Men's Volleyball Cracks AVCA Top 15

BOSTON, Mass. – Nearly 14 years after making its last appearance in a national coaches' poll the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team has been ranked among the top 15 teams in the country. The Leopards garnered 40 points to be ranked 14th in this week's American Volleyball Coaches' Association Division III Men's Coaches Top 15.

Wentworth, which received votes in the preseason poll and has also received votes in each of the first three polls, enjoyed a 2-0 week, which included defeating Hunter, 3-0, and upsetting defending national champion and then fifth-ranked Springfield, 3-1. The last time the Leopards cracked the top 15 they were ranked 15th on February 20, 2001.

Through 14 matches Wentworth sports a 12-2 overall record and is 3-0 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play. Winners of six contests in a row, the Leopards' only two losses have come to nationally ranked foes, losing 3-0 to then No. 9 Nazareth on January 24 and falling to then No. 13 MIT, 3-1, on January 31.

Statistically speaking, Wentworth is ranked in the top 10 in Division III in six of seven categories – winning percentage (second, .857), blocks per set (second, 2.81), kills per set (fifth, 12.67), hitting percentage (seventh, .278), assists per set (ninth, 11.38), and service aces per set (10th, 1.96). Individually, sophomore Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.) is ranked second in blocks per set (1.30) and third in hitting percentage (.435) while classmate Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) ranks second among Division III men's volleyball student-athletes in assists per set with 10.20.

The Leopards have won 11 of 12 weekly awards from the GNAC with freshman Sean Mullen (Longwood, Fla.) being named the rookie of the week four times, Potts being named the league's defensive player of the week three times, Ritter earning two offensive player of the week awards and being recognized as the defensive player of the week once, and sophomore Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) earning the league's offensive player of the week award one time. Additionally, Ritter and Potts have earned ECAC Player of the Week honors twice and Mullen has won ECAC Rookie of the Week once.

Wentworth hosts No. 9 NYU on Saturday in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. It also marks the first time since February 15, 2001, the Black & Gold will face a ranked opponent while being ranked. No. 15 Wentworth fell to No. 12 Johnson & Wales, 3-0, in that match.