NEWTON, Mass. -- The Lasell College men's volleyball team has been selected to finish fourth in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. 

The Lasers open up conference action on February 21st, traveling to defending GNAC champion No.10 Wentworth Institute of Technology. Wentworth collected seven of eight first places votes in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Lasell earned 40 points, trailing Johnson & Wales by six points, while Rivier earned 55 points, including one first-place vote. 

Coming off a 29-6 2017 campaign, Lasell will rely on reigning GNAC Rookie of the Year Janci Soto (Lawrence, Mass.) to lead a young Lasers squad. During his freshman campaign, Soto appeared 31 of the Lasers' 35 matches, contributing 154 kills, 43 digs, and a team-high 93 blocks. Soto boasted a conference third-best 0.85 blocks per set. 

Juniors Jordan Aprea (Newington, Conn.) and Andy Henriquez (Lawrence, Mass.) will look to help lead the Lasers. Aprea, a second team All-GNAC selection in 2017, boasted a conference leading 334 digs, and GNAC second-best 2.74 digs per set.

In 32 matches, Henriquez contributed 57 kills, 142 digs, and team-high 1125 assists -  including a conference-leading 10.14 assists per sets in his sophomore season. 

Along with a tough conference schedule, the Lasers boast a challenging slate of non-conference matches, including five American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Top 15 opponents.

Lasell fell just outside the AVCA Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning 34 points, highest of non-ranked teams.

The Lasers open up the 2018 campaign on January 20th at defending National Champion No.1 Springfield College.

Six days later the Lasers head to New Jersey for The Clash at Kean. In the classic, Lasell will face No.11 Kean University before facing No.14 Marymount University (Va.) and Medaille College.

In February, the Lasers will travel to Division I Sacred Heart University on February 7th before a non-conference matchup with (RV) Endicott College on February 8th.

On February 17th Lasell will face (RV) Nazareth College during the Golden Flyer Invitational in Rochester, N.Y.

Lasell will host No.12 Massachusetts Institute of Technology and (RV) Eastern Mennonite University in a tri-match on March 3rd.

2018 GNAC Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll

1. Wentworth (7) - 63

2. Rivier (1) - 55

3. Johnson & Wales - 46

4. Lasell - 40

5. Regis - 32

6. Emmanuel - 22

7. Emerson - 20

8. Mount Ida - 10

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