Contact: Emily Zadny, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302  

MCVL Full Release

April 13, 2018 – For the first time in program history, four members of the North Central College men's volleyball team were named to the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) First and Second Teams. The MCVL released the 2018 selections on Friday prior to the opening match of the MCVL Tournament.

Junior Jake Braceros, sophomore Brendan Crawford, and sophomore Michael Trunzo were All-MCVL First Team selections and junior Bozhidar Kolev was named to the Second Team. Braceros, an outside hitter from Des Plaines, Ill., currently holds the program's single-game record for kills (21) and ranks fourth on the team in kills this season with 149. He had a season-high 16 kills against Benedictine University on Jan. 27.

Crawford, a middle blocker from Flossmor, Ill., ranks third on the team in kills (170), and leads the defense with 55 total blocks. Crawford was honored by the MCVL earlier in the season as the MCVL Offensive Player of the Week on Jan. 23. His .360 hitting percentage is good for fourth in the MCVL and had a season-high 12 kills in the Cardinals' Feb. 28 victory against Carthage College.

Trunzo, a setter from Valencia, Calif., has been a key component to North Central's offense, contributing 693 assists as well as 18 kills. He currently ranks fifth in the MCVL in assists per set (9.12) and had a season-high 48 assists in the Feb. 2 match against California Lutheran University.

Kolev, an outside hitter from Gabrovo, Bulgaria, ranks second on the team in kills with 177 on the season, including a season-high 20 kills against Fontbonne University on March 24 that was one shy of tying Braceros' record. Kolev has also recorded 21 service aces, 31 total blocks, and 105 digs to show his versatility on the court, including a season-high 13 digs against Wittenberg University on Apr. 6.

North Central (17-7, 9-0) was the regular season MCVL Champion and earned the top seed for the MCVL Tournament. The Cardinals host No. 4 seed Loras College at 7:30 p.m. in the second semifinal game of the tournament. No. 2 seed Carthage College faces No. 3 seed Mount St. Joseph University at 5 p.m to kick off post-season action. The winning teams will face each other on Saturday, Apr. 14 at 2 p.m. for the MCVL Championship match, fighting for the automatic bid to the Division III NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship. Live tournament coverage for all matches can be found HERE.