"I am thrilled to announce that our men's volleyball program will begin competing in the NECC during the 2020-21 academic year." said Augstein-Collins.
She added, "The NECC gives our team an opportunity to be competitive and to strive for conference championships and a chance at a bid to the NCAA Championships. This is an exciting move for our program and I look forward to the success of our team.".
NECC Commissioner Jacob VanRyn is equally as pleased to welcome Sage to the league.
"We're elated to have Sage join the NECC in the sport of men's volleyball," stated VanRyn. "Anytime you can add an associate member in a sport at a tremendous academic institution like Sage, it's a terrific thing for the conference. We're excited to welcome them to the NECC."
The NECC currently has eight full-time member schools – Bay Path University, Becker College, Dean College, Eastern Nazarene College, Elms College, Lesley University, Mitchell College, and New England College. Sage will become the seventh member of the NECC in men's volleyball in 2020-21, and will compete against Eastern Nazarene, Elms, and Lesley, as well as fellow associate members Endicott College, Nichols College and Northern Vermont University-Johnson.
Sage's head men's volleyball coach Rachel Martin commented of the transition, "This is an exciting move for our men's volleyball team. We are really looking forward to the competitive challenge the NECC brings and feel this is a wonderful opportunity for our student-athletes."
