Seven From Men's Volleyball Earn All-GNAC Honors

BOSTON, Mass. – After posting a program-best 25-8 record and earning a trip to the semifinal round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time in program history, seven members of the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball program have been honored by the GNAC with all-conference awards.

Highlighted by head coach Evin Giglio being named the league's coach of the year, freshman setter Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) was named First Team All-GNAC, junior middle blocker Sean Donahue (Lincoln, R.I.) and senior outside hitter Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) earned second team all-conference honors, while a pair of freshmen – outside hitter Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) and opposite hitter Sam Pisker (Mullica Hill, N.J.) – earned a spot on the third team. Junior outside hitter Rami Akouri (Fall River, Mass.) was named to the conference's sportsmanship team.

Ritter had an outstanding rookie campaign as he has posted the second highest single-season assist total in program history with 980. This total includes a season (and career) high of 52 in a 3-2 win over Endicott on February 22, which snapped a 21-match losing streak to the Gulls. In addition to his assist total, he has served 26 aces and recorded 60 blocks in 98 sets. He earned GNAC Rookie of the Week honors on March 24 and is presently ranked eighth in Division III with 9.80 assists per set. He is already fifth on the program's all-time assist list.

Donahue, who is presently fourth in the country (Division III) with a .422 attack percentage, is averaging 2.01 kills per set and 1.04 blocks per set. Named to the 2014 GNAC All-Tournament Team, Donahue had a career-high eight blocks in a 3-2 loss to MIT on February 15 and had seven block assists in a 3-0 win at Johnson & Wales on March 14.

After transferring from the University of New Haven, Donahue has played in 56 matches (191 sets) in his two seasons with the Leopards and is averaging 2.13 kills per set, is hitting .403, and is averaging 0.90 blocks per set. His 57 career block solos and 172 total blocks tie him for 10th on the program's all-time list.

A mainstay for four seasons and making a third consecutive appearance on the second team, Burdett has played in 31 matches (99 sets) and is averaging 2.40 kills per set while hitting .232. He has also served 26 aces and is averaging 1.03 digs per set. Burdett had a season-high 20 kills in a 3-2 win over Endicott and hit .476 in a 3-1 win over Emmanuel.

The program's all-time leader in kills (1,229), Burdett has played in 122 career matches (409 sets) and is averaging 3.10 kills per set, hitting .246, and averaging 1.49 digs per set. In addition to being atop the program's all-time kill list, he is first in total points (1,394.5), second in attack attempts (2,925) and both sets (408) and matches (122) played, third in service aces (104), fourth in digs (608), and fifth in attack percentage (.246).

Reed has enjoyed a fine rookie campaign, playing in 30 matches (97) sets and is averaging 2.85 kills per set, 0.32 aces per set, 1.41 digs per set, and 0.46 blocks per set to go along with hitting .238. In the second match of his career he recorded 25 kills in a 3-1 win over Hilbert and hit .562 a day later in a 3-0 win over SUNYIT. In a 3-1 win over Emmanuel – the Leopards' first over the Saints in 14 tries, he had eight blocks.

Pisker has played in 30 matches (98 sets) during his inaugural season with the Leopards. Named GNAC Rookie of the Week on two occasions, he is averaging 2.15 kills and 0.47 aces per set while hitting .271. His 46 aces are the second-most in a season in program history and he is presently ranked 15th in the country (Division III) in aces per set.

Akouri has been a key member of the Leopards during his three seasons, and, despite suffering a season-ending injury he has continued to be a supporter of his teammates on a daily basis. This season he played in 19 matches and averaged 1.33 kills per set. For his career he has played in 79 matches (240 sets) and is averaging 1.67 kills, 1.39 digs, and 0.63 blocks per set.

In his third season as the Leopards' head coach, Giglio has guided the Leopards to the most wins in program history, an appearance in the NCAA regional rankings for the first time, and received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches' Association Poll for the first time since 2001 in the April 8 poll. Named a recipient of the AVCA's Thirty Under 30 Award, Giglio is the program's all-time win leader as he has a 58-34 (.630) record and has led the Leopards to back to back 20-win seasons and a pair of appearances in the ECAC Tournament.

For the third time in program history, the Leopards earned a berth in the ECAC Tournament and will play Penn State Behrend on Saturday (1:00 p.m.) at Stevenson University. Should Wentworth win its semifinal contest, the Leopards will play either the host Mustangs or Hunter in the championship match at 3:00 p.m.