BOSTON, Mass. – Coming off the finest season in program history, the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team has been ranked in the 2017 AVCA Division III Men's Preseason Poll. The Leopards, who finished the 2016 campaign ranked 11th, collected 114 points to be slotted at ninth. Springfield, a national finalist from a season ago, took 12 of 17 first-place votes to earn the top spot with 248 points, followed by 2016 NCAA Division III national champion New Paltz, which earned the other five first-place votes and 229 total points.
The 2016 season saw the Leopards finish – for the second consecutive season – with a 23-9 record and featured many firsts. Wentworth captured its first-ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship with a pair of come-from-behind victories over Emmanuel and Rivier, which gave the Leopards their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Hosting an NCAA Tournament event for the first time in the school's history, the Black & Gold swept Hunter, 3-0, in the opening round before falling to New Paltz, 3-1, in the national quarterfinals.
Wentworth returns nine letterwinners from a season ago, including five student-athletes who were named to the All-GNAC team in 2016. Leading the way is senior Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.), a Second Team All-American from a season ago and a pre-season All-American by Off the Block, who, along with classmate Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) were named First Team All-GNAC. Potts also led all of Division III in hitting percentage as a junior.
Senior Mike Rogochefsky (Rochester, N.Y.) as well as juniors Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.) and Sean Mullen (Longwood, Fla.) return to the Leopards after earning Second Team All-GNAC honors last season. Junior Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) also returns for the Black & Gold after missing last season. Ritter was a Second Team All-GNAC selection during the 2015 season.
In addition to the 14-match GNAC schedule, which features a pair of matches against 15th-ranked Rivier (Feb. 9 and Mar. 28), Wentworth's out-of-conference schedule features seven matches against six other schools ranked in the preseason poll. The Leopards face No. 1 Springfield on Feb. 14 and Mar. 4, No. 3 Stevens on Feb. 4, No. 6 UC Santa Cruz on Mar. 11, No. 7 Nazareth on Jan. 21, No. 8 Vassar on Jan. 21, and NYU on Apr. 8. Additionally, the Black & Gold will have two matches apiece against Endicott (Jan. 25 and Feb. 4) and MIT (Jan. 31 and Mar. 14). Both of these schools were among those receiving votes in the preseason poll.
Wentworth opens the 2017 campaign on Jan. 20-21 at the SUNY Polytechnic Wildcat Invitational.
August 21, 2017
Four Honored With Awards at Senior Athlete Recognition Luncheon
April 29, 2017
Men's Volleyball Oulasted by New Paltz in NCAA Semifinals
April 24, 2017
Four Men's Volleyball Players Named to AVCA All-America Team
April 18, 2017
Ritter, Giglio Highlight Men's Volleyball's All-GNAC Honors
April 17, 2017
NCAA Selections: Men's Volleyball Earns First-Round Bye
April 8, 2017
Men's Volleyball Claims Top Seed in GNAC Tournament
April 6, 2017
Giglio Honored With AVCA's Thirty Under 30 Award
April 4, 2017
Reed, Hansen Earn GNAC Weekly Honors
March 28, 2017
Men's Volleyball Reaches Milestone in Win Over Rivier
March 25, 2017
Men's Volleyball Takes GNAC Tri-Match
March 23, 2017
Lasell Outlasts Men's Volleyball
March 20, 2017
Engel Tabbed as GNAC Rookie of the Week
March 19, 2017
Men's Volleyball Sweeps Tri-Match to Run Streak to Five
March 14, 2017
Ritter Named AVCA Division III Player of the Week
March 11, 2017
Potts Sets Career Block Record in Upset Over UC-Santa Cruz
March 10, 2017
Men's Volleyball Opens Tournament With Two Wins
March 4, 2017
Men's Volleyball Drops Pair at Springfield
February 28, 2017
Men's Volleyball Sweeps Emerson for Fourth Straight Win
February 27, 2017
Rodriguez-Guerrios Repeats as GNAC Rookie of the Week
February 27, 2017
Men's Volleyball Powers Past Rivier
February 22, 2017
Men's Volleyball Picks up Third Straight Win
February 20, 2017
Rodriguez-Guerrios Named GNAC Rookie of the Week
February 18, 2017
Men's Volleyball Takes Two at Home Tri-Match
February 14, 2017
Men's Volleyball Falls to Springfield
February 7, 2017
Men's Volleyball Pulls Away From Regis
February 4, 2017
Reed Reaches Milestone in Men's Volleyball's Tri-Match Split
January 31, 2017
Men's Volleyball Suffers First Loss
January 25, 2017
Balanced Attack Lifts Men's Volleyball to Sweep of Endicott
January 23, 2017
Reed Tabbed as GNAC Offensive Player of the Week
January 21, 2017
Men's Volleyball Notches Two Wins Over Top 10 Teams
January 20, 2017
Men's Volleyball Opens Season With Two Wins
January 17, 2017
Men's Volleyball Picked to Repeat as GNAC Champions
January 4, 2017
Men's Volleyball Earns AVCA Preseason Ranking