Naseri Tumanuvao and Concordia-Irvine won the 2013 NAIA Men's Volleyball National Invitational Tournament in its first year as a program

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce Concordia University-Irvine opposite Naseri Tumanuvao as the 2013 NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Player of the Year. (

The junior All-American had a tremendous year for the Eagles, leading them to their first NAIA National Championship and an overall record of 25-7 that is also their first year competing in men’s volleyball. 

In the championship match, Tumanuvao led the team with 17 kills hitting .344 with another four digs over No. 1 seed Park University.

The Long Beach, Calif., native earned All-Tournament Team honors after leading all players with an astounding .472 hitting percentage. He began the tournament with a 15-kill performance attacking at a .571 clip over St. Ambrose and never looked back, finishing with an additional 33 kills.

Overall in the 2013 season, the junior led the team averaging 3.50 kills per set, which is also good for a top-10 national ranking. Defensively, he tallied 130 digs and 67 total blocks. As a team, Concordia-Irvine ranked in the top-five nationally in hitting percentage (.290), kills per set (12.6), and assists per set (12.0).

Other accolades garnered by the Eagles in 2013 were head coach Trevor Johnson being named the MAMVIC National and NAIA Coach of the Year as well as All-Tournament Coach, Dillon Auxier named Tournament MVP and Mark Metrakos joined Tumanuvao as an AVCA NAIA All-American.

About AVCA(The AVCA, with its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is managed by Associations International. The mission of the AVCA is to develop the sport of volleyball and its coaches. With a membership of over 6,000 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport. Members include collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides education to volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers. Further information is available at www.avca.org.

-MAMVIC-

 

DENVER, Colo. – No. 2 seeded Concordia University-Irvine upset No. 1 Park University to capture the 2013 NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Invitational Tournament championship, presented by Tachikara in three straight sets (25-22, 25-22, 29-27).

An impressive accomplishment for the Eagles in its first season playing NAIA men’s volleyball in program history. CUI also captured the NAIA Volleyball championship sweep, as its women’s volleyball team won the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship over Columbia College (Mo.) back on Dec. 1, 2012 in Sioux City, Iowa.

Naseri Tumanuvao had a match high 17 kills in the victory and Tournament MVP Dillon Auxier added 15 along with four digs.

As a team, CUI hit .343 and Kevin Fiske led all players with 44 assists. In the first set, there were five ties and two lead changes. The Eagles led throughout in the second set, but in the third in final set, which may have been the best set of the tournament, there were 23 ties and nine lead changes.

Park led 25-24 late in the final set on a kill by Zach Penolio, but the Eagles kept pushing and tied it up with a kill by Tumanuvao. With the scored tied at 27, Park’s Fabricio Toledo served the ball into the net and gave the Eagles the lead. Then Dillon Auxier sent the Concordia-Irvine fans in a frenzy with a kill to seal the victory.

Tournament MVP: Dillon Auxier, Concordia University-Irvine

All-Tournament Team: Robert Esser, Missouri Baptist, Dontrell Brown, Warner University, Murilo Pereira, Park University, Rob Cordero, Park University, Dillon Auxier, Concordia University-Irvine, Naseri Tumanuvao, Concordia University-Irvine

Coach of the Year: Trevor Johnson, Concordia University-Irvine

Sportsman of the Year: Damon Sichler, Johnson and Wales

Tournament Statistical Leaders:

Hitting Percentage: Naseri Tumanuvao, Concordia University-Irvine, .472

Kills per game: Gustavo Cintron, Missouri Baptist, 4.30 per game

Assists per game:(Andre Calar, Warner University, 11.70 per game

Digs per game: Kalani Rose, Park University, 2.73 per game

Service Aces per game: Andre Calar, Warner University, .40 per game

Blocks per game: Ty Coutts, Johnson and Wales, 1.56 per game

First Place Team: Concordia University-Irvine

Second Place Team: Park University

Semifinalist Team Trophies:(Missouri Baptist University,(Warner University

STATS

 

-MAMVIC-