Picked to Four-Peat as GNAC Champions, Nationally Ranked Men’s Volleyball Garners Nation-Wide Recognition

BOSTON, Mass. – Last season, the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team soared through arguably their most impressive and accomplished season to date. The Black & Gold won their third straight and fifth overall Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament for the second straight season, hosting the regional rounds inside Tansey Gym for the first time in program history.

The Leopards, who finished 2024 with a program-best 31-2 record, started the season ranked third in the AVCA preseason poll. After a five-set win over then-reigning national champion Stevens, Wentworth claimed the No. 1 spot in the poll and held the position for ten straight weeks in which the Leopards fed and continued a 24-match win streak.

Wentworth opens the 2025 campaign on January 17 in a tournament featuring two opponents also garnering recognition on the national stage: No. 6 Vassar and No. 13 Nichols. Wentworth topped Nichols in four sets last season and fell to Vassar in a five-set thriller in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament. 

The Black & Gold are ready to continue its prominence across the Division III landscape again this year, seeking a fifth straight berth into the NCAA Tournament by battling with some of the nation's best programs yet again.

"We have a tough schedule with 12 matches against teams that were ranked inside the AVCA Top 20 last year," said head coach Evin Giglio, who was named the AVCA Region I Coach of the Year and GNAC Coach of the Year a season ago. "Our opening weekend will be full of really strong teams with Kean, Nichols and Vassar - we have plenty of familiarity with the latter two."

Returning 19 letterwinners from last season's squad, the Leopards have been picked to repeat as GNAC Champions, picking up six of a possible eight first-place votes and accumulating 62 points in the GNAC Preseason Poll. Leading the returning corps for Wentworth is Josh Milke, who was named an AVCA First Team All-American and an All-Region honoree a season ago.

Alongside Milke are a handful of other returners who claimed postseason recognition in 2024: Jacob Waga, who was named an AVCA All-Region and All-Conference First Team member; Mason Andrade, who was named the GNAC Libero of the Year; Sam Etter, who was named to the All-GNAC Second Team; Nicolai Bell, who was named to the All-GNAC Third Team; and Mekhi Burns and Conner Foxwell, both of whom were named to the All-GNAC Rookie squad.

On the national stage, the Leopards have been recognized in two preseason polls. In the AVCA Division III Men's Top 20, Wentworth checks in at No. 9 with 364 points. FrogJump Volleyball also recognized the Leopards, ranking them No. 8 in their preseason poll. In addition, Milke was named a FrogJump Volleyball Preseason All-American ahead of the 2025 season.

The Black & Gold face eight nationally ranked opponents this season in No. 1 Southern Virginia, No. 4 Stevens,  No. 6 Vassar, No. 10 Hobart, No. 13 Nichols, No. 14 Misericordia, No. 19 Lasell (twice), and No. 20 MIT (twice). The Leopards also face SUNY New Paltz, who received votes in the AVCA poll. The Black & Gold will play Lasell twice in the regular season as part of the GNAC schedule. They are set to host Hobart and Misericordia as part of the Fenway Volleyball Classic, taking place on January 25-26. The Leopards also host top-ranked Southern Virgina later in the year on March 27.

"It's nice to start off the year against our alumni on January 11, not only because it's always great to welcome those guys back, but they're a really tough opponent full of guys who are still playing high level volleyball on a regular basis," added Giglio. "We return the large majority of our roster, but there's certainly an opportunity for a few guys to step up and fill the void after losing a few key contributors. I think the strength of this group is in our depth, and I'd expect a large number of guys to help us win matches this year."

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