Mid Massachusetts News

Men’s Volleyball Slated Second in NECC Preseason Coaches Poll

The Nichols men's volleyball team was selected to finish second in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Preseason Poll, garnering 54 points, including one first-place vote, prior to the 2023 season.
 
The Bison, led by second-year head coach Casey Fitzpatrick, will look to improve on last year's 15-12 record in a season that ended in a four-set defeat to Endicott in the NECC Championship match.
 
The squad will be without NECC First-Team selection Ray Wang and Collin Hunter and will work to fill their voids with 10 returners, five freshmen, and three transfers.
 
Nichols returns 10 players from last season, including First Team All-NECC selection Tanner Soracco and 2022 NECC Rookie of the Year and Second Team Selection, Dylan Knapp. Soracco finished his 2022 campaign third in the conference in kills with 302, while Knapp recorded .086 blocks per set, good for third in the league. Also returning are 2022 Second Team members in Nick Martin and Nick Basco, who was also the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Transferring into the program for their first year in Dudley are Dylan Urbanski, Carlos Mercado, and Luis Martinez. All three will look to make their mark in the program having previous playing experience at programs ranked within the top five of American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) polls.
 
Nichols falls into second behind only last season's champions, Endicott, who received 64 points and eight first-place votes. Falling after the Bison in the poll is Eastern Nazarene (49), SUNY Poly (44), SUNY Potsdam (33), Bard (32), Russell Sage (23), Northern Vermont-Johnson (16), and Lesley (11).
 
The Bison are set to begin their season at the SUNY Poly Wildcat MVB Invitational on Friday, January 20 in Utica, N.Y. with their first matches coming in non-conference play against Juniata (4 p.m.) and Misericordia (8 p.m.) 

Original source can be found here