Bridgewater, NJ -- For the first time ever, the Northeast Conference (NEC) will crown a men's volleyball champion this spring. 
 
NEC coaches have tabbed Saint Francis U as the preseason favorite in the league's newest sport with the Red Flash earning six first place votes. St. Francis Brooklyn was chosen second and LIU took third with each claiming a lone first place nod. Associate member Daemen was picked fourth, followed by Sacred Heart in fifth and FDU in sixth. Merrimack and associate member D’Youville rounded out the eight-team poll in that order.

First Point Volleyball Foundation will serve as the official corporate partner of NEC men's volleyball and as the presenting sponsor of the 2023 NEC Men's Volleyball Championship. 
 
Following a fifth place EIVA finish last season, Saint Francis U returns a formidable lineup under longtime head coach Mike Rumbaugh, who enters his 25th year at the helm of the program. Highlighting the group is 6'9" senior middle blocker Thomas Leahey (State College, PA/State College Area), who was named to the All-EIVA second team in 2022 after compiling 1.90 kills and a team-high 0.77 blocks per set, while ranking second on the Red Flash and fourth in the EIVA with a .421 hitting percentage.
 
Also returning for the Red Flash are a pair of All-EIVA honorable mention selections in senior outside hitter Blake Liprando (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley) and sophomore opposite Nathan Zini (Pittsburgh, PA/Seton-La Salle Catholic). Liprando was responsible for 328.5 of SFU’s total 1,489.5 points on the season and led the team with 2.93 kills per set. Zini finished second on the team with 2.68 kills per set.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn brings back senior libero Nicola Iannelli (Fano, Italy/Liceo classico G. Nolfi Fano), an All-EVIA second team honoree in 2022. Iannelli led the EIVA with 2.68 digs per set last season and finished second in total digs (217). Sophomore middle blocker Andrea Lancianese (Turin, Italy/Fabio Besta) registered a team-high 3.27 kills per set and hit .323 for the Terriers a year ago, 

In just its second season sponsoring the sport, LIU brings back a number of contributors from a 13-win team, including sophomore opposite Luke Chandler (Newport Beach, CA/Corona del Mar) and senior outside hitter Caden Satterfield (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison (Orange Coast College)), who will give the Sharks an impactful one-two punch. Chandler led the Sharks’ offense in both kills (2.67) and points per set (3.26), while Satterfield recorded 2.41 kills per set.
 
One of two associate members joining the NEC this season, Daemen comes off a 16-6 season and runner-up finish at the Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) Championship. Senior outside hitter Zach Schneider (Lockport, NY/Lockport HS) and senior opposite Jake Couzens (Hamburg, NY/Huamburg HS) return for their fourth season with the Wildcats. Schneider, who was named to the IVA All-Tournament team and to the All-Independent first team, was an offensive force and led the team in kills (257) and kills per set (3.52) last spring. Couzens was the team leader in blocks (0.76) and ranked second in service aces (0.43) per set.
 
Junior outside hitter Patrick Mucherino (Oxford, CT/Oxford) is a key returnee for the Sacred Heart attack. Mucherino was named to the All-EIVA second team last season and finished fifth in the EIVA in kills per set (3.31) and second in total kills (341). Junior libero Cole Younger (Carlsbad, CA/Sage Creek) is also back for Sacred Heart, a year after ranking ninth in the EIVA with 1.59 digs per set.
 
FDU brings back All-Independent first team outside hitter Jack Lydon (Lessburg, VA/Heritage) and second team libero Grady Hoffman (Palos Verdes Estates, CA/Palos Verdes) for their sophomore campaigns. Last season, Lydon led all independent programs and finished 17th among Divison I/II players in attacks per set (8.29), and averaged 3.09 kills. Hoffman ranked third in the nation with 2.80 digs per set.

NEC newcomer D’Youville will look to sophomore outside hitters Jacob Malak (Wales, WI/Kettle Moraine) and Ian De Wilde (Lockport, NY/Starpoint) to power its attack in its first year as an associate member. Malak led the Saints with 2.92 kills per set, just ahead of De Wilde's 2.88 average.

NEC play begins on February 10 and the inaugural NEC Men's Volleyball Tournament, presented by First Point Volleyball Foundation, will take place from April 19-22 at the high seed.
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 42nd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.