The Bynon name has become synonymous with superlative volleyball, so it’s no surprise that Matt Bynon ended his collegiate career with some noteworthy hardware.
The son of Gary Bynon, head coach of multiple New York State girls’ volleyball champion Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Matt Bynon recently closed out his own successful playing career by being named both the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a second-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American.
It was the second straight season that Bynon, a 5-foot-9 senior libero for Rivier University in Nashua, N.H., earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
He produced 259 digs in only 101 sets played and averaged 2.56 digs per set. He also recorded seven kills and 40 assists.
Rivier was recently ousted in the NCAA tournament’s elite eight by Carthage.
“It’s funny, because Carthage was my brother’s old school,” said Bynon. “But we had a great season. My career went incredibly fast. It was crazy how fast my career went from my freshman year to my senior year.”
Bynon was a standout for perhaps the greatest BH-BL boys’ team ever. As a senior, that Spartan unit won a New York State regional title. In those days, there wasn’t yet an overall state champion.
Bynon, nicknamed “Beef,” went on to play for Sage College, where he led the nation in digs as a freshman.
“That was a fun year my freshman year,” he said. “I got some kids from my club team and we formed a team at Sage. We helped build the program. But one of the best things I ever did was to transfer from Sage to Rivier. Rivier is one of the best volleyball teams in the country. I got a chance to play in the NCAA tournament, and I’ve really had a great time here.”
Bynon said his agility and quickness, as well as his ability to react to the ball from his opponents’ play at the net, has made him a strong libero throughout his scholastic and college career.
“Honestly, I think it also helped me here at Rivier that we’re one of the best blocking teams up front in the country. The big guys helped me out a lot,” he said.
But Bynon gave plenty of credit for his stellar play to his father, who has built a volleyball dynasty at Burnt Hills.
“My whole life has been volleyball,” he said. “I’ve been around it since I was born. I grew into it. Thank God that my dad got me into the sport. He did the same for my brother and sister.”
Bynon said he plans on following in his father’s footsteps when he graduates in a few weeks.
“I would like to coach,” he said. “I’ll play in some clubs around here, but I’m also starting the first boys’ volleyball program in New Hampshire. I’m opening up a personal recruiting service, as well. I want to help kids find a college and evaluate their skills.”
Categories: College Sports
