THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.— While helping put Cal Lutheran men's volleyball on the map, the seniors also brought the Kingsmen to the forefront of top teams in the nation.
Just narrowly missing the NCAA tournament in 2019, which is made up of 12 teams, the Kingsmen were poised and looking for another shot in 2020. With CLU being an independent, the match with UC Santa Cruz on April 8th would have been a huge factor for the NCAA committee.
The seven seniors made their mark and helped CLU knock off its first top-5 opponent in program history as they defeated No. 4, Stevens, 25-23, 28-26, 19-25, 22-25, 15-7, last year. The Purple and Gold followed it up by sweeping No. 6 Milwaukee School of Engineering, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23 this season.
Alec Bennett, Nick Christy, Justin Dietrich, Kelly Jew, Andrew McFarlane, Andrew Reina and Patrick Rowe all left a mark on the program. They have left behind a legacy of what future Kingsmen volleyball team's can strive for.
As a utility player, Bennett (Simi Valley, Calif.) played mostly as a libero, and also saw time as a setter. A staple for the defense, Bennett tallied 355 digs in his four-year career, fourth most in program history. With 853 balls coming his way, he had just 48 receiving errors for a percentage of .944. On top of the digs, he added 404 assists and eight service aces. He is a member of the CLU Scholar-Athlete Society.
Christy (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) was another big time defensive player and during his four-year career, he was a middle blocker. He hit the hundred mark for total blocks in his career and sent back 105 balls, 23 of which were solo. Doing a little bit of everything, Christy tallied 152 kills, 71 digs, 18 service aces and 15 assists. In the CLU record books, his sits third for attack percentage with .273. He has also tied for the fifth most blocks and the 10thmost aces. He is a member of the CLU Scholar-Athlete Society.
Dietrich (Las Vegas, Nev.) played all fours years at the middle blocker position and set team records for future Kingsmen to try and take down. For his career, Dietrich is at the top for blocks with 287 and attack percentage with .347. He also has the third most kills with 608 and the fourth most aces with 36. This year, he was on record pace as he tallied 178 kills while hitting with an impressive .423 percentage. He added 65 blocks in the shortened season. He can be the first four-year member of the CLU Scholar-Athlete Society for Kingsmen volleyball.
Jew (Roseville, Calif.) is another four-year student-athlete for the Kingsmen and played opposite. When given his opportunities, Jew took advantage around the net. While playing in 134 sets and 59 matches, he accumulated 184 kills, 94 digs, 51 total blocks, 28 assists and 15 service aces. He sits 10thin program history for kills in a career.
McFarlane (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) played all four years as an opposite for the Purple and Gold. He tallied a career high 14 kills this year as the Kingsmen defeated Westcliff in five sets. He played in 24 matches and 39 sets, and recorded double-digit kills in two matches. For his career, he tallied 65 kills, 20 gigs, 16 blocks, four aces and three assists. He is a member of the CLU Scholar-Athlete Society.
Reina (Orange, Calif.) came to CLU as a sophomore, flourished from the beginning. In just two-and-a-half years, the outside hitter tallied 643 kills, 370 digs, 105 blocks and 64 service aces. He has the second most kills in program history, the third most digs and tied for the fifth most blocks. For a season, his 32 aces in 2019 are the most and his 243 kills in 2018 are the third most. He tallied at least 200 kills every year, as he held down the outside hitting position. He is a member of the CLU Scholar-Athlete Society.
Rowe (Long Beach, Calif.) was the first ever National Player of the Week (03/12/19) for the Kingsmen. His name is all over the record books as he is the program's leader for kills with 896 and aces with 80. He ranks second for digs with 477 and fifth in attack percentage with .220. For single season, he had the second most digs (279), fourth most in blocks (27) and eighth most in digs (138). He had his best offensive year as he recorded 3.23 kills per set and hit with a .241 clip. He is a member of the CLU Scholar-Athlete Society.
The loss of seven seniors will open roles and give more playing time for other Kingsmen to step up. CLU's underclassmen will take what they learned from this senior class into 2021.
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
