Men's Volleyball | 1/12/2023 12:37:00 PM

PITTSFORD, NY – The St. John Fisher University men's volleyball team will begin their 2023 season on the road with four games this week. The Cardinals will play at Misericordia University on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. before taking on Cairn University at 3 p.m. On Sunday, Jan. 15, Fisher will play two more, at St. Joseph's College Long Island at 11 a.m., before wrapping up their weekend against Stevens Institute of Technology at 1 p.m.
 
Fisher enters the season ranked 9th in the country according to the AVCA Coaches Poll.
 
New Coach, New Roster
 
The Cardinals have seen significant change from their 2022 roster, which saw them finish with an impressive 24-8 record, as the nationally ranked team clinched their first UVC title and competed in the NCAA tournament. Last season, eight players were named to the UVC's All-Academic Team, two athletes earned AVCA All-American Honors, and three were awarded All-Region recognition.
 
The Cardinals have hired Matt Cohen to serve as the team's new head coach. Cohen comes from St. Johns River State College, a junior college in Florida where Cohen was the program's all-time winningest coach. Under the leadership of Cohen, the Vikings finished their fall season with a 20-15 record.
 
In addition to Coach Cohen, the Cardinals have added six first year students, transfer S/OH Tyler Cohen, and transfer sophomore M Ian Rauh to the roster. With Alvernia University in 2021, Rauh finished with 45.0 blocks across 90 sets played, tacking on 68 kills across 174 attempts, good for a 0.207 hitting percentage.
 
Regarding the new team, sophomore S Trace La Robardiere noted that "we're excited to have a fresh start with a new coach." La Robardiere, with early sights on a second straight NCAA bid noted "we want to build on last years success to make an even deeper tournament run.
 
Last Matchups


 
Fisher bested the Misericordia Cougars 3-1 last season, led by 16 kills from OH Jake Baker and 13 from M Griffin Stella. Fisher finished the four-set victory hitting 0.355, with 58 kills compared to 15 errors across 121 attempts. In addition to the strong offensive performance, Fisher tallied 5 blocks and 46 digs.
 
The Cardinals will take on Stevens Ducks for the first time since 2019. In that matchup, the home-team Cardinals was bested in three. The only remaining player from that team, OH Josh Bigford, finished with seven kills in the loss. In 2022, the 30-4 Ducks dropped to Springfield in the National Semifinal.
 
The contests against the Cairn University Highlanders and the St. Joseph's Golden Eagles will mark the first time the teams have met Fisher, who enters their sixth programmatic season.
 
Fisher Player to Watch
 
Sophomore setter Gavin Newman is the player of the week to watch. As a first year during the 2022 season, Newman ranked 30^th in the nation in aces per set, finishing with 50 aces across 96 sets, good for a 0.521 aces per set percentage. Across first-years, this ranked fourth in the nation. In addition to his success from the service line, Newman, originally from Commack, produced 209 assists and 53 digs last year.
 
2023 United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Season Preview

 

St. John Fisher ascended to the top of the UVC in 2022, winning its first league title and making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals return 13 players from last season, including Josh Bigford, the 2022 UVC North Region Player of the Year and First Team All-American. Bigford, a three-time All-American, will attempt to become the first five-time All-UVC First Team selection this season. Junior Jake Baker, a 2022 AVCA All-Region selection is back, along with senior middle blocker Matt Beiter and junior Griffin Stella. The Cardinals will have a new look behind the bench this season, as Matt Cohen takes over as head coach. St. John Fisher begins the season ranked ninth in the NVA/AVCA Division III Preseason Coaches Poll.

2023 UVC Player To Watch


 
Josh Bigford, St. John Fisher, Gr., OH, Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse – Bigford, the 2022 AVCA North Region Player of the Year and AVCA First Team All-American is back for his fifth season. He is a three-time AVCA All-American and is also looking to earn All-UVC first team honors for the fifth consecutive season in 2023. He has 1,160 career kills, 542 digs and 154 blocks in 91 career matches.

Final 2022 UVC Standings
SUNY New Paltz (21-7, 7-0 UVC)
St. John Fisher (24-8, 5-2 UVC) – League Champions
Vassar (18-6, 5-2 UVC)
NYU (10-11, 3-4 UVC)
Nazareth (18-9, 3-4 UVC)
Elmira (17-13, 2-5 UVC)
MIT (13-9, 2-5 UVC)
Bard (8-10, 0-7 UVC)
 
ABOUT THE UNITED VOLLEYBALL CONFERENCE
The United Volleyball Conference (UVC) is a volleyball-specific conference that features eight member institutions. The conference was founded in 2010 and began play in January of 2011. The UVC holds fair play and respect among its competitors to the highest regard and seeks to distinguish itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices.

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