Blauvelt, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Volleyball team made history on Saturday afternoon, capturing the inaugural East Coast Conference Regular Season title with a 3-0 blanking of American International College at the Hennessy Center on the campus of Dominican University. 

STAC wraps up its 2024 regular season with a 9-12 overall record and a 5-1 ECC mark, while AIC slips to 2-18 and 1-5. Both teams will qualify for the upcoming conference tournament, along with members Dominican University (11-12, 3-3 ECC) and Roberts Wesleyan University (8-14, 3-3 ECC).

Prior to the contest between the Spartans and Yellow Jackets, STAC honored its graduating senior class; Miles Fisher, Fernando Juarez and Manny Maitin with on-court ceremonies, which included their teammates, coaches and college administrators.

Set Results 

Set 1: STAC 25/AIC 22

Set 2: STAC 25/AIC 12

Set 3: STAC 25/AIC 13

How it Happened

• As a team, STAC recorded 35 kills compared to American International's 19. The Spartans also had a 16.5 blocks and 33 assists, while the Yellow Jackets tallied 4 blocks and 18 assists.
• St. Thomas Aquinas outhit AIC by a .333 to -.045 margin for the match.
• Kyran Versteegen paced the Spartans offense with a match-high 14 kills on Saturday. He also registered, four service aces, three digs, one solo block and five block assists.
• Joaquin La Jara tallied 25 serve assists (8.33 assists/set). La Jara also accumulated one dig and three block assists for the maroon and gold.
• Gabriel Vieira recorded eight kills, along with four digs and six block assists.
• James Feuchtgruber recorded three kills and a match-high 12 block assists. Feuchtgruber accounted for 12 of the Spartans 31 total block assists (38.7%).
• David Weiss picked up three kills, three service aces, a dig and three block assists.
• Andre Cippiciani tallied three kills, three digs and two block assists on the day.

Up Next

St. Thomas Aquinas College has earned the top seed and hosting duties for the upcoming East Coast Conference Men's Volleyball Tournament, which takes place Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21 at the Hennessy Center on the campus of Dominican University. The Spartans will face #4 American International College, as #2 Roberts Wesleyan takes on #3 Dominican University in the semifinal round. The winners of both matches will faceoff the very next day for the right to be called the first-ever ECC Men's Volleyball Champion.