Three Gulls Headline Men's Volleyball NEVC All-Conference Honors
BEVERLY, Mass. – Five members of the Endicott men's volleyball team have earned New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC) postseason honors, as announced by the league office earlier today.
Aidan Iacovelli (South Windsor, Conn.) and Dan Battista (Bethlehem, N.Y.) highlighted the group as Iacovelli was named NEVC Player of the Year, while Battista earned Defensive Player of the Year honors.
In addition, George Chapell '08 was named NEVC Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career (2026, 2020-23, 2017, and 2014).
The Gulls also saw Battista, Iacovelli, and Jake Laborde (Brookline, N.H.) earn spots on the All-NEVC First Team.
Along with those All-Conference honors, Alex Bui (Halfmoon, N.Y.) was chosen to the Sportsmanship Team.
AIDAN IACOVELLI | SR. | OH
NEVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR | ALL-NEVC FIRST TEAM
In 23 matches so far this season, Iacovelli has posted 3.84 kills per set (307 total), a .321 hitting percentage, 136 digs, and 335 points for the Gulls.
His NEVC ranks include the following categories/stats: kills (5th), kills per set (2nd), hitting percentage (5th), digs (16th), points (4th), and points per set (4.2, t-1st).
The senior posted a career-high 26-kill performance against Bard on Mar. 7, which ranks fifth-best in program history for a four-set match. He heads into the postseason with 18 or more kills in four of his last five matches.
This is Iacovelli's third consecutive All-NEVC First Team honor. He becomes the sixth student-athlete in program history to be named to the First-Team All-Conference three times in their career.
DAN BATTISTA | JR. | L/S
NEVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR | ALL-NEVC FIRST TEAM
In 21 matches played this season, Battista has set new career marks in both digs (267) and digs per set (3.66) en route to becoming the fourth student-athlete in program history to be named Defensive Player of the Year.
Battista's NEVC ranks include second in digs and first in digs per set. Across Division III, the junior ranks second nationally in digs per set.
The Bethlehem, N.Y. native has recorded 10 or more digs in 15 matches, including a career-high 22 in a four-set victory over SUNY Potsdam.
The honor is Battista's first career All-NEVC recognition.
JAKE LABORDE | SR. | OH
ALL-NEVC FIRST TEAM
In 22 matches played this season, Laborde has set a new career-high with 205 kills to go with 2.89 kills per set and a .223 hitting percentage. The senior has also posted career highs in digs (103), digs per set (1.45), and total blocks (32). His 27 service aces tie his career high as well.
Laborde's NEVC ranks include the following: kills (10th), kill per set (8th), hitting percentage (14th), points (251, 8th), points per set (3.5, 7th), service aces (7th), and service aces per set (0.38, 2nd). The Brookline, N.H. native heads into postseason play with 10 or more kills in four consecutive matches.
This is Laborde's first career All-NEVC First Team honor after being named to the Second Team in 2024.
GEORGE CHAPELL '08 | HEAD COACH
COACH OF THE YEAR
Chapell led the Gulls to the NEVC regular season championship via a 20-3 overall record and 7-0 mark in conference matches.
This is the 10th time that Endicott has won 20 or more games in a season, and the 10th time they have gone undefeated in conference play.
The team's dominance this season has been highlighted by a 19-game winning streak, the longest across all of Division III.
During conference play, as a team, the Gulls rank first in the NEVC in kills per set (14.44), hitting percentage (.327), assists per set (13.60), blocks per set (1.96), points (449.0), points per set (18.0), and committed the fewest reception errors (20).
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(Photo Credit - Mikey Kiselka '29/Jonah Bean '28)