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The top individuals from Queens are closing out the decade with a college men’s volleyball accolade.
Off the Block announced on Thursday the seven players selected to the Queens All-Decade Starting Lineup presented by Off the Block.
The All-Decade Starting Lineup recognizes the best players to compete with a team since 2010. Similar to the starting lineup for a match, the All-Decade honor is comprised of a setter, opposite and libero along with two outside attackers and middle attackers.
The Off the Block staff determined the All-Decade Starting Lineup using a variety of factors including career statistical performance and the team’s overall success when a player was a member of the program.
This is also part of a series from Off the Block to celebrate the end of the decade in college men’s volleyball. Off the Block throughout the rest of 2019 will release an All-Decade Starting Lineup for every NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball team.
Queens started its program in 2018 and has spent its first two seasons competing as an independent without a conference affiliation. The Royals under their founding coach Jeremy Price finished last season winning a program-record 10 matches and advancing to the IVA Tournament finals.
Off the Block is a national award winning website that was established in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball.
Queens All-Decade Starting Lineup presented by Off the Block
Setter: Alexander Schinzing
Opposite: Marco Vecellio
Outside attacker: Tristan Santoyo
Outside attacker: Nic Cavallaro
Middle attacker: JP Payne
Middle attacker: Aleksandar Perisic
Libero: Conner Nagaki
Nic Cavallaro (2018 – present)
Awards and honors: 2019 Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week
Cavallaro set the program’s single-season record with a 2.90 kills per game average last season. He also had three matches with at least 20 kills in 2019 and set the program’s single-match record with 28 kills on .479 attack percentage in a near upset against King in March. In his first two seasons with the Royals, Cavallaro has seven matches with both double-digit kills and at least a .300 attack percentage.
Conner Nagaki (2018 – present)
Awards and honors: 2018 Off the Block All-Independent Team
Nagaki during his freshman season finished sixth in the nation — along with setting the program’s single-season record — averaging 2.75 digs per game. He also had nine matches that season with double-digit digs. In addition, Nagaki had a season-high nine digs against Mount Olive last season and continues to hold the Queens career record with a 2.39 digs per game average.
JP Payne (2019 – present)
Awards and honors: 2019 Off the Block All-Independent Team; 2019 Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week
Payne in his first season at Queens had the third-best attack percentage in program history at .372. The middle attacker had more than five kills and a .300 attack percentage in 11 matches, including seven kills while hitting .438 in victory against Coker in the IVA Tournament semifinals. He also was second on the team with a 0.75 blocks per game average.
Aleksandar Perisic (2018-19)
Awards and honors: 2018 Off the Block All-Independent Team; 2018 Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week; 2019 Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week
Perisic as a freshman in Queens’ inaugural season finished 12th in the nation and set the program’s single-season record with a 1.12 blocks per game average. Despite limited playing time last season, Perisic had a match-high 10 blocks in a victory against Alderson Broaddus in February. The middle attacker also had more than a .200 attack percentage in his first two seasons with the Royals.
Tristan Santoyo (2018 – present)
Awards and honors: 2019 Off the Block All-Independent Team
Santoyo holds the Queens career records with 420 kills and 39 aces. In his sophomore season, he finished with a career-best 2.87 kills per game average and had double-digit digs in 14 matches. Among Santoyo’s top performances included a match-high 16 kills along with an ace as Queens upset Mount Olive in five games in February.
Alexander Schinzing (2019)
Awards and honors: 2019 Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week
Schinzing in his senior season after transferring from North Greenville had an 8.61 assists per game average and guided the Royals offense to more than a .300 attack percentage in six regular season matches. The setter also set a single-season program record with 26 aces, including a match-high three aces to help Queens beat Coker in the IVA Tournament semifinals in April.
Marco Vecellio (2018-19)
Awards and honors: N/A
Vecellio, who arrived to the new program as a junior from Italy, finished Queens’ inaugural season second on the team with a 2.08 kills per game average and had double-digit kills in seven matches. In addition, Vecellio that season was third on the team with a 1.71 digs per game average.