Nazareth Ranked 3rd in Pre-Season Poll
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Nazareth's men's volleyball team, set to tip off their 2011 season Wednesday at Elmira, is ranked third in the Division III Top 15 Coaches Poll that was released Thursday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Nazareth, entering its seventh season of intercollegiate play, finished 19-16 overall in 2010 and won its first-ever North East Collegiate Volleyball Association tournament championship. The Golden Flyers won the tournament as the 15th seed in the 16-team event and recorded four upset victories to win the championship. The championship catapulted Nazareth to an automatic berth in the Molten Division III Championship Tournament.
Under the direction of head coach and program founder Cal Wickens, the Golden Flyers return all six of their starters and 15 players overall from last year's team, including NECVA Tournament MVP Hans Schroeder, a senior outside hitter who led the Golden Flyers with 428 kills in 2010.
Junior outside hitter Billy Gimello, an All-American in 2009 before missing significant time in 2010 due to injuries, is among the other players to watch along with sophomore setter EJ Wells-Spicer (1,062 assists) and senior middle blocker Ellis Walsh (team-best .407 hitting percentage in 2010).
Defending national champion Springfield was a unanimous selection as the No. 1 team in the pre-season poll as the Pride received all 16 first-place votes and 240 points overall. Juniata is ranked second with 220 points and Nazareth is third with 204.