Season Preview: Men's Volleyball Kicks Off Inaugural Season
Season Preview: Men's Volleyball
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. - For Finger Lakes Community College athletics, 2023 will serve as the inaugural season for the men's volleyball program who will be guided by head coach Andrew Solomon and assistant coach Kyle Salisbury.
This will be Solomon's second stint on the men's side after successfully transitioning the D'Youville men's club volleyball team to NCAA Division III. Solomon has served as head coach of the women's volleyball program at FLCC (Finger Lakes Community College) since 2018. During his time as head coach on the women's side, Solomon has coached four NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Division III All-Americans and guided the Lakers to two NJCAA Region III championships and two national tournament appearances.
Solomon will be joined by long-time Midlakes volleyball coach Kyle Salisbury, who serves as the Section V boys volleyball coordinator and the Finger Lakes League coordinator at the high school level. Salisbury's experience on the hardwood goes beyond the high school level, serving as an assistant coach for the Golden Flyers men's volleyball program at Nazareth College. During his time at Nazareth, Salisbury was named the AVCA DIII National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011. At Midlakes, Salisbury is an 11x Section V, Class B Coach of the Year and a 5x Section V, Class B champion in 18 seasons.
This spring, Solomon and Salisbury will look to write the record books for NJCAA men's volleyball in its inaugural season; joining a handful of other programs in the country. Solomon was asked what is expectations for his squad were this upcoming season, "although we are a brand-new team, we expect to be very competitive at the NJCAA level," Solomon explained. With several NCAA colleges on the schedule, the Lakers will look to use those opportunities to improve, leading up to the NJCAA men's volleyball championships.
The Lakers will look to take advantage of a level playing field in the inaugural season for men's volleyball at the junior college level. Solomon explained his emphasis to the team this year, "we want to be competitive in every match and hopefully make a run at the national title," he went on to add, "that will help us establish the program as a desirable place for student-athletes to continue their volleyball career."
Incoming Freshman
A trio of Canandaigua Academy graduates including AJ DeBalso, Nick Ferris, and Bryce Ceravolo will hit the hardwood this spring for the Lakers. The team will also feature a cross town duo of Jonah Grbic and Ian Meeks from Victor High School. Coming all the way from El Salvador, Sam Guardado will join the Lakers as one of the team's key first-year students.
Nehemiah Williams from Waterloo High School will look to make an impact, having previously played under assistant coach Kyle Salisbury at Midlakes. The Lakers roster will feature a pair of Section III student-athletes including Alex Sindone from Liverpool High School and Mitchell Schiller from Hamburg High School.
"We have a core of players with extensive experience," said Solomon who added, "a number of them played together in high school, so they are clicking well from the start." The Lakers will look to continue to build chemistry as a group before heading into the first game of the season.
Schedule
The Lakers will kick off the 2023 season at the Monroe College Invitational on February 3rd and 4th. The team will matchup with Union County College and Middlesex Community College at 1 PM and 5 PM, followed up with matches on February 4th against Passaic Community College and Monroe College at 11 AM and 3 PM.
The Lakers will return home on February 11th for a rematch with the Monroe Mustangs at 10 AM for the team's home opener, followed by a match with Clarkson University Club at 12 PM. The Lakers hit the road at SUNY Poly on February 18th for matches with SUNY Poly and Wells College before returning home for a 4-game homestand. On February 24th, the Lakers will host Geneva College at 7 PM for their second home match of the season.
Between March 3rd and 4th, the Lakers will play host to their own invitational with a single match on March 3rd with the College of DuPage, followed by two matches on March 4th against Union County College and SUNY Potsdam. The Lakers will conclude the rest of their regular season on the road with a trip to Elmira College with matches against Elmira and Monroe College – Bronx on April 1st.
The lakers will then await their fate for a potential invitation to the inaugural NJCAA men's volleyball national championships, which will be hosted by the College of DuPage, starting on April 20th.
Schedules are subject to change; visit flccathletics.com and follow the Lakers on social media @flccathletics on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and @flcclakers on Instagram for all your most up-to-date information.