WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University men's volleyball team is set to embark on its fourth season of competition as the 2020 campaign nears.

Head coach Joseph Czopek will look to try to have this edition of the Colonels improve upon its first 10-win season. Last year Wilkes finished 10-16 overall and 4-10 in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC).

The 2020 season will mark the third year of competition for the MAC as a men's volleyball conference as the league now has 10 members with the addition of Stevens Institute of Technology and King's College.

"The men's team is young with nine of 13 members being freshman or sophomores," said Czopek. "The addition of two teams this year has opened up a fifth postseason playoff opportunity and our team is working hard to earn one of these spots."

The majority of the experience for Wilkes this season comes up the middle. Senior middle hitter and Co-captain Cole Hefner (East Greenville, PA/Southern Lehigh) ranked fourth among MAC players with 0.40 aces-per-set and was eighth with 34 total aces last season. Hefner was also sixth with .77 blocks-per-set and seventh with 66 total blocks. Sophomore middle hitter Ethan Speicher (Midlothian, VA/Cosby) was fifth in the MAC with .92 blocks-per-set and fourth with 79 total blocks. His .291 hitting percentage ranked seventh.

Junior outside hitter Andrew Potter (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) is the leading returner for the Colonels on offense as he averaged 1.64 kills-per-set.  Sophomore libero and Co-captain JD Kirby (Eastport, NY/Eastport-South Manor) was one of four Colonels to play in 80-or-more sets a season ago and is the leading returner after averaging 1.54 digs-per-set and 123 total digs.

Senior outside hitter Brian Vu (Wantagh, NY/MacArthur) had .97 kills-per-set last season and Everett Fritz (Ringtown, PA/Hazleton Area), a sophomore middle hitter, averaged 1.00 kills-per-set. Junior defensive specialist Joseph Gayton (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) recorded .85 digs-per-set last year and sophomore defensive specialist Alberto Ramon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) had .67 digs-per-set to round out the returners for the Navy and Gold.

Five freshmen join the eight returners. Zach Evans (Nescopeck, PA/Berwick) will join the outside hitters on the team. Randall Rykiel (Glen Burnie, MD/Archbishop Curley) will plug into the opposite position and Konnor Pierce (Souderton, PA/Souderton) will be one of four middle hitters. Zach Shay (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom) and Casey Shipman (Hershey, PA/Hershey) will compete for the main setter role.

"Both setters come from quality high school programs and have been connecting well with our hitters during preseason," Czopek said.

The Colonels will play 18 non-conference games and 13 MAC contests for a 31 match slate.

"The men will be playing a competitive and balanced schedule that will prove to challenge us all season," Czopek remarked. "Our early season non-conference matches will prepare the team for the extremely strong MAC matches, which is already receiving recognition as one of the top Division III conferences in the nation."

No. 3 Stevens Institute of Technology, No. 10 Arcadia University, and No. 14 Stevenson University are all ranked in the NVA / AVCA Division III Men's Preseason Coaches Top 15 Poll from the MAC.

The season gets underway on Tuesday, January 21 with a home match at the Marts Center against Neumann University at 7:00 p.m. Wilkes will open MAC play on Thursday, February 29 with a home tri-match against Misericordia University and Widener University.