Roster | Schedule 

HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 15, 2015) – The 2015 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team is ready for its third run to the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship – a championship the Ducks and the City of Hoboken will be hosting in late April.
 
After back-to-back national tournament appearances, the Ducks return an incredibly deep and talented roster for the 2015 season, and have placed high expectations on themselves in addition to the highest preseason rank in program history from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) – No. 2. Additionally, 2015 marks the 25th-anniversary of men's volleyball as a varsity sport at Stevens.
 
Hoboken and Stevens will welcome eight teams to town April 24-26 to play for the 2015 NCAA Championship – a prize the Ducks have eyed since receiving the host bid this time in 2014.
 
Stevens is coming off a 2014 season in which its reached the national quarterfinals, was ranked sixth in the final AVCA top-15 and compiled an overall record of 22-10 against one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
 
The Ducks kicked off their 2015 campaign on January 4 in Honolulu, giving the 10th-ranked team in NCAA Division I men's volleyball all it could handle in a tough loss at the University of Hawaii (0-1).
 
Leading the Ducks this year will be senior captains Kevin Aeckerle and David Evans. A true leader on the court, off the court, in the weight room and in the classroom, Aeckerle returns for his final season. Aeckerle was a first-team All-United Volleyball Conference pick and is one of – if not the top returning setter in the nation. A player with great court sense, deception and execution, Aeckerle is a three-time all-conference selection that ended 2014 with a team-best 1,096 assists and was second in digs with 238.
 
Evans returns to the squad after a taking a year away to focus on academics and training. The veteran will earn his bachelor's and master's degree upon graduation in May. Evans is a two-time AVCA All-American and will be a welcome 'addition' to the squad. A 2013 team captain, Evans is a returning UVC Player of the Year and a three-time all-conference performer as well.
 
Senior libero Dylan Schlosser looked excellent in the preseason and will be a major piece to the Ducks' success in 2015. A former setter, Schlosser improved his entire game over the past months, impressing the coaching staff and his teammates. He was third on the team in sets played a year ago, leading the squad with 269 digs.
 
Senior middle Daniel Smith is back for the Ducks after earning an AVCA All-America nod as a junior. Smith has made steady improvements across the board throughout his career on Castle Point and is eyeing his best season yet. A student that will graduate with a master's degree in four years, Smith tallied 229 kills and hit .414 in 2014, notching a team-high 32 aces and leading the team in blocks with 116.0. His hitting percentage and blocks per set from a season ago both ranked amongst the nation's elite.
 
Senior outside Ryan Seifert – like Evans – also returns to the team after a year away from the program to focus on academics, training and the chance to play for a national title at Stevens. Seifert looked wonderful in the match against Hawaii and is already playing at a high level after improving his digging and blocking. Seifert is a returning AVCA All-American and all-conference performance and is another integral part to the Ducks achieving their goals.
 
Senior Ryan Brandow is one of the hardest workers on the squad, always pushing his teammates to the highest level whenever he hits the court. The veteran will continue to push for time and hopes to see increases in numbers across the board in what will be his final season. Brandow notched 19 kills and nine blocks as a junior.
 
Leading the Duck juniors will be returning first-team All-American Chris Vaughan. Vaughan looks to have carried over a strong sophomore season into 2015, after turning in one of the best offensive years in program history with 403 kills and 3.50 kills/set. His attacking percentage was .323, adding 23 service aces to his line along with 68.0 total blocks. A strong all-around performer, Vaughan was also an honorable mention All-UVC pick a year ago.
 
Junior Thomas Wright displayed great growth as a sophomore and has continued to do so heading into his junior season. Wright spent a lot of time working on his craft with the coaching staff and has also dedicated a lot of time in the gym to improve his strength, quickness and agility. The junior finished last year with 69 kills and 31.0 blocks.
 
Junior Etan Bennett also re-joins the squad after a year away to train and focus on his studies. Bennett is a player with talent and great raw ability and should find himself as a major contributor throughout the season. In 2013 – his last season on the team – Bennett finished with 154 kills, 20 aces and 75.0 blocks.
 
Junior Alexander Carpenter will be a starting middle for Stevens and continues to get better and better. An excellent server and blocker, Carpenter put in the time in the weight room and should see his game go to the next level this year. A 2014 UVC honorable mention all-conference pick, Carpenter tallied 21 aces to go along with 133 kills and 113.0 blocks which was good for second on the team. He also was Stevens' second-ever – across all sports – Elite 89 winner which recognizes the student-athlete with the highest GPA at a championship site.
 
Junior Tim Ferriter was one of the top players in the entire country in 2014 and transferred to Stevens in the fall. Ferriter helped lead SUNY New Paltz to the NCAA Tournament after earning first-team All-America honors in his sophomore campaign. Ferriter joins Evans, Vaughan and sophomore returning All-American Gabe Shankweiler to form one of the deepest groups of outside's in the nation.
 
Junior Derrick Sokol  - like many other Ducks – has made nice strides over the last two years and will continue to see more time on the court. Sokol saw action in 15 matches as a sophomore, notching 39 kills and 21 total blocks.
 
The final junior on the team is setter John Eddins. A Hawaii native, Eddins will push the incumbent Aeckerle at the position all season and will definitely see valuable time for the Ducks. A 'gym rat' and one of the hardest workers on the team, Eddins has improved tremendously in his first few season and should see increases to his 45.0 blocks, 104 kills, 115 assists and 10 service aces.
 
Shankweiler headlines the sophomore class after earning second-team All-America honors as a rookie. The Allentown, Pa. native was second on the team in points (450.0) and kills (395), tallying 53.0 blocks and 26 service aces to his line. The 2014 United Volleyball Conference Rookie of the Year, Shankweiler will be a major asset to a talented group of outside hitters throughout the 2015 schedule.
 
Sophomore Scott Russell will see some action behind Aeckerle and Eddins at the setter position and has been improving consistently for the Ducks. As a rookie, Russell played in seven matches, picking up 53 assists.
 
Sophomore middle Jordan Stuart is another player that has made marked improvements from when he first arrived on Castle Point. Stuart will challenge the veterans for court time from the start after seeing action in 23 matches as a freshman. In that freshman season, Stuart tallied 41 kills and 28.0 blocks.
 
Sophomore Ian Bennett joins the men's volleyball program after playing basketball a season ago. Bennett is on opposite with nice size and potential and will be working towards a rotation spot as the season ages.
 
Head Men's Volleyball Coach Patrick Dorywalski has also welcomed two freshmen to the fold in Cagan Friend and Thomas Burrell. Friend was a heavily recruited player out of high school and will challenge for time at the libero position this season. Burrell is deceptively efficient at his middle spot as a strong vertical and arm swing will make him a valuable asset for the Ducks.
 
Click here to check out the 2015 schedule.
 
Stevens will work throughout the entire season with the hopes of playing for a title in its home gym – the Canavan Arena.
 
"We are focused on the end-game," Dorywalski said when talking about the season Tuesday. "We are working tirelessly to put ourselves in the position to play for a national title in Hoboken. Set-by-set, match-by-match, that is our goal."
 
The Ducks battle DI Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. Saturday in their second match of the season. Visit www.stevensducks.com for live coverage links Saturday morning.
 
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