March 24, 2023 by IH
Background:
Jacob is a 6’9″ outside hitter from Pipersville, PA. He is in his junior year of playing NCAA volleyball for Wentworth Institute of Technology. Jacob attended Central Bucks East high school and is majoring in Electrical Engineering. He was a member of the East Coast Power club volleyball team.
Wentworth is currently the #15 team in the country for NCAA men’s volleyball in the latest IH ranking on 3/19/23.
Career Stats:
Q&A
How is the Wentworth season progressing compared to expectations?
“Well, we finished 3rd in the country last year and as of now, we are not. To others, we are not where they expected us to be. We had losses earlier in the year to good teams who were better than us but have strung together a good streak of wins as of late. When you’re chasing a chip, records don’t matter if you get hot at the right time. Our expectations weren’t to have a perfect record so we will have to see if we meet them come April.”
The GNAC conference playoffs will be here soon. Which team do you think is the team to beat in the conference tournament and why?
“The team to beat is whoever the home team is, plain and simple. Nobody wants to play at Lasell (ex ’22 WIT and ’22 Springfield) and the Rivier ceiling takes some practice. That said we finally played a fully healthy Rivier team this past weekend but have yet to face off against the full force of Lasell who were missing Brenden Joyce and Jan Baranowski.”
It looked like a nasty injury incurred earlier in the year but you have rebounded nicely. How has that incident influenced your volleyball season?
“I have missed a lot of games this season due to the finger and again when I caught the flu right after. I have rebounded well because the team got better without me. Competitiveness inside practices skyrocketed and new players showcased their abilities while others gained confidence in their game with the increased game experience. It was a different team that I was playing with earlier in the year. That’s where college athletics are interesting compared to other levels, each year you essentially form a new team with different identities. It sucks I couldn’t experience the growing pains with the team but props to them.”
Give us your picks for the NCAA D3 final 4!
“WIT, SIT, Juniata, NewPaltz”
Which player have you been most impressed by (outside of your own teammates) this season and why?
“Owen Wickens. He excels at every facet of the game. I got the chance to watch him set at a tournament over the winter break and then later produce big numbers at the OH position for Nazareth. Another name you must mention is Jarett Anderson (NPOY 22’) but at this point, I’m not surprised because he has been doing it for so long.”
Tell us about your trip to the NCAA final 4 last season.
“Carthage put on a show. Their facilities were amazing. One of the coolest game experiences I have been in. The stadium-style atmosphere and fans in attendance just added to it. I know everyone had a blast and just tried to soak it all in. Volleyball wise it was a quick sweep but I always enjoy playing whether we are winning or losing. Even the team bus rides and dinners were entertaining to be a part of. When you put together 20+ college kids who have been together for a while, it’s hard not to have fun and enjoy the time together..”
