No. 4 Men's Volleyball Clashes With No. 1 Wentworth, Winner Advances to GNAC Championship Game

BOSTON – The Emmanuel Saints men's volleyball team is back in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference semifinals for the first time since 2019, as they prepare to face the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Playoffs and the No. 3 ranked team in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III poll, the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards, on Thursday night with a spot in the GNAC Championship Game at stake.

The Saints (17-9) locked up the No. 4 seed in the GNAC and reached their first semifinal in five years with a straight sets sweep over the No. 5 seeded Regis Pride on Tuesday night at the Jean Yawkey Center. After winning the first two sets in close fashion, the Saints advanced to Thursday's play with a third-set win of 25-18.

Looking for its first GNAC Championship Gmae appearance since 2014, 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 4.94, a number that places him third in NCAA Division III. He also leads the conference in service aces per set, averaging 0.65 this season. Along with his impressive attacking skill, his efficiency from the floor, hitting .338, ranks fifth in the GNAC.

Fellow sophomore Trey Guest (Newington, Conn.) is second on the Saints with 2.28 kills per set while hitting .239 from the floor. Guest's kills per set has him sitting 11th in the conference entering Thursday's match. 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 1.54 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 0.94 blocks per set are second-best in the GNAC.

Wentworth's answer for Shelley on the offensive end is senior Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.), who sits second in the GNAC in kills per set with 4.38. The senior outside hitter is also the most efficient attacker in the league, hitting .433 from the floor this season. Fellow senior Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.) sits eighth in kills per set this season with 2.50 while his 0.49 aces per set is third-best in the conference.

Graduate Brandon Dunz (Lake View, N.Y.) helps the Leopards front row defense with the GNACs highest block per set rate at 1.09, making him the only player in the conference to average at least one block per set this season.

The nation's No. 3 team enters the GNAC semifinals at 28-1 with their lone loss coming on March 26 against Lasell, a loss that broke up a 24-game winning streak and ended a run at an undefeated season. Among the impressive resume of the Leopards this season, the program is 9-0 against AVCA ranked teams.

The winner of Thursday's match with face the winner of the No. 2 seed Lasell Lasers and No. 3 seed Rivier Raiders in the Championship Game on Saturday, April 13, with time and location to be determined, based on the winners of Thursday's matches.