Grand Canyon University Athletics
Mosher, Silbernagel, Milstein, and Engleman earn All-MIVA awards
4/13/2017 11:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
The Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association announced awards for the 2017 season on Thursday morning and four GCU athletes were honored for their performances. Cullen Mosher and Drake Silbernagel received All-MIVA Second Team accolades while Michael Milstein and Sky Engleman were named Honorable Mention All-MIVA.
"I am very proud of the team for the All-MIVA selections," head coach Matt Werle stated. "We are sure to recognize that any award given to an individual is a team award. Cullen, Drake, Sky, and Michael have put a tremendous amount of work in to deserve these accolades. They should be very proud of their efforts and the respect these other coaches have for them. It says something huge about our 'team' that we finished the regular season third in the league and did not have any individual make the First-Team MIVA. To take that a step further, of the teams that finished in the Top 5 of the MIVA, we have the fewest number of athletes honored on the First and Second teams."
Mosher led the team this season with 212 kills as an outside hitter. He earned two consecutive MIVA Offensive Player of the Week awards for his performances against Fort Wayne and McKendree, four straight wins for the Lopes. The junior from Kaneohe, Hawaii added 24 services aces, 95 digs, and 43 total blocks for the year.
Silbernagel, from Glendale, Arizona, was second on the team with 202 kills in his first season as a Lope. He led the team with 27 aces and was second-best in blocks with 93 total. Silbernagel has reached double-digit kills six times this season and was the most efficient hitter on the squad, leading the Lopes with an attacking percentage of .432.
Milstein, the team captain, was the primary setter for GCU all season and a leader on the court. He amassed 959 assists during the year, a career best, and his mark of 9.69 assists/set was fourth-best in the MIVA. Milstein hails from Jerusalem, Israel and he has been a member of the Israeli Senior Men's National Team for the past few years.
Engleman led the defensive effort for GCU all season, pacing the Lopes with 209 digs. He earned the award of MIVA Defensive Player of the Week for his performances against Quincy University on February 10 and 11. Engleman, from Honolulu, Hawaii, was fifth-best in the MIVA with a 2.03 digs/set average.
"We are striving for a balanced team and this goes to show the number of individuals that have contributed to this team in a balanced fashion," Werle added. "We don't have 'superstars' and our program really bought into the 'team culture' this year! I am very proud of them."
Player of the Year: Nicolas Szerszen, Ohio State
Coach of the Year: Pete Hanson, Ohio State
Co-Freshmen Of the Year: Ryan Coenen, Lewis & Matt Szews, Ball State
All-MIVA First Team
Matt Szews, Ball State - OH - Fr.
Matt Walsh, Ball State - MH - Jr.
Ryan Coenen, Lewis - OH - R-Fr.
Mitch Perinar, Lewis - OPP - R-So.
Michael Simmons, Lewis - L - R-So.
Matt Yoshimoto, Lewis - S - So.
Jeff Jendryk, Loyola - MH - Jr.
Christy Blough, Ohio State - S - Sr.
Miles Johnson, Ohio State - OPP - Sr.
Nicolas Szerszen, Ohio State - OH - Jr.
All-MIVA Second Team
Connor Gross, Ball State - S - Sr.
Cullen Mosher, Grand Canyon - OH - R-Jr.
Drake Silbernagel, Grand Canyon - MH - Sr.
Ben Plaisted, Loyola - OPP - Jr.
Collin Mahan, Loyola - OH - So.
Wyatt Patterson, McKendree - MH - Sr.
Maalik Walker, McKendree - OPP - Sr.
Gabriel Domecus, Ohio State - L - Sr.
Driss Guessous, Ohio State - MH - R-Sr.
Jarrod Kelso, Quincy - MH - Jr.
All-MIVA Honorable Mention
Brendan Surane, Ball State - S - Sr.
Pelegrin Vargas, Fort Wayne - OH - Fr.
Sky Engleman, Grand Canyon - L - Jr.
Michael Milstein, Grand Canyon - S - Sr.
Jacob Schmiegelt, Lewis - MH - R-Sr.
Connor Hipelius, Lindenwood - MH - So.
Sam Schindler, Lindenwood - MH - Fr.
Pasquale Fiduccia, McKendree - S - Jr.
Brendan Schmidt, McKendree - MB - R-Jr.
Maxime Hervoir, Ohio State - OH - Jr.
All-Freshmen Team
Matt Szews, Ball State - OH
Nick Lavanchy, Ball State - L
Pelegrin Vargas, Fort Wayne - OH
Ryan Coenen, Lewis - OH
Kyle Bugee, Lewis - OH
Sam Schindler, Lindenwood - MB
Ian Cowen, Loyola - S
