Men's Volleyball Earns #1 Seed in National Invitational Pool Play
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. - Following a dominant regular season that saw the Finger Lakes Community College men's volleyball team go 27-3, the Lakers are headed to their second-straight NJCAA Men's Volleyball National Invitational. The Lakers, who claimed the 2023 inaugural title, loaded their 2024 schedule with several matchups with NCAA Division III programs and other NJCAA contenders like Monroe College and Bryant & Stratton - Wisconsin.
The team enters pool play red hot having won 19 of their last 20 matches, earning them the #1 seed in Pool A. The Lakers will open the invitational with a pair of matches on Friday, April 12th, first against Bryant & Stratton - Wisconsin at 9 AM CDT, followed by Ocean County College at 1 PM CDT at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The Lakers' lone matchup of the regular season against Atlantic Cape resulted in a 3-1 victory, while the team will play Ocean County for the first time this season. Ocean County is the #2 seed in Pool A with a 13-5 record and finished their season with a five-set thriller loss to Northampton. Atlantic Cape joins the Men's Volleyball Invitational for the first time in program history and holds a 13-6 record. The Bucs won five of their last seven games this season and have a 1-3 record versus teams in Pool A.
Sophomore Nick Ferris (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) who has stood out as the Lakers' leader on the attack, leads the nation in kills with 321, leads in hitting percentage, and is third in kills per set with 3.15. Sophomore Bryce Ceravolo (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) has orchestrated the Lakers' dynamic offense, leading the nation in assists with 959, while freshman Bryce Nickson (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) and AJ DeBalso (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) have anchored the defense with 226 and 219 digs, respectively, coming in at second and fourth in the nation.
Live stats will be available for both matches (Bryant & Stratton - Wisconsin & Ocean County) and live stream information will become available on the FLCC Athletics men's volleyball schedule.
