Men’s Volleyball Earns Top Spot in GNAC Preseason Poll, Garners National Recognition
Leopards picked to finish atop the conference for the fifth straight season, earn No. 11 spot in AVCA preseason poll and No. 9 spot in FrogJump Volleyball’s preseason poll
BOSTON, Mass. – Fresh off a fourth consecutive and sixth overall conference title, the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team has earned the No. 1 spot in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference preseason poll. The Leopards finished last season with a 26-7 overall record and 13-1 mark in league play, making it to the NCAA Tournament second round.
The 2026 campaign begins at home against Merrimack on January 15 before matches against Nichols and American International on January 17. The Black & Gold beat Nichols twice last season, sweeping the No. 13 Bison in the second match of the season and taking the second matchup 3-1 at home in March.
"We have a good amount of impact returners coming back this year, but there's certainly some talented new guys that will have a chance to be in the rotation," said head coach Evin Giglio. "The strength of our roster this year is definitely in our depth."
The Leopards will see the return of 17 letterwinners, including three of last season's top five point producers. Alem Dubcak and Mason Andrade return after tallying 144 and 139 kills last season, respectively. Conner Foxwell and Nicolai Bell also return for the Leopards after combing for 323 points last season. Leading setter Brayden Green returns as well as libero Mekhi Burns, who led the team with 173 digs last season, to bolster the Wentworth defense. The Leopards will also welcome the addition of 10 new players eager to make their mark on the program.
Wentworth has also been recognized on the national stage, earning spots in two preseason polls. In the AVCA Division III Men's Top 20, the Leopards check in at the No. 11 spot with 272 points. FrogJump Volleyball also recognized Wentworth, ranking them No. 9 in their preseason poll.
The Leopards will take on ten teams ranked in the AVCA top 20 rankings, including No. 1 Springfield (twice), No. 5 Messiah, No. 6 Stevens, No. 9 Cal Lutheran, No. 12 New Paltz, No. 13 UC Santa Cruz, No. 15 Baldwin-Wallace, No. 16 Hobart, No. 19 MIT (twice), and No. 20 Misericordia. Wentworth also takes on two teams receiving votes in the AVCA poll, Lasell and Nichols.
"We're looking forward to a really challenging schedule this year," added Giglio. "About half of our matches are against teams that appeared in the AVCA top 20 coaches' poll last season."
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