2020 Men's Volleyball Season Preview
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2020 Schedule
2020 Roster
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Patchogue, NY| The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's volleyball opens its 2020 season in search of its third-straight Skyline Conference title in just its fourth year of existence.
Head coach Bill Kropp founded the program in 2016 and is set to graduate his first class of four-year seniors in 2020. Last season, Kropp's side went 25-7 overall on the year and 10-0 in Skyline play. After claiming the conference championship, the Golden Eagles were defeated in three sets by #8 Endicott in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
SJC posted a 3-4 record against ranked opponents in 2020 and received votes in multiple Top-15 polls. The team hasn't dropped a Skyline Conference contest since April of 2017.
The Returners: Kropp returns 11 players from 2019 including back-to-back Skyline Conference Player of the Year Kyle Biggers. The middle blocker led the conference and was 15th in the nation in hitting percentage a year ago. He was joined on the Skyline All-Conference First-Team and the All-ECAC Second-Team by returning senior Paul Curaro, who led the conference in total kills and kills-per-set for the second straight season.
Senior Will Flohr, a Skyline All-Conference First-Team selection as an outside hitter in 2019, will slot into the open libero position in Kropp's starting lineup. Kropp believes Flohr has All-American potential in his new position.
Other returning starters include senior Matt Cole in the middle, and senior David Slager and junior Jack Solen on the outside. Junior Jason Siriban is Kropp's new setter, transitioning from the outside in 2020.
The Newcomers: Six newcomers join the SJC ranks: freshmen Dylan Jacoby, Pat Stevenson, William Loeven, and Matt Dolan, and senior transfers Anthony Soldo and Kyle Allen-Morabito.
Expectations: Kropp believes the Golden Eagles have the talent and experience to win their third-straight conference title in 2020, despite the arrivals of Ramapo and New Jersey City.
Additionally, Kropp believes the program is ready to take the next step and hopes to achieve a national ranking and a deeper NCAA Tournament run.
SJC garnered all seven possible first-place votes in the Skyline Conference Coaches Preseason Poll and was selected to repeat. In addition, Kropp's side received 11 votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll—the 26th-highest total in the nation.
When they begin: SJC opens the season on January 17 when they visit Misericordia for a pair of non-conference matches. The Golden Eagles return to the Danzi Center for their home opener on January 24 against Kean and open Skyline play at Ramapo on February 8.
