BOSTON, Mass. – The Wentworth men's volleyball team has been picked to finished second in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference per the annual coaches' preseason poll, as announced Tuesday afternoon by the league office.
Rivier, last year's GNAC Champion, rolled in as the top pick, and took all eight first place with 64 points. The Leopards collected 51 overall points, while Johnson & Wales rounded out the top three with 49 points.
Wentworth, which has appeared in the last three GNAC Championships, returns 12 letter-winners, including two All-Conference selections, Augusto Rodriguez-Guerrios and 2018 Rookie of the Year Peter Klembczyk. The Leopards have qualified for the postseason tournament for all seasons under the lead of head coach Evin Giglio since 2012, and have two GNAC Titles to their name from 2016 and 2017. In the two seasons as GNAC Champions, Wentworth made it past the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, and took the program to new heights in 2017 as an NCAA DIII Semifinalists.
Rivier, the poll's top seed, took last year's conference championship in straight sets, besting the Leopards in the final two frames by just two points. The Raiders captured the regular season title after going an unblemished 14-0 in conference before falling to Lancaster Bible in five sets in the NCAA Tournament.
Taking the third spot just a mere two points behind Wentworth was Johnson & Wales, with a total of 49 points. JWU went 9-5 in GNAC play last year to cement the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Tournament, where the Wildcats topped Emerson College before faltering against the Leopards.
Making up the remainder of the poll was Emmanuel College in fifth place with 22 points, Emerson with 21 points, Regis College with 18 points and Colby-Sawyer College with 10 points.
Colby-Sawyer is currently in its first year as a full GNAC member and the 2019 campaign will mark the Charger's inaugural season in sponsoring a men's volleyball program.
Wentworth opens the 2019 campaign at the St. John Fisher Tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Leopards will play the host Cardinals and Wells College on Friday before concluding the tournament on Saturday against Elmira.
2019 GNAC Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll
1. Rivier (8) - 64
2. Wentworth - 51
3. Johnson & Wales - 49
4. Lasell - 39
5. Emmanuel - 22
6. Emerson - 21
7. Regis (Mass.) - 18
8. Colby-Sawyer - 10
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