HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 15, 2016) – No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team begins its quest to repeat as NCAA National Champions Saturday.

MATCH INFO
The Ducks will take No. 8 Rutgers University-Newark at 11 a.m, before taking on the College of Mount Saint Vincent at 1 p.m.

LIBEROS
With the graduation of Dylan Schlosser, head coach Patrick Dorywalski has three candidates that are vying for the starting spot. Sophomore Cagan Friend saw time at the position in a reserve role last year, registering 11 digs against Loras College last season. Senior Ayal Ciobotaru returns after playing on the club team last year, and freshman Niko Lambert was one of the top high school liberos in New Jersey last year.

OPPOSITE
Senior Scott Wright and junior Ian Bennett are competing for the starting right side spot, though Dorywalski expects both to see plenty of action. Bennett slammed home five kills against Loras last season, while Wright recorded 17 kills and 19 digs in 13 sets played.

SETTERS
Second Team AVCA All-American Kevin Aeckerle graduated, leaving the Ducks to fill a huge hole at the setting spot. Senior John Eddins played in 99 sets last, handing out 545 assists and is one of three setters on the squad. Junior Scott Russell and freshman Jacob Patterson round out the setting trio. Patterson is a real solid player and has shown a lot during training.

MIDDLES
Senior Etan Bennett will be one of the starting middles this year, coming off a 2015 campaign where he had 80 kills and 70.0 total blocks. Bennett had six total blocks in the championship match against Springfield College. Junior Jordan Stuart started 14 matches in the middle last season and registered 70 kills and 45 total blocks. One of the more improved Ducks is sophomore Thomas Burrell. Burrell appeared in 12 sets last year, but is poised for a bigger role in 2016. Freshman Cooper Diamond has shown a lot of potential in preseason and is looking to further his development this year.

OUTSIDE HITTERS
Replacing AVCA Player of the Year David Evans is going to be tough, but one of the deepest positions for the Ducks is on the outside, with eight players on the roster. Senior Tim Ferriter was the Most Valuable Player during the championship tournament last year, and has been First Team AVCA All-American in each of his first three seasons. Classmate Chris Vaughan had 172 kills last season, and hopes to return to 2014 form where he was a First Team AVCA All-American. Junior Gabe Shankweiler had his 2015 season cut short to due injury, but was the United Volleyball Conference Rookie of the Year and Honorable Mention AVCA All-American in 2014. 

Freshman Dylan DeBoer is one to look out for, as the Illinois native is one of the top freshman on the team this year. Classmates Pasquale Gencarelli, Joshua Hinton and Zachary Saegesser will all be competing for time in their first year. Additionally, freshman Jacob Stillman will hope to use his powerful serve to help the team top last year's ace total of 188.

A recap of both matches will be available on stevensducks.com

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