UW-Oshkosh II Reaches Quarterfinals of NCVF Division III Championship (4-10-16)
The UW-Oshkosh II men's volleyball team reached the gold bracket of the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation Division III championship for the 12th straight season on Thursday-Saturday (April 9-11) in Louisville, Kentucky.
UW-Oshkosh II (36-8) started off the tournament in pool play with a 25-14, 25-18 win over Texas State University II and a 25-20, 25-10 victory over The Ohio State University.
Michael Starzec (Sr. - Buffalo Grove, Ill.) led the team in the opening match with eight kills and two blocks and Tony Mack (Jr. - Muskego) added seven kills and a team high seven digs. Jake Martin (Fr. - New Lenox, Ill.) and Alex Harty (Jr. - Racine) each had four digs and Mitch Lahmann (Sr. - Wauwatosa) added two service aces.
Adam Landgrad (Sr. - Kenosha) dished out 24 assists and added two service aces Braeden Melton (Sr. - Beloit) had four kills and two blocks.
Mack led the team with nine kills against the Buckeyes and Landgraf distributed 23 assists. Martin tallied six digs, Melton had six kills and three blocks and Steve Cotton (Jr. - Muskego) had two service aces. The Titans did not have a receiving error in the match.
In Friday's action the UW-Oshkosh advanced to the gold bracket after beating the University of Maryland II 25-16, 25-21 and losing to Indiana University 17-25, 25-23, 18-16.
Lahmann led the Titans against the Terrapins with eight kills. Melton added five kills and four blocks, Landgraf had 15 assists and four blocks, Harty had 11 digs and Starzec had four blocks.
UW-Oshkosh II could not overcome an injury in the second set to Lahmann in the loss to the Hoosiers. Mack tallied 12 kills and Starzec added 11 as the Titans had 39 kills in the match. John Collins (Fr. - New Berlin) added six kills and Melton had five kills and two blocks. Landgraf ran the offense with 35 assists and amassed nine digs.
The Titans scooped up 38 digs in the match as Harty had nine digs, Mack seven and Martin and Lahmann each had five. Mack had two service aces.
In the first round of the 16-team gold bracket the Titans slipped by Penn State University, a team they beat in last year's semifinals, 25-23, 25-21. Mack and Starzec led the Titans offensively again with seven kills. Melton led the team with five blocks and Landgraf, Starzec and Zach Tazalla (Jr. - Whitefish Bay) each had three stuffs. Landgraf provided 20 assists, Collins had four kills and Harty had six kills.
After winning the first set against California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo II, UW-Oshkosh II struggles offensively in a 22-25, 25-18, 15-7 loss to end their season. Starzec led the Titans with 10 kills, Mack added eight kills and Landgraf dished out 23 assists. Harty dialed up 10 digs and Martin provided six digs.
The Titans had two NCVF Division III Honorable Mention All-Americans named after the tournament. Mack, a 6-3 six rotation left side hitter was previously named a WVC Division II First-Team All-Conference selection after leading the league in hitting percentage. He was a starting member of the Titans Division I national championship team after transferring from Cardinal Stritch University in 2015.
“I have said numerous times that Tony is one of the hardest working guys on our team not only on the court, but also in the classroom,” said program head coach Brian Schaefer. “He is a tremendous teammate and player and very deserving of this award.”
Starzec, a 6-7 middle blocker was tough to beat all year both offensively and defensively. He was very effective running plays both in front and behind the setter and his tough blocking at the net caused havoc for the Titans’ opponents all season. Starzec was a WVC Division II First-Team All-Conference honoree this year and like Mack, was a member of the Titans Division I national championship team last season.
“Mike put a lot of time and energy waiting to get his shot as a starter in our program” added Schaefer. “He is a great player, teammate and brought a lot of energy to the team all season. He was a captain for a reason and without his presence on the court the Division II team would not have accomplished such great things all year.”
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