Six Men's Volleyball Players Earn All-GNAC Honors

WINTHROP, Mass. – After capturing the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship, six members of the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team have been named to the GNAC All-Conference Team, as announced by the league Monday afternoon.

Junior outside hitter Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) and junior middle hitter Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.) were each named first team all-conference while sophomore outside hitter Sean Mullen (Longwood, Fla.), sophomore opposite side hitter Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.), and junior libero Mike Rogachefsky (Rochester, N.Y.) were each named Second Team All-GNAC. Additionally, senior Zach Newhouse (Lancaster, Calif.) was selected to the conference's all-sportsmanship team. Reed and Potts are both repeat selections to the first team while Reed also earned third team honors as a freshman.

Playing in 25 matches, Reed is averaging in 2.90 kills, 0.45 aces, and 1.36 digs per set while hitting .336. The Most Valuable Player of the 2016 GNAC Tournament, Reed had 17 kills in the title match against Rivier and hit a career-best .600 in a 3-1 win at Lasell on March 31. For his career, he is averaging 2.97 kills, 0.44 aces, and 1.36 digs per set. He ranks second all-time in program history with 132 aces, third with 900 kills, third in points (1117.5), sixth in attack percentage (.271) and ninth in digs (441).

Recording a career-high 18 kills and nine blocks and tying a career-high attack percentage of .667 in the championship match against Rivier, Potts earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Both the program's single-season (.525) and career (.422) leader in attack percentage, Potts this season has played in 29 matches and is averaging 2.39 kills and 0.97 blocks per set. For his career he is averaging 2.08 kills and 1.07 blocks per set. He ranks first in program history with 245 block assists and is second in blocks per set and total blocks (306) while ranking ninth in points (844.5) and 10th in both kills (598) and block solos (61).

The 2015 GNAC Rookie of the Year and a third team selection a season ago, Mullen is averaging 2.51 kills, 0.70 aces, and 1.54 digs per set in 29 matches. His 75 service aces broke the record of 71 he established during his rookie season and he tied a career high of eight aces in a 3-1 win over Daniel Webster on February 20. In 61 career matches the program's all-time leader in service aces (146) is averaging 2.51 kills, 0.70 aces, and 1.51 digs per set. He is seventh in program history averaging 2.51 digs per set and 10th in digs per set (1.51).

In 29 matches this season Roat is averaging 2.83 kills, 1.24 digs, and 0.63 blocks per set. He had a career-high 19 kills in a 3-2 loss to Emmanuel on March 17, hit a career-high .619 in a 3-0 win at Emerson on April 2, and had a career-high eight blocks in the GNAC Championship win over Rivier. In 61 career matches Roat is averaging 2.50 kills and 1.35 blocks per set. His 2.50 kills per set rank him eighth on the program's all-time list while he is also eighth all-time in attack percentage (.237).

Playing in 28 matches this season, Rogachefsky is averaging 2.16 digs per set and 0.43 assists per set. He had a career-high 22 digs in a 3-2 loss at Emmanuel on March 17 and twice had career highs of five assists. In 86 career matches he ranks eighth on the program's all-time list with both 415 digs and 1.61 digs per set.

A four-year performer for the Leopards, Newhouse tied a program record with 256 digs during his rookie season. This season he served a career-high three aces in a 3-1 loss to Rutgers-Newark on January 30. He ranks fifth on the program's all-time list in matches played (96) and is 10th in digs (408).

Sitting at 22-8, the Leopards captured their first GNAC Championship with a 3-2 win over Rivier last Saturday night and will be making their first NCAA Tournament appearance this Saturday when Wentworth hosts Hunter.