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Somerset, NJ -- Men’s volleyball is coming to the Northeast Conference.

With support from the First Point Volleyball Foundation, NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris unveiled the plan to grant championship sport status to men’s volleyball for the 2022-23 academic year.

Six NEC core member institutions – Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island University, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn and Saint Francis U -- will compete for the inaugural Northeast Conference crown in 2023 as men’s volleyball becomes the league’s 25th championship sport.

“We are thrilled to announce the addition of men’s volleyball as the 25th sport sponsored by the Northeast Conference,” said Morris. “With four core NEC institutions recently adding men’s volleyball to their lists of sport offerings, it made perfect sense for us to offer support from the conference level. We are excited to bring the six NEC men’s volleyball teams under the league’s umbrella for the inaugural 2022-23 season and provide those student-athletes with the services that nearly 5,000 NEC student-athletes already enjoy.” 

In terms of the national landscape, the Northeast Conference joins the Big West as the lone multi-sport NCAA Division I conferences who sponsor men’s volleyball competition.

"Thanks to the many donors to First Point Volleyball Foundation we are proud of being part of the recent expansion of NCAA DI men's volleyball," said Marin Gjaja, Vice Chairman and President of First Point's Board Executive Committee. "Having the NEC join the Big West as NCAA DI multi-sport conferences officially sponsoring men's volleyball is meaningful for our sport."

Along with the NEC’s sport sponsorship announcement, Morris also welcomed First Point Volleyball Foundation as an official corporate partner in the presentation of NEC men's volleyball through the 2024-25 season. 

“To make this announcement even more exciting, we are thrilled to add First Point Foundation as an official NEC corporate partner, as well as the presenting sponsor of the NEC Men's Volleyball Championship. This partnership will be a win-win for the support and growth of men’s volleyball at the collegiate level.”

The First Point/NEC partnership includes:

“Congrats to Commissioner Morris and her NEC Presidents and ADs!” exclaimed First Point Volleyball co-founder John Speraw, who also serves as head coach of the USA Men's National Team and UCLA Men's Volleyball.  “All of us here at USA Volleyball are excited to have four NCAA DI schools add men's volleyball in the last few years. And a multi-sport DI league sponsoring the sport is truly a great moment. We certainly look to D1 programs for Team USA's talent pipeline. It would not surprise me at all to have an NEC athlete be an Olympian in future Olympic Games." 

Initial meetings between Morris and First Point's Co-Founder Wade Garard date back to 2017. Later that year, First Point awarded a grant to St. Francis Brooklyn as the College announced its men's volleyball sponsorship. SFBK is now in its second year of intercollegiate competition.

St. Francis Brooklyn AD Irma Garcia subsequently introduced First Point to other athletics administrators in the NEC and strongly encouraged her colleagues to consider adding the sport. In February 2020, First Point awarded a grant to Fairleigh Dickinson when FDU AD Brad Hurlbut announced the Knights were adding the sport starting in the 2021-22 academic year. 

With more advocacy by Morris followed by discussion among NEC Presidents and administrators, LIU and Merrimack announced the formation of their new men's volleyball programs soon thereafter. The four newly-established programs join long-time NEC core members Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U, which have sponsored the sport for more than two decades, to comprise the Division I league.

"I want to thank Wade Garard and Coach Speraw and the entire First Point community for supporting our schools and our league," said Morris. "Our Presidents are excited about expanding educational and athletic offerings that help our schools build enrollment and brand awareness. With the growing nationwide popularity of boys volleyball, our schools will attract students and student-athletes from areas of the country where our enrollment footprint is expanding. And of course, adding men's volleyball provides opportunities for more players in the Northeast to stay close to home and play this dynamic sport."

What They're Saying About NEC Men's Volleyball

Fairleigh Dickinson AD Brad Hurlbut
“I am thrilled by this announcement and applaud the leadership efforts of our six NEC member institutions and Commissioner Morris for helping grow the exciting sport of men’s volleyball at the Division I level.”

LIU Men's Volleyball Head Coach Shawn Patchell
“I am ecstatic for our program to be  part of the growth of men’s volleyball in the NCAA, with the chance to compete in the Northeast  Conference. To join the Big West as just the second conference in the nation sponsoring men’s volleyball shows the progressive direction of the NEC for Olympic team sports. We at LIU hope to represent the NEC in the NCAA tournament as the league’s first automatic qualifier. The NEC will be represented well on a national level with the caliber of coaches and players in our conference.”

Merrimack AD Jeremy Gibson
“Merrimack is proud to be expanding its varsity sport offerings to include men’s volleyball, and equally thrilled to be doing it in conjunction with its emergence as a championship sport for the Northeast Conference.”

Sacred Heart AD Judy Ann Riccio
“I am pleased that Sacred Heart men’s volleyball will be under the Northeast Conference umbrella in 2022-23. This is a terrific move for our program and its future.”

St. Francis Brooklyn AD Irma Garcia
“We are thrilled to see the Northeast Conference add the sport of men’s volleyball. When we announced the addition of men’s volleyball at St. Francis College in 2018 we were the first NCAA Division I program to add the sport in nearly 20 years. To see the growth of this sport and the commitment of peer institutions in the NEC shows the future is bright for Collegiate men’s volleyball. We are thankful to Wade Garard, First Point Volleyball and all who have been committed to providing the opportunity to grow the game”

St. Francis Brooklyn Men's Volleyball Head Coach Niko Lambert
“It is extremely exciting for the NEC to be sponsoring men’s volleyball. It is fantastic that the sport is growing, especially on the east coast. I am thrilled to see what the future holds.”

Saint Francis U Men's Volleyball Head Coach Mike Rumbaugh
“We are very excited for the Northeast Conference to sponsor men’s volleyball. This decision and commitment is a positive sign of added interest in our sport and I am excited to see further growth within the NEC footprint. The NEC will now be the second all-sport conference in NCAA Division I to sponsor men’s volleyball, which will hopefully encourage additional conferences and institutions to look at sponsoring the exciting and growing sport of men’s volleyball”.

About First Point Volleyball Foundation
Founded in 2016 by John Speraw, head coach of the USA Men's National Team and UCLA Men's Volleyball and Wade Garard, First Point Volleyball Foundation exists to provide opportunities for young people to mature and develop through volleyball. Specifically focused on growing boys' and men's volleyball in the United States, First Point Volleyball Foundation initiates and celebrates FIRST POINTS whether that is a first point of a new collegiate team, or a new high school team, or a first point of competitive volleyball for a 11-year-old. The Foundation has three strategic initiatives: (1) Growing collegiate opportunities; (2) Growing high school boys' opportunities; and (3) the Extending Reach Diversity Initiative – expanding volleyball opportunities to boys and men of color.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 41st season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.