FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GNAC First Round playoff
contests set for Tuesday night
WINTHROP, Mass. – Rivier University and Wentworth Institute of Technology have earned playoff byes in next week's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Volleyball Tournament, which will get underway on Tuesday, April 9 with first-round action.
On Tuesday evening in the first round, third-seeded Johnson & Wales University will host sixth-seeded Emerson College at 7:00 PM, while fourth-seeded Emmanuel College will host fifth-seeded Lasell College Tuesday evening, also at 7:00 PM.
JWU laid claim to the No. 3 seed with a victory over Lasell on Saturday in the regular-season finale. Also on Saturday, the Saints swept JWU and Lasell in a tri-match to nail down a home contest on Tuesday.
Rivier and WIT will host semifinal matches on Thursday, April 11 (7:00 PM), with Rivier drawing the Emmanuel/Lasell winner and Wentworth taking on the JWU/Emerson winner. The conference championship is set for Saturday, April 13, with the winner receiving the GNAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Be sure to catch the tournament action live on thegnac.tv or watch on one of our four custom digital streaming apps, while GNAC associate member Wentworth's semifinal contest on Thursday can be streamed at wentworthathletics.tv.
Defending GNAC champion Rivier, which is currently ranked No. 13 in the AVCA national poll and fifth in the East Region rankings, entered Saturday looking to go unbeaten in GNAC league play for the second straight season with its home tri-match against Emerson College and Colby-Sawyer College. The Raiders will be in search of their second straight conference championship after previously winning seven straight from 2008-14 under head coach Craig Kolek, who just this week earned his 500th career win.
Meanwhile, Wentworth finished 11-3 against league GNAC foes for the second straight year, as the Leopards aim to make their fourth straight GNAC title game appearance. WIT won back-to-back GNAC crowns in 2016 and 2017, advancing all the way to the NCAA Division III national semifinals two years ago under head coach Evin Giglio.
Tuesday, April 9 - First Round
Game 1: #6 Emerson at #3 Johnson & Wales - 7:00 PM
Game 2: #5 Lasell at #4 Emmanuel - 7:00 PM
Thursday, April 11 - Semifinals
Game 3: 4/5 winner at #1 Rivier - 7:00 PM
Game 4: 3/6 winner at #2 Wentworth - 7:00 PM
Saturday, April 13 - Championship
Game 5: at highest remaining seed
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
– #TheGNAC –