MILWAUKEE – Sophomore Derek Wills and freshman Keanu Ouranitsas-Hayes of Marian University men’s volleyball have earned All-NACC recognition, as announced by the league Thursday.
Wills (Dubuque, Iowa) proved himself as one of the best attackers in the NACC earning his second all-conference selection but this team a first team nod. He finished the regular season fourth in the conference with 3.45 kills per set and 4.06 points per set, and still managed to finish 11th in the conference for hitting percentage at .268. Wills posted a pair of double-doubles on the season after recording 14 kills and 10 digs against Concordia Chicago, and 17 kills with 10 digs at Concordia Wisconsin. He posted double-digit kills in 22 matches this season with a season-best 19 kills coming against Wabash. At the service line, he tied for the team lead in aces finishing fifth in the NACC with 32. He tied his career-best of four service aces in a single match twice against Rockford and Illinois Wesleyan. Wills would earn a pair of NACC Player of the Week selections during the season as well.
Ouranitsas-Hayes (Hilo, Hawaii) had an immediate impact for the Sabres earning an honorable mention selection from the NACC. He paced the Sabre at the net finishing third in the NACC with 84 blocks on the season. From his 84 rejections, 15 were solo blocks and 69 were assisted, both marks good for fifth in the conference. He posted at least four total blocks in eight matches this season with a season-high eight blocks coming at Wittnberg, all were assisted. Ouranitsas-Hayes would also have three solo blocks against then-ranked No. 13 Cal Lutheran. His offense also could not be overlooked as he posted three double-digit kill performances with at least seven kills coming in eight matches. Ouranitsas-Hayes had his season-best come against Concordia Chicago where he had 12 kills without an error to go with six blocks. He finished the season with an attack percentage of .429. At the service line, he finished 10th in the NACC with 23 aces and posted four service aces against Augustana (Ill.). Ouranitsas-Hayes earned one NACC Player of the Week award.
The full release and all-conference lists from the NACC can be found at https://northernac.prestosports.com/sports/mvball/index.
Marian enjoyed their winningest season in program history going 23-8 with a 9-3 mark in conference play. The Sabres were able to host a NACC Tournament game for the third time in program history as a result.
