Nazareth College headed to Cambridge for KP’S NCAA D III Match of the Week on Saturday, March 1st to tackle twentieth ranked MIT in a United Volleyball Convention match. The Nazareth Golden Flyers beat the Engineers in in 4 units (25-23, 24-26, 25-21, 25-18). The Engineers now sit at (10-8 total, 0-4 UVC), whereas the Golden Flyers transfer to (12-8, 2-1 UVC).
In set one Nazareth held management of the set with a 20-15 lead. MIT was capable of shut the hole to 20-19, resulting from some attacking errors by the Golden Flyers. Nazareth regained management and received the set 25-23.
Set two was shut the entire method. MIT freshman Maddox Brandenburg had some well timed kills for the Engineers to assist them win the set 26-24. “Maddox has performed an unimaginable job of stepping up as our M2. He reads properly and is an efficient blocker. His attacking has grown all through the season,” stated MIT Head Coach Todd Elwell.
The Engineers went up early 6-1 within the third set, however Nazareth stored plugging away and had an enormous six level run that helped them win the set 25-21. The Golden Flyers used that momentum to set 4 and managed the entire set. The received the fourth set and the match 25-18. “Mit has very expert and disciplined volleyball Athletes. For some purpose we appear to match up properly. Despite the fact that Owen Wickens was working by way of an ankle Damage we have been capable of maintain stress on them from the serving line,” stated Nazareth Head Coach Cal Wickens.
The middles stood out for Nazareth and Coach Wickens was very impressed, “Our middles have been answerable for their recreation which meant our passing was strong. In the long run we received the match from 20 on. We simply made fewer errors.” Freshman Ryan Murphy had 12 kills on 14 swings and hit .857 for the match. “Ryan is a fierce competitor and actually works exhausting within the apply health club. Within the second set he dislocated his finger after which he got here again. He had massive blocks and served properly. He did an amazing job with Freshmen Management pushing our senior class. He had a tremendous week attacking 27-0-43 in 4 matches,” stated Coach Wickens.
Each groups are within the aggressive UVC that has a number of the prime groups within the nation; NYU, Vassar, Hobart, MIT, New Paltz, St. John Fisher and Nazareth. “Over the past three years the UVC prime to backside competitors has been excellent. You might have nice coaches and wonderful gamers difficult one another to play their greatest each convention match. If anybody can survive the UVC then they’ve a critical shot at a Nationwide Championship,” stated Coach Elwell.
The 2025 season is particular for Nazareth. Head Coach Cal Wickens is about to retire after taking up the lads’s program in 2005. “Cal is one-of-kind and a staple of volleyball. He has performed a lot for each our males’s and ladies’s volleyball applications having begun as the pinnacle girls’s coach and taking over the lads’s program in 2005. We are going to miss him and need him properly in his retirement,” stated Pete Bothner, Nazareth Athletic Director.
Coach Wickens has performed a lot for males’s volleyball and particularly the jap area. Since 1979 he has been the director of Tempo Bootlegger Volleyball Membership, assist host NCAA males’s volleyball showcases, and mentored many athletes that are actually school coaches. Coach Stephen England of Hobart School performed for Coach Cal and his son Spencer Wickens is at the moment on the lads’s volleyball Stanford workers.
“Nazareth has been excellent to me as a coach, the Alumni are unbelievable and have stayed in contact. Being there for over 20 years has been a blessing. Rochester has been blessed with nice junior volleyball that has been the center of a lot of our groups,” stated Coach Wickens.
For the 2026 season Coach Wickens will probably be missed, however he plans on staying concerned within the recreation. He’s trying ahead to working camps and clinics along with his son Spencer. There is no such thing as a doubt that Coach Wickens has made a huge effect in volleyball, and he’ll go down as one of many prime NCAA Division III males’s volleyball coaches.
A few of Coach Cal Wicken’s prime moments at Nazareth:
– The family and friends my spouse and I’ve made prior to now 22 years at Nazareth.
– In 2009 we beat New Paltz, UCSC, and Springfield in the identical weekend for our first #1 rating. That group was a really particular group that grew to become the leaders in pushing guys to work more durable off the court docket. For positive it was instrumental within the change in “Tradition” in our health club.
– Having all three of my youngsters develop up within the health club and having the ability to win a Nationwide Championship at residence in 2011.
– In 2012 we had an amazing group of men. Nearly as good as we have been, we misplaced to Carthage in 5 units within the NCAA Match. We have been receiving serve up 14-10 with the perfect offense by numbers within the nation. We had 4 alternatives to win and couldn’t shut the door. It modified my teaching philosophy and focus endlessly.
– Most not too long ago having the ability to coach my very own son for his profession along with his mates at Nazareth.
Nazareth:
Volleyball Historical past:
3 UVC championships
2 Molten Closing 4 appearances
3 NCAA Appearances with 2 last fours
2013 Nationwide runner up
Convention: UVC
Head Coaches:
Cal Wickens 2005-Current
Notable alumni:
Steve England – Head Males’s Volleyball Coach at Hobart
EJ Wells-Spicer – 2013 Division III Nationwide Participant of the 12 months
Dan Miranda – Buffalo State Head Coach
Lecturers:
60+ Undergraduate majors Situated in Rochester, NY. Personal 1,900 undergrad and 500 grad
MIT:
Volleyball Historical past:
Notable Alumni:
Praveen Pamidimukkala (2005-08)
Matt Hohenberger (2010-13)
Tim Lee (2008-11)
Skyler Kaufman (2015-2019)
Nick Gustafson (2020-24)
General file 610-433
Head Coaches:
Karyn Altman 1986-87, 1989
Frode Stavehaug 1988
Sean Tierney 1990-92
Cindy Gregory 1993-95
Tom Klemas 1996-99
Steve Lane 2000-03
Paul Dill 2004-17
Todd Elwell 2018-present 104-53
Lecturers:
105 Nobel Laureates
84 MacArthur Fellows
65 Nationwide Medal of Science winners
35 Nationwide Medal of Expertise and Innovation Winners
4,535 undergraduate and seven,351 graduate college students
57 undergraduate majors and 59 undergraduate minors
Kevin Pratte has enthusiastically been concerned in volleyball for over 23 years. Pratte began taking part in in center faculty and was lucky sufficient to play NCAA Division 1 volleyball at The College of the Pacific. After his taking part in profession Pratte bought concerned in teaching volleyball. In 2009 Pratte was the graduate assistant coach for the College of Nebraska girls’s volleyball program. Later in his profession Pratte made teaching stops at College of the Pacific, a number of group schools and coached at WAVE Volleyball Membership for seven years. Presently Pratte is a bodily training trainer within the San Diego Unified Faculty District, San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary member, a university volleyball recruiting coordinator, hosts a volleyball podcast present, the proprietor of the Center Hitter web site and runs a non-profit group to assist increase funds to present boys’ highschool volleyball college students scholarships to play membership volleyball. He’s excited to proceed writing for Volleyball Journal and is raring to cowl the sport.
Basis web site: www.kevinprattefoundation.com
Center Hitter Web site: www.middlehitter.com
KP HERE Podcast: Spotify