Men’s Volleyball Lands Three on Skyline All-Conference Teams

NEW YORK — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) men's volleyball trio of Leonel Bravo (Astoria, N.Y./Queens Vocational & Technical), Alex Helfant (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy International), and Frank Tello (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy International) earned places on All-Skyline Conference Teams, as announced by the league on Tuesday. Bravo was selected to the First Team while Helfant and Tello each garnered Second Team honors.

Bravo becomes the first Bear in program history to earn a First Team All-Skyline selection. The two-time Libero of the Week placed second in the conference with 3.54 digs per set, propelling the navy and gray to a Division III leading 13.19 digs per set. He also ranks fourth in the nation in the category. Bravo accumulated 225 digs over 20 matches, offered up 20 assists and nine kills. Notching double-figure digs in 12 contests, his 32 against Sarah Lawrence were both a season- and career-best for the Queens native.

A two-time Player of the Week honoree, Helfant led the Bears' attack with 125 kills and 3.26 kills per set; good for second in the Skyline. His 12.38 swings per set tops Division III. Helfant's season-best 32 kills in 90 attacks against Yeshiva broke the program single-match record in both categories. The 2022 All-Sportsmanship selection, Helfant posted nine double-doubles in 2023 and placed second on the squad – and fourth in the league – with 3.01 digs per set.

Tello ranked second on the side with 121 kills and 1.68 kills per set and third with 13 service aces. The middle blocker from Ecuador had north of 10 kills in five matches, including 15 against the Maccabees and Gryphons in the Bears' home tri-match in mid-March.

This season marks the third time the program garnered multiple All-Conference selections and first since 2019 with three honorees. 

The trident led the Bears to a 7-13 overall record and a 6-8 conference mark, both marking the most wins since joining the Skyline since 2016.

Skyline Conference season awards, as well as the all-conference teams, were determined by a vote of the league's eight head coaches.