BOSTON – The 12 head volleyball coaches in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) have predicted that the Suffolk University Rams will finish ninth, according to the poll released by the conference office Thursday afternoon.
The Rams and the Monks of Mount Ida each accumulated 52 points to tie for ninth. The two schools finished ahead of Norwich (28) and Albertus Magnus (20).
Johnson & Wales and Rivier split the first place nods down the middle, receiving six apiece, but the Wildcats edge out the Raiders for first by just a single point, 138-137. With 115 points, Emmanuel was pegged to place third with Simmons (99) and Saint Joseph's (Maine) (87) rounding out the top five.
Bonny Ducharme's Rams, who looks to improve upon an 8-20 overall (3-8 GNAC) ledger from a year ago, return 11 letterwinners from a year ago and welcomes in two fresh faces.
Suffolk hits the hardwood for the first time in 2016 Tuesday, Sept. 6 when the Rams welcome Massachusetts Maritime to Boston for a 7 p.m. showdown in Regan Gymnasium.
| 2016 GNAC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES' POLL | ||||||
| SCHOOL 1. Johnson & Wales 2. Rivier 3. Emmanuel 4. Simmons 5. Saint Joseph's (Maine) 6. Lasell 7. Anna Maria 8. St. Joseph (Conn.) T9. Mount Ida T9. Suffolk 11. Norwich 12. Albertus Magnus |
POINTS (FPV) |
2015 OVERALL 23-8 28-6 12-16 9-18 27-6 11-23 17-16 12-16 12-18 8-20 5-17 5-18 |
2015 GNAC RECORD 10-1 11-0 8-3 6-5 8-3 6-5 7-4 3-8 3-8 3-8 0-11 1-10 |
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