Rutgers-Newark

Season Outlook  

Veteran Nucleus, Solid Recruiting Class Buoy Raider Hopes

NEWARK, NJ -- Second-year head coach Karl France has everyone from last season's starting rotation returning and six recruits on board as Rutgers-Newark continues to rebuild its men's volleyball program.

VETERANS
Junior outside hitter Nate Stott and sophomore setter Jeff Zornig lead a core of veterans who will try to improve on the squad's 5-5 record in EIVA Hay play and a 7-18 ledger overall.

Stott, who is on pace to join the 1,000-kill club with 514 through his first two seasons, and Zornig, who ranked third in the EIVA with an 11.89 assists-per-game as a rookie, return to the rotation with seniors Derek Wolfe and Kenny Rienecker, juniors Jon Keller and Kenneth Stumbaugh, and sophomore Grant Metheny.

The 6-foot-5 Stott paced the Scarlet Raiders in points (362.0), kills (315) and solo blocks (11) last season. He highlighted his season by hitting .707 (31-2-41) with a career-high 31 kills in a 3-2 loss to NJIT.

Zornig, a 6-foot-4 setter who ranked third on the team with 52 total blocks, piled up five matches with 50 assists or more - including a 67-assist explosion while feeding Stott in the home loss to NJIT on January 30. He also led the Raiders in service aces with 30.

Wolfe committed just 33 reception errors in 629 chances last season and has a career reception average of .945 to go along with 418 digs. He played in 81 matches in his career at libero or outside hitter, giving Rutgers-Newark a seasoned veteran on the back row.

Rienecker, a 6-foot-5 attacker, averaged 2.44 kills a game and collected 45 blocks in his first season as a starter.

Middle hitters Keller and Stumbaugh combined to block over two shots a game. The 6-foot-8 Stumbaugh averaged 1.14 blocks per game while Keller notched 1.07. Keller hit .352, finishing second on the squad in points (230.0), kills (178) and total blocks (81). Stumbaugh totaled 219 points - third on the squad.

Metheny, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, was second on the team with a 2.64 kills average and added 78 digs and 39 blocks.

NEWCOMERS
Setter Liran Shapiro, an Israeli citizen who has brings experience as a member of the country's national youth and junior squads, gives the Raiders a set of exceptional young players to run the attack.

Rienecker will get a push from freshmen right siders Kenneth de Groh from Palos Heights, Illinois, and Austin Pappas from Tesoro (California) High School - the same school that produced Zornig.

Highly-touted freshmen Caden Mulligan from San Juan Capistrano, California, and Jake Thompson from Derby, New York join Wolfe and sophomore Robert Borawski at libero. Both rookies have extensive club experience as well as outstanding high school resumes.

Freshman middle hitter Parth Vedawala - a late addition to the roster - played a nearby John P. Stevens High School in Edison.

THE STAFF
France added two assistants who possess a keen knowledge of this season's competition in the fall.  New Jersey native and former All-EIVA libero at George Mason Brad Kniewel joined France's staff in September.  Joshua Coffing, who also was an assistant coach for the Scarlet Raider women's team in the fall, played at Stevens.

THE SCHEDULE
With four opponents listed in the Bison/AVCA Preseason Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll and a fifth coming in 16th in the balloting, Rutgers-Newark faces a rugged slate.

The first four matches of the season are at home, capped by The Golden Dome Classic during the final weekend in January.

Aside from the 10 EIVA Hay contests, the Raiders play home-and-away against Ohio State, Loyola-Chicago, Ball State and IPFW. Ohio State and the Raiders' final road opponent of the season Lewis are tied for 10th in the AVCA Poll. Ball State is 12th while Loyola-Chicago finished just out of the Top 15. George Mason, R-N's February 28th road opponent, is 15th in the poll.

Neighboring NJIT not only will be one of the four teams in The Golden Dome Classic, but the Raiders and Highlanders will are set to play home and away during the season. Mt. Olive College and the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras are also in the classic.

The annual Alumni Game kicks off the season this Saturday at noon in The Golden Dome.  Two teams of former Scarlet Raider players will take on the current varsity.  The exhibition is open to the public!