FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Third-Straight Season, Yellow Jackets Tabbed as NE10 Favorite.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – American International, the two-time reigning Northeast-10 Conference volleyball champion, will enter the 2023 season as the league favorite, according to the NE10 Volleyball Coaches' Poll released on Thursday afternoon.
It is the third-consecutive year that AIC has been selected as the preseason favorite by NE10 head coaches. The Yellow Jackets recorded 118 points and eight first-place votes to lead the field, followed by second-place Adelphi (106 points) and third-place Bentley (104 points). Under the instruction of head coach Matt Cribbin, AIC has captured each of the past two NE10 titles and hosted the past two NCAA East Regionals.
Over the past two years, AIC is 22-3 in conference matches and is the two-time reigning NE10 regular season champion - a span that included winning streaks of 22 and 18 matches, respectively. Prior to winning the 2021 NE10 Volleyball Championship, the Yellow Jackets had not won a league title in 25 years (1996).
Adelphi captured a pair of first-place votes, while Bentley and Southern New Hampshire each had one in the NE10 Coaches' Poll. SNHU, the reigning NCAA East Regional champion, ranked fourth overall with 94 points and will enter the season with a new head coach in Braden Zamore.
New Haven (74 points), Southern Connecticut (69 points), Saint Anselm (67 points) and Saint Rose (45 points) occupied the five through eight slots in the poll, which would make them eligible for the NE10 Volleyball Championship at the end of the regular season.
To view the complete NE10 Volleyball Coaches' Poll, please see below. Volleyball matches begin on Thursday, August 31, with three teams in action. For the full schedule, please click HERE.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 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 NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
