No. 4 Men's Volleyball Set For Hosting Duties in GNAC Quarters vs. No. 5 Regis

BOSTON – For a third consecutive season, the Emmanuel Saints men's volleyball team hosts a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinal match, after locking up the No. 4 seed in the postseason after finishing the year 16-9 (9-6 GNAC). Awaiting the Saints is the No. 5 seed Regis College Pride, who enter quarterfinal play at 10-18 (5-9 GNAC) this season.

Despite hosting for a third straight season, the Saints haven't won a GNAC Postseason game since 2019, after suffering back-to-back home playoff losses in the quarterfinals in 2022 and 2023.

Hoping to change their recent luck, the Saints offensive attack is led by sophomore Michael Shelley (San Francisco, Calif.). One of the GNACs premier players, Shelley leads the conference in kills per set with 4.92, a number that places him third in NCAA Division III. Along with his impressive attacking skill, his efficiency from the floor, hitting .334, ranks fifth in the GNAC.

Fellow sophomore Trey Guest (Newington, Conn.) is second on the Saints with 2.35 kills per set while hitting .239 from the floor. Despite his strong offensive pull, Guest ranks second on the team in digs per set at 1.68.

Junior Louis Da Silva (Marseille, France) brings a combination of offense and defense to the Saints lineup. Offensively, Da Silva averages 1.57 kills per set while hitting a team-best .395 from the floor, among Saints with at least 30 sets played. On defense, Da Silva leads the Saints in total blocks with 63, as his 0.93 blocks per set is second-best in the GNAC.

For Regis, senior Joseph Perez (Miami, Fla.) leads the Pride with 3.22 kills per set, a number that ranks third among GNAC players. Perez also leads the Pride with 38 service aces this season.

First-years Andrew Matzouranis (North Andover, Mass.) and Brandon Valdes (Miami, Fla.) average 2.18 and 2.00 kills per set, respectively, good for second and third highest on Regis. Matzouranis ranks fourth on the team among players with at least 30 sets played with an attack percentage of .245.

In the all-time series, the Saints are 11-1 over 12 matches with Tuesday's match being the first-ever postseason meeting between the Saints and Pride. Included in the 11-1 record is a pair of wins for Emmanuel this season.

The first match of the season came on February 17 at the Jean Yawkey Center with the Saints winning in straight sets. The Saints hit .298 in the match with set scores of 25-23, 25-18, and 25-21, in the victory.

In the second match this season between Emmanuel and Regis, the Saints needed five sets before claiming a 3-2 win on February 28 at Regis. The Pride won the first two sets before the Saints took three straight sets for the comeback win.

The Saints have been in good form as of late, playing to an 8-3 record, including a 6-1 mark at home, over the last month. The Pride have battled since the start of March, going 2-11 since the start of the month, a record that includes a 1-7 stretch against GNAC opponents.

Tuesday's winner goes on to face the No. 1 GNAC seed and No. 3 ranked in Division III, the Wentworth Leopards, on Thursday, April 10, at 7:00 p.m. The Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, April 12.