FLUSHING, N.Y. – The City University of New York Athletic Conference and Pepsi announced their 2020 Men's Volleyball All-Star Teams Friday, honoring the best players in the conference this season. The awards were voted on by the conference's eight coaches following the conclusion of an abbreviated season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Baruch's Meni Musheyev and Kevin Edwards were selected the league's Player and Coach of the Year, respectively, while CCNY's Jonathan Liao and Vukasin Bozic were crowned Libero and Rookie of the Year, respectively.
Player of the Year – Meni Musheyev, Jr., Baruch
A First Team All-Star a season ago, Musheyev put together a strong 2020 campaign. The junior was one of the most efficient hitters in all of NCAA Division III, posting a .407 hitting percentage, ranked No. 1 in CUNYAC and No. 8 in the country.
Musheyev led the Bearcats in blocks (50), second-most in the conference, while recording a career-best 134 kills, a top-10 mark in CUNYAC.
"I'm lucky to have the support of such a great team behind me that allowed me to achieve this recognition."
Libero of the Year – Jonathan Liao, Sr., CCNY
Jonathan Liao was voted the league's top Libero following a solid 2020 season. The senior led the conference in digs (193), recording 10 or more digs in 10 matches, highlighted by 21 digs in a win over Colby-Sawyer.
Liao also led CUNYAC in digs per set (3.27), which ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division III.
"I'm very grateful to have earned this award," said Liao. "Getting this award was always a goal of mine. Big shoutout to my teammates and coaches, I wouldn't have been able to get this without their support.
Rookie of the Year – Vukasin Bozic, Fr., CCNY
Bozic becomes the fourth Beaver to earn CUNYAC Rookie of the Year accolades this year, joining Yassine Sakhi of men's basketball, Reilly Boehm of women's basketball and Habibu Gado of track and field.
A five-time CUNYAC Rookie of the Week, the freshman made an immediate impact both on the Beavers and the conference. The outside hitter paced the league in points (219.5) and kills (194), accumulating 10 or more kills in 11 matches, highlighted by a league-best 22-kill performance against Lehman. Bozic's 194 kills ranked No. 34 in NCAA Division III.
"Success is not something that comes overnight, it does not come at once," said Bozic. "It is a result of many, many, many years of hard work and trying to achieve goals. I just want to say thank you to all the coaches that work hard with me to allow me to become a better player and also my teammates who always pushed me to do better and strive for success."
Coach of the Year – Kevin Edwards, Baruch
Head coach Kevin Edwards earns Coach of the Year honors on the men's side for the second time in three seasons. Coming off guiding Baruch to its first-ever CUNYAC crown, Edwards had his squad atop the standings in 2020, as the Bearcats finished the year 14-6 overall with a perfect 5-0 mark against league opposition.
"I am very thankful for this opportunity to represent Baruch College and the CUNYAC in being chosen for this award," said Edwards, in his fourth season with the Bearcats. "Together we make a lot of dreams come through, seen and unseen. What keeps me going is not winning, but the quest for getting the full potential out of my players as volleyballers and reaching the full potential in myself as a coach. In the end, it's the pursuit of excellence. Keep safe and stay healthy. We will get through this pandemic together and continue our quest to make more student-athletes dreams a reality. Thank you!"
Below is the full list of 2020 CUNYAC/Pepsi Men's Volleyball All-Stars
2020 CUNYAC/Pepsi Men's Volleyball All-Stars
First Team
Artem Zinkin, Sr., Baruch
Krystian Surdel, Sr., John Jay
Peter Veljovic, Jr., Lehman
David Heyliger, Fr., York
Jack Nugent, Fr., John Jay
Alec Helford, Jr., Hunter
Second Team
Jonathan Liao, Sr., CCNY *
Blake Hogan, Sr., Hunter
Cyrus De Guzman, Sr., Hunter
Enmanuel Jaquez, Jr., Medgar Evers
Carlos Maldonado Madrid, Sr., CCNY
Christian Maisonet, So., Hunter
Alejandro Gallardo, So., John Jay
Player of the Year: Meni Musheyev, Jr., Baruch
* Libero of the Year: Jonathan Liao, Sr., CCNY
Rookie of the Year: Vukasin Bozic, Fr., CCNY
Sportsmanship Award: Jovan Scott, Sr., Medgar Evers
All-Sportsmanship Team
Hanbin Lee, Sr., Baruch
Brian Fok, Fr., Brooklyn
Andrew Chan, Jr., CCNY
Sherrod Cole, So., Hunter
Manuel Peralta, Fr., John Jay
Dyvon Webb, Fr., Lehman
Juan Rodriguez, Sr., York