2015 NECC Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll Release
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – For the fourth straight season as associate members of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), the Endicott men's volleyball team has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the conference championship as it was announced today by NECC Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations Roger Crosley. The 2015 NECC Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll, which is voted upon by the league's seven head coaches, was issued six of a possible seven first place votes.
Endicott (47 points) received 15 more points towards a first place position than Regis (32 points), who edged out Newbury (30 points, first place vote) and Daniel Webster (30 points). Rounding out the poll were Southern Vermont (27 points), Elms (22 points), and Lesley (eight points).
Endicott is coming off a historic 2014 campaign that saw the Blue and Green go 11-1 in NECC matches and sweep through the conference tournament for their second straight league title. The Gulls finished the season 19-13 overall after stunning #6 MIT in the First Round of the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 27-25) sweep before bowing out to the eventual NCAA champions Springfield in straight sets.
In two seasons under third-year head coach and reigning NECC Coach of the Year George Chapell, Endicott has gone 41-23 overall with a nearly perfect 23-1 in-conference record and has won back-to-back NECC Championships.
The 2015 season presents a similar gauntlet of nationally and regionally ranked opponents like Kean, Rivier, MIT, Elmira, Dominican (Ill.), and Wentworth. The departure of seven seniors and nearly the entire starting lineup, however, presents an additional challenge to the 11 letter winners from 2014 that return this spring. Junior outside John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.), who started 30 of the team's 32 matches last season, is the only starter from the 2013 and 2014 championship-winning teams back for 2015.
A trio of senior captains will be depended upon to provide leadership for the new-look Gulls squad this spring as defensive specialists Stewart Allendorph (Delmar, N.Y.) and Kristian Catalan (Sudbury, Mass.) and outside hitter Billy Mullen (Weymouth, Mass.) are playing in their final seasons in the Blue and Green.
The team is expected to rely upon the development of a junior-heavy class that includes middles Daniel Toth (Vernon, N.J.) and Alex Wasik (Milford, Mass.), outside hitters Dan Seaver (Milford, Mass.) and Chandler Tayek (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.), and setter Cameron Little (San Diego, Calif.). Sophomore middle Ryan Sutherland (Fairport, N.Y.) and sophomore outside Tyler Willgoos (Newington, Conn.) as well as first-year setter Amar Patel (Keene, N.H.) and freshman Pritesh Mistry (Boxborough, Mass.) will provide depth at their respective positions.
The arrival of freshman Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.), who has shown versatility at several different positions on the court, will be an integral part of Endicott's success in 2015.
Endicott has already begun their 2015 campaign with a 1-2 record at the Kean Winter Classic in which they defeated Brooklyn handily in straight sets before battling #10 Elmira (L, 0-3) and #6 Kean (L, 1-3). The Gulls begin defense of their NECC title on Tuesday, February 10th when they visit Regis for the first match of their conference schedule. Until then, Endicott has non-conference showdowns with Wentworth (January 21st), #12 MIT (January 27th) for their home opener, and Johnson & Wales (R.I.), Lasell, and #8 Rivier at the Live Free or Die Tournament (January 31st-February 1st).
