Men's Volleyball 2020 Season Preview

BOSTON, Mass.— The Emmanuel College men's volleyball program looks build off a strong campaign in 2019 that saw the team post a 21-13 overall record, advancing to the GNAC semifinals.

The Saints have a 32-match schedule made up of 14 GNAC contests and 18 non-league games including tilts against nationally ranked Endicott (4^th in AVCA Poll), Rivier (9^th in AVCA Poll), and Elms (12^th in AVCA Poll).

Head Coach Bori May's squad will kick off their season on Tuesday, January 21st, when they host Eastern Nazarene College in non-conference action on the Andy Yosinoff Court at 7:00 PM.

EC opens Great Northeast Athletic Conference play on Tuesday, January 28 against Johnson & Wales University on campus at 7:00 PM. The Wildcats enter the year ranked third in the GNAC poll.

Emmanuel welcomes a new class of five incoming student-athletes after graduating a pair of starters from last season in Erik English '19 and Alex Silva '19. English graduated with 1,254 career kills to rank third all-time at Emmanuel.

"We have a well-balance lineup this year with players in every academic class that have the ability to step up and contribute," said Coach May. "We'll look for leadership from our seniors and anticipate some underclassmen stepping in to make an impact on the court."

Senior setter Seamus McDonagh (Long Beach, N.Y.) looks to round out his storied career needing 859 assists to become the program's all-time leader. The two-time All-Conference selection will captain the squad with fellow senior John Carroll (Massapequa, N.Y.).

The Saints were tabbed to fifth seventh in the 2020 GNAC Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll, receiving 32 total points.

2020 GNAC Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll
1. Rivier (8) - 64
2. Wentworth - 55
3. JWU - 46
4. Lasell - 41 
5. Emmanuel - 32
6. Regis - 21 
7. Emerson - 17
8. Colby-Sawyer - 12