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December 22, 2009

Saint Francis Season Outlook

Saint Francis Season Outlook

The 2009 Red Flash men's volleyball season was filled with excitement from the very beginning, as the team bettered its win total from 2008 and saw its way to the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) semifinal match. However, after losing just one starter from 2009, head coach Mike Rumbaugh feels the 2010 edition will be his best
team in a number of years.

"It was great that we were able to get to the [semifinals] last year," said Rumbaugh. "But honestly, it still ranks as something of a disappointment to me. I want to see my team go to the [championship match] every year."

"I can see a lot of potential in the 2010 team," said Rumbaugh. "For the first time since I've been here, we're very senior-heavy. And the quality of depth we have is fantastic."

The senior class is very deep, blending tremendous skill and experience for a combination that will be hard to match in the EIVA. Chief among the seniors will be a pair of record-breaking hitters, opposite Jordan Varee and outside hitter Nick Rivett. Varee was named Second-Team All-American in 2009, just the second player in Saint Francis history to
receive the honor. Last year, he put up a school-record 597 kills, besting his own rally-scoring era mark of 430 and the all-time high of 546, set back in 1995. On March 21, 2009, Varee broke former teammate Marc Honore's rally-scoring era career kills mark of 1,146 in a match against IPFW; he now has 1,366 career kills, with the bull's-eye set on the only kills record he has not yet broken, Jack Zebo's serve-and-volley era 1,850 kills.

Also seeing time at the opposite position will be Alex Kane, a talented sophomore from York, Pa., as well as Sean Reese, a touted freshman from Freedom High School in Easton, Pa. Both will be groomed for 2011, when one will have to step up to replace Varee.

Varee is not the only returning hitter with big numbers. Senior Nick Rivett returns to the outside, where he notched 409 kills in 2009 and ranks third all-time in the rally-scoring era in kills. He should pass Honore and reach second place early in 2010. Rivett's chief backups
will be fellow seniors Alex Fortney, who notched 180 kills as a key reserve in 2009, and Chad Martson, who played in just 14 matches in 2009. Also vying for time will be senior Tyler Mattera and freshmen Kyle Beatty and Ben Wetsell. The dark horse in this race is Wetsell,
who took a redshirt in 2009 and had his progress described by Rumbaugh as "incredible."

There will be fierce competition at the middle hitter position, with seniors Pete Freyer and Patrick McManamon and junior Eric Syty all jostling for position. All three are veterans and very capable of the job; Freyer and McManamon each recorded over 100 blocks in 2009, and
Rumbaugh says Syty is one of the most improved players on the team. The 6'8" junior will look to steal playing time for the two seniors.

Also looking for time in the middle will be sophomores John Skarupa and Robert Orton, and freshman Adam Roche.

The libero position will also be hotly contested in 2010. Sophomore John Wappler appears to have the inside track, having taken control of the position at the end of 2009 and finishing sixth in the EIVA in digs with an average of 2.34 per set. However, according to Rumbaugh,
juniors Markus Schulze and Seth Katich "worked their tails off" in the offseason, and he thinks they could push Wappler for the spot.

Only one player is gone from the 2009 team, but it was no small loss; Shane Conley left the program as its all-time assist leader, topping both the rally-scoring and the serve-and-volley eras. However, Rumbaugh says sophomore Ryan Williams will acquit himself very nicely as
Conley's replacement. "You won't see much drop-off from Shane [to Ryan]," said Rumbaugh. "He's got exciting potential."

Williams, though, will face stiff competition for the spot, as talented freshmen Nick Bancroft and Caleb Brown will be hard to keep off the court.



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Conference News 2005-06 \| 2006-07 \| 2007-08 \| 2008-09 \| 2009-10 \| 2010-11 \| 2011-12 December 22, 2009 Saint Francis Season Outlook Saint Francis Season Outlook The 2009 Red Flash men's volleyball season was filled with excitement from the very beginning, as the team bettered its win total from 2008 and saw its way to the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) semifinal match. However, after losing just one starter from 2009, head coach Mike Rumbaugh feels the 2010 edition will be his best team in a number of years. "It was great that we were able to get to the [semifinals] last year," said Rumbaugh. "But honestly, it still ranks as something of a disappointment to me. I want to see my team go to the [championship match] every year." "I can see a lot of potential in the 2010 team," said Rumbaugh. "For the first time since I've been here, we're very senior-heavy. And the quality of depth we have is fantastic." The senior class is very deep, blending tremendous skill and experience for a combination that will be hard to match in the EIVA. Chief among the seniors will be a pair of record-breaking hitters, opposite Jordan Varee and outside hitter Nick Rivett. Varee was named Second-Team All-American in 2009, just the second player in Saint Francis history to receive the honor. Last year, he put up a school-record 597 kills, besting his own rally-scoring era mark of 430 and the all-time high of 546, set back in 1995. On March 21, 2009, Varee broke former teammate Marc Honore's rally-scoring era career kills mark of 1,146 in a match against IPFW; he now has 1,366 career kills, with the bull's-eye set on the only kills record he has not yet broken, Jack Zebo's serve-and-volley era 1,850 kills. Also seeing time at the opposite position will be Alex Kane, a talented sophomore from York, Pa., as well as Sean Reese, a touted freshman from Freedom High School in Easton, Pa. Both will be groomed for 2011, when one will have to step up to replace Varee. Varee is not the only returning hitter with big numbers. Senior Nick Rivett returns to the outside, where he notched 409 kills in 2009 and ranks third all-time in the rally-scoring era in kills. He should pass Honore and reach second place early in 2010. Rivett's chief backups will be fellow seniors Alex Fortney, who notched 180 kills as a key reserve in 2009, and Chad Martson, who played in just 14 matches in 2009. Also vying for time will be senior Tyler Mattera and freshmen Kyle Beatty and Ben Wetsell. The dark horse in this race is Wetsell, who took a redshirt in 2009 and had his progress described by Rumbaugh as "incredible." There will be fierce competition at the middle hitter position, with seniors Pete Freyer and Patrick McManamon and junior Eric Syty all jostling for position. All three are veterans and very capable of the job; Freyer and McManamon each recorded over 100 blocks in 2009, and Rumbaugh says Syty is one of the most improved players on the team. The 6'8" junior will look to steal playing time for the two seniors. Also looking for time in the middle will be sophomores John Skarupa and Robert Orton, and freshman Adam Roche. The libero position will also be hotly contested in 2010. Sophomore John Wappler appears to have the inside track, having taken control of the position at the end of 2009 and finishing sixth in the EIVA in digs with an average of 2.34 per set. However, according to Rumbaugh, juniors Markus Schulze and Seth Katich "worked their tails off" in the offseason, and he thinks they could push Wappler for the spot. Only one player is gone from the 2009 team, but it was no small loss; Shane Conley left the program as its all-time assist leader, topping both the rally-scoring and the serve-and-volley eras. However, Rumbaugh says sophomore Ryan Williams will acquit himself very nicely as Conley's replacement. "You won't see much drop-off from Shane [to Ryan]," said Rumbaugh. "He's got exciting potential." Williams, though, will face stiff competition for the spot, as talented freshmen Nick Bancroft and Caleb Brown will be hard to keep off the court.