Nichols Tabbed to Win Third-Straight Title in 2025 NEVC Preseason Coaches Poll

Nichols Tabbed to Win Third-Straight Title in 2025 NEVC Preseason Coaches Poll
January 10, 2025

SMITHFIELD, R.I. –  With six first place votes, Nichols College was voted into the top spot of the New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC) Preseason Coaches Poll. The two-time defending NEVC Champions are coming off a year in which they finished with a program best overall record of 24-4 and earned their first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Nichols is led by reigning NEVC Coach of the Year Andre Foster and will return all but one starter from a season ago. NEVC Player of the Year and second team All-American Jack Normandin (Clifton Park, N.Y.) returns after compiling a league-leading 345 kills. Two All-Region players from a season ago, Tanner Soracco (Oxford, Conn.) and Cade Bernardi (Rexford, N.Y.), who was also the NEVC Defensive Player of the Year, will return for the Bison. Soracco led the Bison with 55 total blocks, while Bernardi led his squad with 150 digs.

Endicott College, under the direction of veteran head coach George Chapell, lands in second place. The Gulls will feature a young squad, headlined by first-team All-Conference honoree Aidan Iacovelli (South Windsor, Conn.), who was fifth in the league with 2.95 kills per set. Fellow all-conference honoree Jake Laborde (Brookline, N.H.) will also return to the court for the Gulls, after averaging 2.88 kills per set last season.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute collected the final first place vote to take the third spot in the poll. The Wildcats will be under the leadership of second year head coach Daniel Short. Jason Aubrey (Clifton Park, N.Y.) will return for the Wildcats after leading Poly in kills with 2.49 per set last season.

Coming in the fourth spot is SUNY Potsdam. Head coach Josh Stokes returns to the sidelines for the Bears and will coach a young team without any seniors this season. The Bears return two All-Conference competitors from last season, Duncan Tenhagen (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Matt Kilinski (Greenfield Center, N.Y.). Both were in the top-10 of the league in kills per set last season, with 3.01, and 2.68, respectively.

Russell Sage College ranks fifth in the poll, led by fourth-year head coach Reid Hartl. The Gators return the NEVC Rookie of the Year, Dylan Fox, who was top-five in the league in total kills with 274, and total digs with 160.  

Bard College slides into the sixth spot. Head Coach Tyler Zowaski will be entering his third season at the helm for Bard, who will bring seven new players on board this season. Middle blocker Lincoln Grisso (San Francisco, Calif.) will return after totaling 20 solo blocks in 2024, good for fourth in the conference.

Vermont State University-Johnson rounds out the 2025 NEVC Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll. Head Coach Dongping Fang returns for his fifth season, and will look to Luke Walters (Richmond, Vt.) to make an impact, as he led his squad with 2.47 kills per set last season.

The NEVC Men’s Volleyball Champion will be crowned on Sunday, April 13.

2025 NEVC Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll

  1. Nichols (6)   
  2. Endicott
  3. SUNY Poly (1)
  4. SUNY Potsdam
  5. Sage
  6. Bard
  7. Vermont State- Johnson

About the NEVC

The NEVC is a NCAA Division III single-sport conference sponsoring the sport of men’s volleyball. The conference is comprised of seven institutions, Bard College, Endicott College, Nichols College, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Potsdam, Russell Sage College and Vermont State University – Johnson.