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'Getting to Know' with Coach Trevino - CVC Tournament Preview and Much, Much More!
NEWARK, N.J. (April 12, 2018) – For the third time in four years, the Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball team is in the semifinals of the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Tournament.
The Scarlet Raiders will square off against fifth-ranked and the tournament's second overall seed Marymount University Friday night at 8:30 p.m. in Harwood Arena (Kean University). The other semifinal will be between Eastern Mennonite University and top-seeded Kean University (6 p.m.).
Rutgers-Newark (19-8 overall) reached the CVC Tournament with a 7-6 mark in league play. The Scarlet Raiders defeated Ramapo College in the opening round of the tournament on Tuesday night in The Golden Dome, and will be looking for their 20th win of the season Friday.
R-N and Marymount met once during the regular season with the Saints earning the win on their home court. Marymount, who earned a bye into the semifinals via winning the CVC West division, boasts an overall record of 21-6 and went 11-2 in the CVC in 2018.
Coach Trevino's Keys to the Match
-Any time you play a good team, minimizing errors is of the utmost importance. We need to make them earn every point.
-We need to be better on the block and make their hitters beat us.
-It's imperative for us to come out mentally ready and maintain that mental focus throughout the entire match.
-Consistency: There are going to be momentum swings, and we need to make sure that we continue to execute and play to our strengths as we work through the high points and low points.
Listen to Coach Trevino's CVC Preview Interview!
The Scarlet Raiders and Saints are no strangers when it comes to postseason battles. Newark topped Marymount in the CVC semifinals back in 2016 and both sides appeared in the league tournament in 2015 as well, despite not playing each other.
Offensively, the Scarlet Raiders are led by senior
Corey Pieper who averages 4.10 points per set, 3.52 kills per set and has a lofty .294 hitting percentage. Senior
Ricky Crumlish (2.84 points per set) and senior
Justin Sandy (2.54 points per set) have also been excellent on that side of the net, while senior
Dom Gutowski and sophomore
Jake Connors have led the defensive unit. Gutowski – coming off a career-high nine blocks against Ramapo – has totaled 67 blocks this season, averaging .89 per set, while Connors has lifted a team-leading 2.64 digs per set (243 total).
Setters
Arnan Romua,
Travis Emenaker and
Tuan Nguyen all figure into the team's passing equation, while senior
Jalen Sorrell will be relied upon to anchor the middle along with Gutowski.
Marymount – winners of six-straight matches – will be led by senior TJ Wiechecki who averages 4.03 kills per set and middle Ben Steranko who averages .89 blocks per set. Senior Connor Choate has lifted a team-best 2.40 digs per set, while senior Erich Bratke is handling the passing, dishing out 820 assists to date.
Ticket prices for the semifinals and championship match (Saturday, 3 p.m.) are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for students with ID and free for children under 12.
Fans unable to make the tournament can follow live via the links at the top of this page.
