EDISON, NJ (Aug. 18, 2023) – Marist College and Quinnipiac University have been voted as the favorites in the 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches. Moreover, Marist’s Sasha van der Merwe has been named Preseason Player of the Year.
Both the Red Foxes and Bobcats received an identical 85 points with three first-place votes each to lead the poll. This is the first time in 14 years that there are co-favorites in the volleyball preseason poll, last happening in 2009 when Fairfield and Siena shared the top of the preseason standings. Marist concluded the 2022 campaign with a second-place finish during the regular season, following a 14-4 MAAC campaign and 18-11 overall mark, the most wins in a season dating back to 2015. This is the first time since the 2014 season that the Red Foxes have been chosen as the preseason favorites. Defending champion, Quinnipiac, clinched its program’s first-ever MAAC Volleyball Championship and NCAA berth in 2022. The Bobcats, which were the No. 6 seed in the field, became the lowest seed ever to win the MAAC title, topping No. 1 Fairfield, 3-1. For the reigning champs, this is the first time in Quinnipiac history that the team has been selected atop of the volleyball preseason poll.
2022 MAAC Championship runner-up, Fairfield University, finished third in the poll with 76 points and one first-place vote. Iona University was voted in fourth-place, picking up 70 votes, while Canisius University (57), Rider University (51), and Siena College (49) followed in fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, all earning one first-place vote.
Senior outside hitter van der Merwe of Marist was named 2023 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. The 6-foot-1 Guelph, Canada native led the MAAC in kills and points, wrapping up the 2022 season with 408 kills and 468.0 points. Van der Merwe was the only player in the conference last season to register above 400 kills and she also led the league in kills per set and scoring average. Her terrific junior campaign led to spots on the All-MAAC First Team, ECAC Second Team, and AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention. Additionally, van der Merwe was a two-time Molten MAAC Player of the Week award winner in 2022, as she helped lead the Red Foxes to the program’s most wins in a season since 2015.
The rest of the Preseason All-MAAC Team and full Preseason Coaches’ Poll can be found below.
| 2023 Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| T1 |
Marist |
85 (3) |
| T1 |
Quinnipiac |
85 (3) |
| 3 |
Fairfield |
76 (1) |
| 4 |
Iona |
70 |
| 5 |
Canisius |
57 (1) |
| 6 |
Rider |
51 (1) |
| 7 |
Siena |
49 (1) |
| 8 |
Niagara |
40 |
| T9 |
Manhattan |
17 |
| T9 |
Saint Peter’s |
17 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Sasha van der Merwe - Marist |
| Preseason All-MAAC Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Ella Bourque |
Setter |
So. |
Canisius |
| Hope Matschner |
Libero |
Sr. |
Iona |
| Jen Soto |
Middle Blocker |
Sr. |
Iona |
| Jordan Newblatt |
Outside Hitter |
Sr. |
Marist |
| Sasha van der Merwe |
Outside Hitter |
Sr. |
Marist |
| Aryanah Diaz |
Outside Hitter/Opposite |
Gr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Ginevra Giovagnoni |
Outside Hitter |
So. |
Quinnipiac |
The 2023 MAAC Volleyball Championship is a six-team, single-elimination championship taking place November 17-19, 2023 at Leo D. Mahoney Arena in Fairfield, CT. Fairfield University will serve as host of the three-day championship with the opening round on Friday, November 17, the semifinals on Saturday, November 18, and the championship match on Saturday, November 19. For all information regarding the 2023 MAAC Volleyball Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/vb.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 43rd year of competition during the 2023-24 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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