Five Cougars Earn Postseason Honors
LIVONIA, Mich. – The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference announced its postseason honors on Friday morning, March 31. Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's volleyball had five players receive honors.
Landon Ewers, a junior, received First Team All-WHAC honors after leading the conference in hitting percentage (.351) and blocks per set (1.12). The Mount Vernon native averaged 2.7 kills per set and was involved in 112 blocks on the season. Head Coach Doug Sherer was very happy with how Ewers' development went this season.
"Landon has come into his own this year as a dominate middle. He sees the court very well and is able to work around the block. His blocking has been nothing short of amazing this year," Ewers' coach said. "He is second in the country in total blocks with 112. A number of coaches have commented to me about Landon and how he has dominated the middle. All that is a testament to his growth as a player and his accomplishments this season."
Spencer Stanley was also a First Team All-WHAC recipient and was third in the conference in total kills (377) and fourth in kills per set (3.70). The outside hitter also contributed with 173 digs and 62 blocks. In addition, Stanley was named to the WHAC's All-Academic Team.
"Spencer has been a work horse on the team this year in all aspects of the game," Coach Sherer said. "In serve receptions alone, he is fifth in the country with 611 attempts for a 96.7% serve reception efficiency putting him in the top 5 in the country and yet teams keep serving him. As our primary outside hitter, he receives the lion's share of sets putting him third in the conference in kills and kills per set. He is also third on the team in ace serves. Other teams' game plans revolve around how can they slow him down, because you can't stop him. He is a major contributor to our success not only this year, but these past three years."
Jaysen Matsumoto was named a First Team All-WHAC recipient and was the WHAC Setter of the Year. Matsumoto was second in the conference in assists per set (9.80) and third in service aces per set (0.35). The junior from Kaneohe, Hawaii had 980 total assists on the season and added 186 digs and 43 kills. He reached the 2,000 career assists milestone during the season. Coach Sherer had good things to say about his setter.
"Jaysen is our quarterback and has been nothing but stellar to our offense. He runs the show on the floor and is in sync with the hitters for the type of sets they like to hit. Each hitter is different and it is on him to know how to set everyone to their strengths," Sherer said. "His first step is so quick out there that he makes magic happen for the guys. Jaysen's serving game has come alive and he has almost tripled last year's aces, ranking him second in the conference. He is worthy of being selected by the coaching peers as conference setter of the year!"
Daniel Skrzypchak was named a Second Team All-WHAC honoree. The Elgin, Illinois native amassed 327 total digs on the season, which was the third most in the conference. Additionally, Skrzypchak was third in the conference in digs per set (3.08). He was also named to the WHAC's All-Academic Team and Champions of Character Team.
"Daniel is the guy everyone forgets about. Liberos aren't hitters, but they start the ball rolling for our offense," Sherer explained. "He is second on the team in serve receptions at 494 attempts and a passer rating of 96.5% also placing him in the top ten in the country as well. His defensive skills give us second and third opportunities on the offense. He leads the defense on the court and puts it out there for teams to beat him. With him graduating early, he is going to be tough to replace next year."
Jordan Hoag was also named to the WHAC's All-Academic Team for meeting the 3.25 GPA requirement for juniors and above. The senior appeared in 20 matches for the Cougars and was a part of the first men's volleyball team in program history.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,000 students from 25 states and 11 foreign countries.