BEVERLY, Mass. - September 28, 2016 - At the near midway point of the 2016 regular season, UMass Boston (12-1, 3-0 LEC) claims top position in the first NEWVA Poll and has received five of a possible nine first place votes.
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2. Johnson & Wales (13-0 overall, 13-0 in-region), 107 points, three first place votes Johnson & Wales (R.I.) has been dominant throughout the month of September. The Wildcats have only dropped one set (3-1 vs Rivier) while earning key victories over NEWVA-ranked opponents Rivier, Amherst, Wellesley, Connecticut Col. (twice), and Endicott, all in straight sets. The road continues this week with a mid-week matchup with Simmons (9/28) before traveling to the nearby Roger Williams Invitational (9/30-10/1). |
T-3. MIT (12-3 overall, 8-1 in-region), 103 points, one first place vote MIT started their season 2-2 at the Haverford Invitational where they took on Heidelberg (2015 NCAA Second Round) and Mary Washington (2015 NCAA First Round) and suffered defeats. Since then, the Engineers have 11 wins in their last 12 matches with their loss coming to the top-ranked team in this week's NEWVA Poll, UMass Boston. MIT has beaten Springfield in four sets and both Bowdoin and Roger Williams in straight sets. After grinding out a five-set victory over Clark on Tuesday night, MIT hosts Wheaton and Framingham State on Saturday. |
T-3. Tufts (9-1 overall, 9-1 in-region), 103 points Tufts began their 2016 season with eight straight wins including victories over Amherst, Williams, Clark, Wellesley, Roger Williams, and Endicott. After a 3-1 setback to NEWVA-ranked No. 1 UMass Boston, the Jumbos rebounded to beat Bowdoin and remain undefeated in the NESCAC. Tufts has a pair of conference matches this weekend starting Wesleyan (9/30) followed by Trinity (10/1). |
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5. Springfield (10-3 overall, 6-1 in-region), 92 points Springfield opened up their season by going 6-2 between their own invitational and the Colorado College Invitational where the Pride scored out-of-region wins over Whitman and Occidental in straight sets. The team returned to the east coast and has since garnered a strong 3-0 win over Babson but suffered a four-set loss to MIT in NEWMAC play. Springfield beat Wheaton 3-1 on Tuesday and is off until next Tuesday (10/4) when they host Clark. |