Contact: Ben Nordman, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Mar. 31, 2020 - The North Central College men's volleyball team has netted four All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) nods in the inaugural season of the sport within the conference, highlighted by three First Team selections and the Newcomer of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday.

The Cardinals finished with a 5-1 conference record following one of two planned times through the conference schedule before cancellations, putting them second within the conference behind Carthage College.

Jason Eslinger, Jared Moser, and Michael Trunzo highlight the first team selections for the Cardinals, while Justin Curtis was also honored on the second team.

Eslinger ranked fifth in kills per set (3.37) within the CCIW in conference matches this season, while he was third in service aces per set (0.58) and tenth in digs per set (2.05). Trunzo, the main setter for the Cardinals this season once again, averaged 10.50 assists per set among the six conference contests, ranking first among his conference counterparts in the category. He also wanked seventh in digs per set at 2.22.

Curtis was selected onto the second team after ranking third among those qualified in hitting percentage at 0.390.

Moser, along with his First Team selection, was named the Newcomer of the Year after his outstanding freshman season. He led the all-conference selections in hitting percentage (.401) and kills per set (3.94) within conference contests.

Matt Slivinski of Carthage was named Offensive Player of the Year, while Carthage also netted the Defensive Player of the Year in Zach Bulthuis while their coach, JW Kieckhefer, won Coach of the Year.

North Central, Carthage, and Augustana are all tied for first in number of selections with four, while Loras College received two selections and North Park University and Greenville University had one.

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