March 13, 2023 by IH
Background:
Andrew is a 6’3″ senior opposite hitter from Old Bridge, New Jersey. He went to Old Bridge high school and was the high school player of the year in New Jersey as a senior.
Rutgers-Newark is currently the #16 team in the country for NCAA men’s volleyball in the latest IH ranking on 3/12/23.
Accolades:
2022 AVCA Division III All-East Region
2022 AVCA East Region Player of the Year
2022 CVC Player of the Year
2022 CVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player
2022 First Team All-CVC
FrogJump National Team of the Week – Opposite (3/8/2022)
2021 AVCA 2nd Team All-American
2021 AVCA Division III All-East Region
2021 CVC First Team All-Conference
2021 NJAC Player of the Year
2020 NVA/AVCA 2nd Team All-American
2020 AVCA Newcomer of the Year
2020 NJAC Co-Player of the Year
2020 CVC First Team All-Conference
1x Sports Imports/AVCA Division III National Player of the Week
7x CVC Player of the Week
12x NJAC Player of the Week
Career Stats:
Q&A
How is the Scarlet Raiders season progressing compared to expectations?
“I think our team has been progressing well and I like where we are right now. A lot of our season has been dictated by injuries and there’s not much you can do beyond that. Having 6-7 guys out consistently definitely presents its troubles, but now we’ve cut that number in half and have just enough to play legitimate 6’s in practice now. In terms of expectations though, I’m sure most people would’ve expected better record from us, but none of the guys on the team pay attention to that. It all matters once it comes down to March and April and I think we are hitting our peak just at the right time. I am looking forward to the last few weeks of the season and our push to get back on top of the CVC rankings.”
The CVC conference playoffs will be here soon. Which team do you think is the team to beat in the conference tournament and why?
“I think the CVC is one of, if not the most competitive conference in the country. Being that, I feel anyone has a shot on any given night. But looking at it now, I’d definitely say Juniata or SVU are the team to beat. Both are top in the country and have really solid players all around. Every year they’re consistently at the top of conference rankings and make deep runs into playoffs. Both can pose a problem for any team in the country, so I’m definitely looking forward to those match-ups down the road.”
Give us your picks for the NCAA D3 final 4!
“Rutgers-Nerk, Vassar, Stevens and Carthage.”
Which player have you been most impressed by (outside of your own teammates) this season and why?
“There’s a few players that come to mind in terms of being impressed. First, I think to no surprise, is Jarrett Anderson. That dude is different. To have the kind of stats he has and to be hitting .400%+ is kind of absurd. Being another senior lefty opposite, I definitely have a ton of respect for his play. Also players like Andrew Kim (Vassar) and Laboo (Jacob Labouliere/Wenworth), despite the injury, are two other players having crazy seasons. To be in the high 3-4 kills per set range and to be in the high 4-5 points per set range is not an easy task to accomplish. To do it at the efficiency they’re doing just shows how talented they are. All three are first team All-American caliber players and are just match-up nightmares for other teams. Lot of respect to all them.”
What has been your favorite part of the RUN season thus far?
“The best memory of the season thus far has to be our win over New Paltz. Just all the adversity we faced going in to the match with injuries, having only 8-9 guys available and our head coach not even being able to attend, really made that game even more special. It was a must win in my eyes and we were able to do that. Having our younger guys step up and get some key playing time made it even more special. I think it really showed what we can accomplish if we just go out there and play our game. Winning in our own gym against a team that has had so much such success in the past like New Paltz, really puts the win up there in one of my favorite games of my career. Having 39 kills was a great feeling too, but the win is what really matters.”
