NEVC Announces 2025 Postseason Awards; SUNY Potsdam Leads with Two Major Awards
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC) has announced its 2025 All-Conference teams and major award winners on Tuesday morning. The awards were voted on by the conference’s seven head coaches following the conclusion of the regular season schedule. Each of the conference institutions also saw a student-athlete honored on the sportsmanship team.
SUNY Potsdam’s Matt Kilinski (Greenfield Center, N.Y.) was voted the 2025 NEVC Player of the Year, while SUNY Poly’s Thomas McNulty (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Bard College’s Ansel Waisler (Venice, Calif.) earned Rookie of the Year honors. SUNY Potsdam head coach Josh Stokes was voted Coach of the Year by his peers.
Kilinski and Waisler headline the first team selections and are joined by three Nichols College selections in Jack Normandin (Windham, N.H.), Dylan Knapp (Wethersfield, Conn.) and Tanner Soracco (Oxford, Conn.). Endicott College’s Aidan Iacovelli (South Windsor, Conn.) and Corey Klass Jr. (Beverly, Mass.) round out the first team selections.
SUNY Poly leads the second team selections with four, as Andrew Baaki (Amsterdam, N.Y.), Adam Brawn (Pittsford, N.Y.), Joshua Slater (Colonie, N.Y.) and Peter Gottler (Buffalo, N.Y.) each garnered the accolade. Bard’s Sidney Stein (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was selected to the second team, along with Endicott’s Jackson Gray (Glenmont, N.Y.). Russell Sage College’s Dylan Fox (Albany, N.Y.) and SUNY Potsdam’s Duncan Tenhagen (Buffalo, N.Y.) close out the all-conference selections.
NEVC Player of the Year – Matt Kilinski (Jr., OH, Greenfield Center, N.Y.), SUNY Potsdam
Kilinski led the NEVC in kills (94) and kills per set (4.27) in conference play. Overall, his 3.20 kills per set is good for fourth in the league, while he leads the league with a .370 hitting percentage. He helped the Bears to a 5-1 conference record and the No. 2 seed in the NEVC Championship. He was the NEVC Athlete of the Week honoree for the week ending March 30.
NEVC Defensive Player of the Year – Thomas McNulty (Jr., L, Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), SUNY Poly
In conference play, McNulty totaled 89 digs, for 3.87 per set, both of which led the NEVC. Overall, his 224 digs and 3.03 digs per set also top the NEVC. He has received 134 serves and only has five reception errors.
NEVC Rookie of the Year – Ansel Waisler (Fr., OH, Venice, Calif.), Bard
In his rookie campaign, Ansel Waisler sits first in the NEVC in kills (355) and kills per set (3.82). He leads the league in total attacks (898) and total attacks per set (9.66). His 43 service aces also put him first in the league. Defensively, he is second in the league in digs (195) and fourth in digs per set (2.10). He was a one-time NEVC Athlete of the Week honoree (2/17), and a three-time NEVC Rookie of the Week honoree ((1/27, 2/10, 2/17).
NEVC Coach of the Year – Josh Stokes, SUNY Potsdam
Josh Stokes led the Bears to a 5-1 league record, and an 18-7 overall record, after finishing 3-5 in league play a season ago. SUNY Potsdam secured the No. 2 seed in the NEVC Championship, their highest seed since the Bears entered the NEVC (formerly the New England Collegiate Conference) in 2022. This is Stokes’ first NEVC Coach of the Year award.
First Team All-Conference
Ansel Waisler, Bard
Corey Klass Jr., Endicott
Aidan Iacovelli, Endicott
Dylan Knapp, Nichols
Jack Normandin, Nichols
Tanner Soracco, Nichols
Matt Kilinski, SUNY Potsdam
Second Team All-Conference
Sidney Stein, Bard
Jackson Gray, Endicott
Dylan Fox, Sage
Andrew Baaki, SUNY Poly
Adam Brawn, SUNY Poly
Peter Gotler, SUNY Poly
Joshua Slater, SUNY Poly
Duncan Tenhagen, SUNY Potsdam
Sportsmanship Team
Pearse Esposito, Bard
Dan Battista, Endicott
Sachio Kekati, Nichols
Brendan Palmer, SUNY Poly
Jack Orrange, SUNY Potsdam
Elijah Tortorici, Sage
Carter Hubley, Vermont State- Johnson
ABOUT THE NEVC
The NEVC is a NCAA Division III single-sport conference sponsoring the sport of men’s volleyball. The conference is comprised of seven institutions, Bard College, Endicott College, Nichols College, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Potsdam, Russell Sage College and Vermont State University – Johnson.