March 28, 2023 by IH
Background:
Nate is a 6’0″ outside hitter from Newport News, Virginia. He is a senior playing in his fourth year of NCAA volleyball for the Eastern Mennonite Royals. Nate attended Heritage high school and is majoring in Marketing with a minor in Business Administration. He plans to return for his graduate year.
Eastern Mennonite is currently the #40 team in the country for NCAA men’s volleyball in the latest IH ranking on 3/26/23.
Accolades:
Career Highs
Kills: 22 vs Immaculata (2/11/2022)
Assists: 3 at Randolph-Macon (1/22/2022)
Aces: 4 vs Baruch (2/12/2022)
Digs: 10 (2x)
BS: 1 (4x)
BA: 4 vs Randolph-Macon (3/20/2021)
2022: Played in all 17 matches for the Royals. Led the team with 175 kills, 3.18 K/S and 89 digs.
2021: Played in all nine matches for the Royals. Led EMU with 54 kills, 1.80 K/S and 33 digs.
Career Stats:
Q&A
How is the Royals season progressing compared to expectations?
I think that EMU is progressing throughout the season. We have lost some players throughout the year which lowers our numbers but we have bounced back. We’ve officially turned this program into a threat in the conference. I think we have a shot to do some damage in playoffs which is something unheard of in the past few years.
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 it’s a tie between Southern Virginia and Juniata. Those teams chemistry is so in sync it doesn’t even look like they are trying. But, both of these teams have very powerful middles so they are both a threat in my opinion.
Which player have you been most impressed by (outside of your own teammates) this season and why?
Honestly, I’m most impressed by Andrew Zaleck at Rutgers. Zaleck played on a team where they had multiple weapons. Seeing that this year he is one of those main offensive threats it give him the opportunity to show what he can do.
You have had a great senior season. What does life look like after this year regarding volleyball and your career goals?
Well I am coming back to play 1 more year for my grad year. Then the next season I have hopes of becoming a Grad Assistant Coach next to Omar. Hopefully I’ll turn one of my internships into a profession while still maintaining the dream of playing professionally.
Give us your picks for the NCAA D3 final 4!
Southern VA , EMU, Rutgers, and Marymount
What has been your favorite part of the Ramapo season thus far?
I think my favorite part of the season is the 6am practices sometimes. Only because we all know we are tired so we are going to push each other extra hard with positive energy. It’s almost like a bonding experience out there in the morning before anyone is awake.
