GANSEVOORT, N.Y. – The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has announced its 2018 Men’s Volleyball All-Conference selections, honoring the top 21 players in the league regardless of position. The First, Second, and Third Team are each comprised of seven players as selected by the conference coaches. The conference has also revealed its men’s volleyball individual award winners, which are determined by the coaches’ votes.

Lancaster Bible right side hitter Nate Miller (Lititz, Pa.) has been selected as the NEAC Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year following a tremendous first season in the NEAC. Miller leads all Division III players in three statistical categories with 405 kills, 5.40 kills per set and 6.4 points per set. The Chargers’ junior is the conference leader with 50 service aces and 0.67 aces per set while ranking fifth in the league with a .278 hitting percentage. Miller has had double-digit kills in 21 of Lancaster Bible’s 24 matches and has had 20 or more kills in a match on eight occasions. In addition to his offensive numbers, Miller has recorded 105 digs and 34 total blocks. Miller was honored for his outstanding play with NEAC Player of the Week honors three times throughout the season and in addition to his individual award, earned a place on the NEAC All-Conference First Team.

Keuka College senior Nick Cantando (Horseheads, N.Y.) has been named NEAC Men’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year. Cantando ranks second in the NEAC with 241 digs and third with 2.87 digs per set. The Wolves’ defensive specialist recorded 101 digs in conference play to help his team amass a league-best 372 digs in NEAC games. Cantando ranks fourth in program history for single-season digs and set a new Keuka College record with 21 digs against Medaille on March 27. He was also recognized as the NEAC Defensive Player of the Week on April 3 with 52 digs in three matches for the Wolves. Cantando wraps up his senior season with the first All-Conference selection of his career after receiving a spot on the All-NEAC Second Team.

Wells College freshman Robert Patzer (Syracuse, N.Y.) has been honored as the NEAC Rookie of the Year after appearing in every match for the Express this season. Through 27 matches, Patzer has 203 kills, 43 assists, 25 service aces, 115 digs, 10 solo blocks and 31 block assists. He averages 2.07 kills per set with a .175 hitting percentage. Patzer has played a key role for the Express in conference play, ranking sixth with a .295 hitting percentage and eighth with 12 service aces against NEAC opponents. In a crucial win over Penn State Altoona in the final weekend of the regular season, Patzer posted a season-high 17 kills and nine digs. Patzer is one of four Wells players to earn All-Conference honors, receiving a Third Team nod.

For the second-straight year, Lancaster Bible College Head Coach Jade Brubaker was voted by his peers as the NEAC Coach of the Year. Brubaker led the Chargers to an 8-0 record in the conference play and their first regular season championship since 2013. The Chargers went 21-4 in the regular season with their four losses coming against ranked teams and they enter the postseason riding an 11-match win streak. In his fifth season at Lancaster Bible, Brubaker’s squad leads the NEAC with a .263 hitting percentage, 1.90 service aces per set, 1.96 blocks per set and 15.8 points per set.

NEAC Men’s Volleyball All-Conference Team

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The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has fourteen NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Bryn Athyn College, Cazenovia College, College of St. Elizabeth, Gallaudet University, Keuka College, Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Pennsylvania State University – Abington, Pennsylvania State University – Berks, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Morrisville State College, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Wells College, and Wilson College.  Associate members are: Cedar Crest College (W Swimming), D’Youville College (M Volleyball), Hilbert College (M&W Lacrosse), Medaille College (M&W Lacrosse, M Volleyball), Pennsylvania State University – Altoona (M Volleyball), and Rutgers University – Camden (M Golf). The NEAC has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in the sports of field hockey and men’s tennis. For more information, please visit: www.neacsports.com.