NEW YORK - The Skyline Conference's 10 men's volleyball head coaches have cast their votes for the annual preseason poll, and five-time defending champion Kean University, ranked No. 10 in the AVCA Division III Preseason Coaches Poll, has been tabbed to capture the 2017 conference title.
Head coach Charlie Ginex's Cougars (31-7, 16-0 Skyline in 2016) received all nine possible first-place votes (coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team in the poll), for a total of 81 points. Jacob Kauffman is back for his junior season, and ranked second and fourth in aces per set (0.70) and hitting percentage (.304), respectively, last season while securing Most Outstanding Player honors at the 2016 Skyline Conference Men's Volleyball Championship.
Ramapo College (19-16, 14-2) placed second in the tally with 70 points, and are led by junior Justin Feigeles (Skyline-best 3.54 kills per set in '16). The Sage Colleges (15-20, 11-5) received the remaining first-place vote and garnered 60 points to slot third in the poll.
Rounding out the 10-team poll are: New Jersey City University (55 pts.); College of Mount Saint Vincent (51); Purchase College - SUNY (38); first-year varsity program St. Joseph's College-Long Island (36); St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn and Yeshiva University (24 pts. each); and Sarah Lawrence College (11 pts.).
The six-team 2017 Skyline Conference Men's Volleyball Championship will get underway April 11 at first-round sites, with the semifinals and final taking place on April 13 and 15, respectively. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship.
2017 Skyline Conference Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Kean (9 first-place votes), 81
2. Ramapo, 70
3. Sage (1), 60
4. NJCU, 55
5. Mount Saint Vincent, 51
6. Purchase, 38
7. St. Joseph's-Long Island, 36
8t. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn and Yeshiva, 24
10. Sarah Lawrence, 11