ANNVILLE, Pa. - On Monday morning the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) announced their men's volleyball All-Conference awards for the 2022 season. Among the list of honorees were four Falcons including the Conference Player of the Year, setter
Matt Knab. In addition to his Player of the Year honor, Knab claimed First Team honors alongside teammates
Nate Bowman and
Mason Nissley.
Ryan Givens picked up Second Team accolades during his first season in Grantham.
The Falcons concluded a stellar 2022 campaign this past weekend in the MAC Championship Match against the Stevens Ducks. Messiah finished the season with a 20-6 overall record and a Runner-Up finish in the conference.
With
Matt Knab earning MAC Player of the Year honors, Messiah has now won two-straight Conference Player of the Year accolades after
Mason Nissley earned the honor last season. From the setter position, Knab had a major impact in every match he played for the Falcons. He facilitates an offense that hit .312 (the fifth highest mark in the country) while dishing out 668 assists on the year. His 10.12 assists per set are the highest in the MAC and the fifth-most per set in the country. Knab also has the ability to score points for the Falcons, finishing off 39 kills on the season with a .229 hitting percentage. From the service line, Knab leads the MAC with 0.73 service aces per set, the ninth highest per set rate in the country. Beyond his impact on the court, Knab is a team leader that has been part of the Messiah men's volleyball team since their elevation to varsity status in 2018.
Joining Knab with First Team All-Conference honors were
Nate Bowman and
Mason Nissley. An outside hitter, Nissley earned his second-straight First Team All-Conference honor after another stellar season for the Falcons. Nissley registered 4.87 kills per set this season, tops in the conference and third in the country. Hitting at a .324 clip, Nissley has collected 331 kills across 68 sets played. While his kills are down slightly from last season (370 in 65 sets in 2021), Nissley has hit 24 points higher this season. He also has collected 47 service aces and 81 digs this season. His 0.69 aces per set are the 11th most in the country this season.
Another junior,
Nate Bowman also earned his second-straight All-Conference honor, picking up a First Team accolade this season. Bowman was fantastic this season, consistently hitting at a high percentage throughout the season while making his presence felt on the defensive end. On the season, Bowman hit .374 with 131 kills across 66 sets. Defensively, Bowman finished the season with 46 total blocks.
Fellow middle hitter,
Ryan Givens earned the first All-Conference honor of his career this season. During his first campaign in Grantham, Givens hit .471 on the year setting a new program record for the highest hitting percentage in a single season. Givens finished his freshman season with 132 kills on just 223 attempts this season. Some of his best performances have come recently, including an 11-kill match against Stevenson in the MAC Semifinals. Defensively, Givens has accumulated 71 total blocks, including 11 solo blocks.
With four honors this season, Messiah has now earned at least four All-Conference honors in every season that the conference has awarded honors.
