April 29, 2008

NEWARK, NJ - New Jersey Institute of Technology men's volleyball athletes Rodrigo Correa, Leonardo Paludo, Greg Wagner and Eduardo Welter were named to the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association all-Academic team for 2008, EIVA Sports Information Director Jenell Patton announced.

Correa, a junior, and Paludo and Welter, both seniors hail from Brazil, while Wagner, also a senior, is from Massachusetts. All four are enrolled in NJIT's Albert Dorman Honors College and started for teams that made the EIVA Playoff Tournament in each of their last three seasons. NJIT advanced to the 2008 EIVA Playoff Tournament semifinals last week and was EIVA Hay Division regular season champion in 2007.

Correa, from Sao Paulo, is a graduate of Colegio Objetivo, while Paludo and Welter, from Balneario Camboriu, a beach resort city in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, graduated from Escola Barao do Rio Branco. All three are business management majors. Wagner, a graduate of Minnechaug Regional High School in Western Mass. is a Computer Science major.

Correa, the junior setter, led the 2008 Highlanders with 929 assists while passing for 56 assists on two different occasions this year -- February 22 at Saint Francis (PA) and March 21 at Pacific. Correa's career-high came last year against East Stroudsburg, where he recorded 65 assists. His 65 assists were the most assists in a single season game over the last three seasons. He ranks 18th nationally averaging 10.72 assists per game and ranks ninth in the conference. Correa has a 3.96 cumulative GPA.

Paludo, one of six seniors on the 2008 Highlanders, had another strong season in 2008, as the Highlanders competed against the top programs in the East in the EIVA Tait Division. Paludo led the team with 368 kills (3.79) and ranks eighth nationally with 48 service aces (0.49). He posted a season-high five service aces against Saint Francis (PA) on March 8. Paludo, who has played the last three years at NJIT has compiled 1,112 kills. Paludo has a 3.60 cumulative GPA.

Wagner, the team's tallest player, recorded 59 total blocks ranking him tied for first on the team with junior Charles Bell. In the quarterfinals of the EIVA tournament at Princeton on April 19, Wagner combined for a season-high 10 total blocks. In the semifinal round against George Mason, ranked 11th in the nation, he had an impressive .478 hitting percentage with 12 kills and one error in 23 swings. Wagner holds a 3.75 cumulative GPA.

Welter, a senior, recorded double-figures in 19 out of 27 games notching a season-high 24 kills in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association against Princeton on April 19. He was second on the team with 329 kills (3.50), 32 service aces (0.34) and 163 digs (1.73). He has a 3.90 cumulative GPA.

In order to be eligible for the honor, student-athletes needed a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 or higher, have reached at least sophomore athletic standing and participated in at least 60 percent of the games played.

Other institutions represented on the 20-player team included George Mason, Springfield, Harvard, Penn State, St. Francis (PA), East Stroudsburg, Princeton, New Haven and NYU.