget about them quickly to do what we have to do the next time out? I know we can, but it will be important for the guys to remain focused and motivated regardless of a past win or loss."
Fans can follow @ScarletRaiders or @RUNVolleyball on twitter throughout the season for the latest on Scarlet Raider men's volleyball.
