NASHVILLE, TN- Four members of the Juniata men’s volleyball team were named to the Off The Block/Springbak Inc. Preseason All-American team. Junior setter Matt Elias (Lansdale, PA/North Penn), junior middle attacker Chad Albert (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley), senior middle attacker Joe Bortak (Jeanette, PA/Penn Trafford) and senior outside attacker Paul Kuhn (York, PA/Central York) were all named to the First Team. The Eagles led all Division III teams in number of selections.
Elias was among the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) and national leaders last season with a 9.63 assists per game average. He also was named the 2014 CVC Tournament MVP as Juniata won the conference title en route to reaching the NCAA Tournament championship match.
Albert finished last season fifth in the nation with a 1.15 blocks per game average, including having 24 solo blocks. The junior also was an AVCA Second-Team All-American selection in 2014, named to the CVC All-Tournament Team and an All-CVC East Team selection along with being an ECAC Second Team All-Star.
Bortak was second in the nation with a .439 attack percentage and was among the nation’s top 20 with a 1.00 block per game average. The senior also earned AVCA First-Team All-American honors last year for the third straight season. In addition, Bortak was selected to the CVC All-Tournament Team, the All-CVC East Team, and an ECAC Second Team All-Star.
The defending CVC Player of the Year and a member of the All-CVC East team, Kuhn was among the team leaders in 2014 with a 2.08 kills per game average and was second in the CVC with 39 aces. Kuhn also had a strong defensive presence as he was fourth on the Eagles in digs with 90. The senior last season also was named an ECAC First Team All-Star and an AVCA First-Team All-American. His solid play in last year’s NCAA Tournament landed him on the All-Tournament Team.
Juniata begins it 2015 season on January 23 when it hosts the Juniata College Invitational. The Eagles play Hilbert and Elmira on Friday followed by Hunter and Baruch on Saturday.
Off the Block is a national-award winning website that launched in January 2011 and has become among the nation’s leaders in college men’s volleyball coverage. Off the Block has annually presented the men’s volleyball Division I-II Preseason All-American Teams since 2011. This is also the second year the award expanded to include Division III Preseason All-American Teams.
Springbak, Inc. is the official sponsor of the 2015 Preseason All-American Teams. Springbak, Inc. produces high performance footwear used by professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB, U.S. Olympic teams and the top college teams in the nation.
