FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 27, 2015

Chargers Take Top Spot in Coaches' Poll

MANSFIELD, Mass. – New Haven was picked as the preseason favorite in the 2015 Northeast-10 Women's Volleyball Coaches' Poll, it was announced by the conference office on Thursday.

The Chargers collected 188 total points and nine first-place votes from the league's coaches to claim the top spot. Last season's NCAA East Regional Champions shared the NE-10 regular season title in 2014 while making it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament.

For complete results of the coaches' poll, please see below.

Reigning Northeast-10 Champion Adelphi came in second, garnering 172 points along with three votes for first place. Bentley also collected three first-place nods and wasn't far behind in third with 171 points.

Stonehill, who shared the regular season title with New Haven and Bentley last year with identical 11-3 conference records, came in at No. 4 with 148 points. Only one point behind in fifth place was Saint Rose with 147 points.

Southern New Hampshire was sixth with 128 points, while Franklin Pierce garnered 120 points to take seventh place. Merrimack came in at No. 8 with 106 points, followed by Le Moyne in ninth (88 points) and Saint Anselm in 10th (75).

Rounding out the rest of the 15 squads were Assumption (61 pts.), Southern Connecticut (57), American International (54), Pace (34) and Saint Michael's (26).

Adelphi won the conference tournament as the fourth seed last year, downing Bentley in a five-set thriller by a score of 3-2 (23-25, 25-10, 25-18, 15-25, 17-15). New Haven won 14 straight matches after beginning the 2014 season 0-4 and ended up 24-9 overall after falling 3-1 to Arkansas-Fort Smith in the national quarterfinals.

The 2015 Northeast-10 volleyball season will begin on Friday, Sept. 4. The Northeast-10 Championship will begin with the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The semifinals will take place on Friday, Nov. 20 with the title match following on Saturday, Nov. 21. 

2015 Northeast-10 Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. New Haven - 188 (9)
2. Adelphi - 172 (3)
3. Bentley - 171 (3)
4. Stonehill - 148
5. Saint Rose - 147
6. So. New Hampshire - 128
7. Franklin Pierce - 120
8. Merrimack - 106
9. Le Moyne - 88
10. Saint Anselm - 75
11. Assumption - 61
12. So. Connecticut - 57
13. American Int'l - 54
14. Pace - 34
15. Saint Michael's - 26

ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes. 

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.