BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Senior Kale Spencer of the Long Island University men's volleyball team received Player of the Year honors from the NEC, the conference announced on Wednesday. Additionally, Spencer and freshman Ike Vernon were both named First-Team All-NEC selections. 

Spencer, an outside hitter/right-side hitter from Kula, Maui, Hawaii, becomes the first NEC Player of the Year in program history. During NEC play, Spencer totaled conference-highs in kills (180) and attacks (391), while also ranking second in digs (105) and third in service aces (22).  

He finished NEC play ranked second in the conference in digs per set (2.14), third in points per set (4.37), fourth in hitting percentage (.294) and service aces per set (.45), and fifth in kills per set (3.67). 

The senior outside hitter/right-side hitter posted several stellar NEC matches this spring; Spencer had four of the 10 highest-kill conference matches, and his 19 digs against Daemen on April 11 was the second-most in an NEC match this season. Spencer had 15-plus kills in six conference matchups. 

Spencer received First-Team All-NEC honors for the second time in his career, having been named to the list in the 2025 season. Additionally, Spencer was a Second-Team All-NEC selection in the 2024 season. Spencer joins former Shark Livian Moreno as the only two-time First-Team All-NEC selections in program history. 

Vernon began his collegiate career in exciting fashion, leading the conference in both kills per set (3.97, ranked fourth in Division I), attacks per set (9.29, fourth in Division I), and points per set (4.56, sixth in Division I) in overall matches.  

In eight NEC matches played this spring, Vernon totaled 108 kills on 244 attacks for a .279 hitting percentage, also recording six service aces, 28 digs, 14 total blocks, and 121 points. 

During conference play, the Provo, Utah native ranked third in the NEC in kills per set (3.86), fourth in points per set (4.32), and sixth in hitting percentage (.279). His 20 kills against FDU on March 21 were the seventh-most in an NEC match this season, while his 17 kills against Manhattan on March 28 were the second-most in a three-set match this spring. 

Vernon recorded three conference matches with 15-plus kills, and nine overall matches with 15-plus kills. 

Fourth-seeded LIU takes on No. 1 seed Saint Francis University in the semifinals of the NEC Men's Volleyball Tournament on Friday, April 24, at 3 p.m.