Westwood, MASS.- MIT has been tabbed to win their third-straight NEWMAC title in the 2023 NEWMAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll, collecting ten first-place votes. Under the direction of head coach Paul Dill, MIT compiled a 27-6 record in 2022, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the second year in a row. The Engineers will feature seven key returners, including Consecrata Rozario, the 2022 NEWMAC Athlete of the Year, American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Region II Player of the Year, and a second team AVCA All-American. Rozario led the NEWMAC with a .419 hitting percentage last season. The 2022 NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year, Ottavia Personeni, will also be back on the court for the Engineers, as she comes off a season in which she totaled a league-leading 492 digs.
 
Landing in the second slot was Babson College, who reached the NEWMAC Championship match last season, earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Babson is led by head coach Eric Neely, and will return first team All-NEWMAC performer, Lauren Gips. Gips was third in the league with a .314 hitting percentage, and earned AVCA All-Region honors last season.
 
The third spot goes to Smith College, who also tallied a first-place vote in the poll. Smith posted a 21-11 record last season, and head coach Greg Walker will once again return for the Pioneers. 2022 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year Abby Hunt headlines the Smith returners, as she comes off a season in which she led Smith in kills with 250. 
 
Coming in at the four-spot is Springfield College, who will be led by head coach Moira Long. The Pride will return several key contributors from a season ago, including first team All-Conference honoree, Riley Donahue, who led the conference in both kills (328) and points (405.5).
 
Emerson College claimed the final first-place vote to come in at the fifth spot. Head coach Ben Read returns for the Lions and will look to returner Amelia Combs to make an impact. Combs was an All-NEWMAC performer a season ago, leading the league with 3.50 kills per set.
 
Coast Guard has nabbed the sixth spot. The Bears, led by head coach Mark Thomas, will see several starters return, including Shannon Shaw, a 2022 NEWMAC second team All-Conference selection. Shaw led the Bears with 255 kills last season.
 
WPI, coached by Cailyn Strubel, grabs the seventh spot. Five starters will return for WPI, including Catherine Reynolds, who was the main distributor for the Engineers offense as she averaged 8.02 assists per set to rank fifth in the NEWMAC.
 
Wheaton enters the poll ranked eighth. The Lyons will be led by head coach Craig Letourneau, and return four starters from 2022, including Annah Shaheen, who led the Lyons with 2.41 kills per set last season.
 
Clark University, coached by Mickey Cahoon, lands in the ninth spot, and returns five of their top six hitters from a season ago. Senior Victoria Pastor led the way with 233 kills.
 
NEWMAC newcomer Salve Regina University was voted into the tenth spot, followed by Wellesley College and Mount Holyoke College who will each see several starters return to help them vie for a title in 2023. 
 
NEWMAC volleyball conference play will start on Tuesday, September 12.
 
The NEWMAC Volleyball Championship will begin with quarterfinal games on November 7, followed with semifinal match-ups on November 12. The NEWMAC Volleyball champion will be crowned on November 13.
 
2023 NEWMAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
 
1. MIT (10) 
2. Babson
3. Smith (1) 
4. Springfield
5. Emerson (1) 
6. Coast Guard
7. WPI
8. Wheaton
9. Clark
10. Salve Regina 
11. Wellesley 
12. Mt. Holyoke 

About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime (Football) and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports.