Men's Volleyball Earns Trip to the NCAA Tournament

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BOSTON, Mass. – For the third time in program history, the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team is headed to the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament. The Leopards (7-2) will square off against New Jersey City University (7-3) on Wednesday, April 21, at 5:00 p.m., in Salem, Va., in a first round match.

"Wentworth volleyball is extremely excited about returning to the NCAA Tournament," said 10th-year head coach Evin Giglio. "It has been a tough two-year stretch for Division III men's volleyball. The credit goes to our guys for their ability to win big matches against tough teams during the regular season. I'm proud of how they played and excited this group gets to enjoy all that comes with the NCAA Tournament experience."

While the Leopards' first two NCAA Tournament berths (2016, 2017) were earned by way of automatically qualifying after winning the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship, this year Wentworth was selected as an at-large team due to the fact that the GNAC did not sponsor men's volleyball. In the 12-team field, eight conferences were awarded automatic qualification, while the four remaining berths were reserved for two Pool B and two Pool C candidates. Pool B consists of independents and members whose conference do not meet automatic qualification requirements. Pool C consists of institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that are not the conference champion and any remaining Pool B teams.

The Black & Gold enter the tournament winners of two in a row and four of their last five matches, including closing out the regular season with a 3-1 win over top-ranked Springfield on Saturday. The win was the second over a nationally ranked team during this stretch as Wentworth defeated then No. 8 Endicott, 3-2, on March 31. The Leopards were ranked sixth in the April 8 NCAA East Regional Rankings and also received votes in the April 6 AVCA Division III Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll.

Statistically speaking, Wentworth has four student-athletes ranked in the top 15 in Division III in four different categories. Senior David Marsh (Springfield, Mass.) leads all of Division III with 1.379 blocks per set, freshman Anthony Krzykowski (Feeding Hills, Mass.) is third in assists per set with 10.76, senior Peter Klembczyk (Penfield, N.Y.) ranks third in digs per set with 3.32. As a team, the Leopards are second in the country with 12.00 assists per game, third in the country with 12.79 kills per set, and sixth nationally with 29.76 attacks per set.

NJCU punched its ticket to the tournament by defeating St. Joseph's (Long Island) in the Skyline Conference title match, 3-2. The Gothic Knights enter the tournament on a three-match win streak and have won seven out of its last eight matches after opening the season 0-2.

Wentworth and NJCU have met 11 times in the past, however, it's the first meeting since the 2016 season. The Leopards own a 6-5 series advantage which includes a 3-2 mark at neutral sites. The two have previously met once in the postseason, with Wentworth taking a 3-0 win in the 2000 North Eastern Collegiate Volleyball Tournament.

The winner of this match advances to the national quarterfinals and will face Southern Virginia on Thursday, April 22, at 5:00 p.m. Wentworth is 2-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches, having advanced to the national quarterfinals in 2016 and the national semifinals in 2017.

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