2021 All-EIVA Teams
NEWARK, NJ--Six Highlanders were selected to the 2021 EIVA All-Conference team and seventh-year head coach Danny Goncalves has been named 2021 Bob Sweeny Coach of the Year the league office announced on Tuesday.
NJIT will be the No. 2 seed in the 2021 EIVA Conference Tournament which will be hosted by Penn State at Rec Hall on April 22-24. The top two seeds, No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 NJIT, earn byes into the semifinals. The semifinals and finals will be played April 22 and 24 at Penn State's Rec Hall. Start times will be announced later this week.
Danny Goncalves | Bob Sweeny Coach of the Year
The Highlanders finished the regular season with a 13-5 overall mark and second in the EIVA with a 13-3 record. The 13 wins are the most wins for NJIT since the 2017.
NJIT made its first appearance in program history in the NVA/AVCA top-10 on March 29, 2021 at the No. 10.
Goncalves' squad broke into the National Volleyball Association (NVA)/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I-II Men's Coaches top-15 poll after splitting a weekend EIVA series with then-ranked No. 11 Penn State on February 14. The win for the Highlanders marked the first time since 1998 NJIT defeated Penn State.
The 11-3 start was the best since 2007, when the Highlanders went 10-4 and the nine consecutive victories is the most in a row since 2017.
Luca Berger | EIVA First Team
A three-time EIVA first team honoree, Berger tops the conference in blocks per set (1.09) and second in total blocks (69). A graduate student from Brazil, Berger is a two-time EIVA Defensive Player of the Week and earned AVCA Player of the Year one time this season. The 6-foot-10 middle blocker, who ranks 12th in the nation in blocks per set, recorded a season-best eight total blocks in the Highlanders 3-0 sweep at home vs. Saint Francis U on February 25.
Alvaro Gimeno | EIVA First Team
A three-time EIVA first team honoree, ranks in the top four in four EIVA statistical categories -- kills per set (4th; 3.38), total kills (3rd; 206), hitting percentage (4th; .324) and service aces per set (2nd; 0.48). A two-time EIVA Player of the Week and OffTheBlock National Attacker of the Week one time, Gimeno has recorded double-digit kills in 12 matches this season with a season-best 20 kills vs. then-ranked No. 4 Lewis.
Julian Meissner | EIVA First Team
Meissner ranked in the top five in three EIVA statistical categories -- kills per set (5th; 3.29), total kills (4th; 204) and hitting percentage (5th; .306). He registered 12 double-digit kills matches this season with a season-best 16 kills vs. then-ranked No. 4 Lewis and then-ranked No. 10 Penn State.
Martin de Chavarria | EIVA Second Team
The Highlander middle blocker currently ranks fifth in the EIVA in block per set (0.81). De Chavarria registered at least one block in 17 out of 18 matches this season with a season-high six total blocks vs. then-ranked No. 4 Lewis and then-ranked No. 10 Penn State. He combined for a .404 hitting percentage, which ranked second on the Highlander team.
Joe Kennedy | EIVA Second Team
The Highlander libero ranked 10th in the EIVA with 102 total digs, averaging 1.65dps. Kennedy registered at least one dig in 17 out of 18 matches with a season-best 10 digs vs. then-ranked No. 4 Lewis and No. 9 Penn State.
Griffin Fieseler | EIVA Honorable Mention
Fiseler paced the Highlanders this season with 9.21aps, which ranked third in the EIVA. The two-time OffTheBlock National Setter of the Week, combined for double-digit assists in all 18 matches this season with a career-best 44 assists at Charleston (WV).
