Men's Volleyball Set To Host 21st Annual Hall of Fame Morgan Classic
Volleyball Hall of Fame WebsiteClinic Registration and Ticket Order Form
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., January 7, 2008 - On Friday and Saturday night, February 22nd and 23rd, the Springfield College men's volleyball team will host the University of Southern California, George Mason University, and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), in the 21st annual Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic at Blake Arena.
Now in its 21st year of existence, the Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic hosted by Springfield College has become the biggest event for volleyball on the East Coast, and the Pride is the only Division III squad in the country currently hosting a Division I volleyball tournament. Tickets for each night's doubleheader are $5 for adults, and $3 for students and youths. For more information on tickets, please call the Volleyball Hall of Fame at (413) 536-0926.In the opening night of action (Feb. 22), George Mason will square off against IPFW at 6:00 p.m. The host Pride will then take on USC at 8:00 p.m. On Saturday night, February 10th, game times will again be at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., with the consolation match first and the championship match scheduled second to cap off the weekend's festivities.
Besides four exciting top-level volleyball matches, this weekend also offers two different clinics; one for players and one for coaches. Springfield Head Coach Charlie Sullivan, USC’s Bill Ferguson, IPFW’s Arnie Ball, and George Mason’s Fred Chao will be in charge of directing the players clinic, as Sullivan will run the coaches clinic. Both clinics start at 9:00 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. with a break for lunch. The cost of each clinic is $50 with a ticket included for Saturday night's consolation and championship action. To sign up for the clinics or to receive more information, please call the Volleyball Hall of Fame at (413) 536-0926.
Springfield College:
Head Coach Charlie Sullivan's squad is ranked fourth in Division III and owns an 11-2 record in the 2008 campaign. As the Pride take on some of the top Division I teams in the country, the trio of Ryan Fredrickson, AJ Nally, and Cal Palumbo look to lead the Springfield attack. Nally, an AVCA Division III Second Team All-American and AVCA Division III Newcomer of the Year award recipient in 2007, leads the team with 134 kills, averaging 3.64 per game, to go along with a team-best 90 digs. Fredrickson, a two-time AVCA Division III All-American and a two-time EIVA Division III All-Star, has recorded 109 kills this season. In his first season in Blake Arena, freshman Cal Palumbo has turned heads with his 112 kills on a .520 hitting percentage as well as his 42 blocks.
University of Southern California (USC):
Springfield’s opponent on Friday night, the University of Southern California, enters this tournament ranked eighth in the country by the CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men's Volleyball Top-15 Coaches Poll. The Trojans, 7-8, returned its entire starting lineup returns in 2008, and has been led by the outstanding play of Murphy Troy. Troy, who has already registered 206 kills this season, has teammed up with Juan Figueroa (191 kills) as the duo is averaging nearly eight kills a game combined.
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW):
The Mastadons are currently ranked 12th in the country in Division I and enter the tournament with a 6-4 overall record. After falling in the NCAA Championships last season, the IPFW men's volleyball team have been led by two-time All-America outside hitter C.J. Macias' 146 kills (3.95 per game). Preseason All-MIVA First Team selection senior middle hitter Josh Stewart has been a force in the middle, totalling 44 blocks and 73 kills, hitting at a .414 clip. IPFW is under the direction of the 2007 AVCA Men's Volleyball Coach of the Year, Arnie Ball.
George Mason:
The George Mason men's volleyball team currently sits 13th in the country with a 7-4 record. Mason, which returned four starters from last year's team, has been paced by a trio that has already hammered out 100-plus kills this season. Kyle Gramit is leading the squad with 191 kills (4.90 per game) while Hudson Bates (155 kills) and RJ Goubeaux (109 kills and 67 blocks) have also been impact players for the Patriots in 2008. Mason previously defeated Springfield in three games in the Pride's second game of the season.
Team Links
- 2010 Schedule
- 2010 Roster
- 2009 Statistics
- 2008 Recruiting Brochure (.pdf)
- EIVA Website
- Bison/AVCA Division III Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll
- Live Stats
- Team Archive
Head Coach Charlie Sullivan
With four national championships to his credit, Charlie Sullivan will enter his 12th season as head coach of the men's volleyball team in 2010. In 11 previous years at the helm, Sullivan owns an overall record of 153-124 for a .552 winning percentage. Read more.