DUDLEY, Mass. – With a five-set win over No. 3 Eastern Nazarene on Thursday night at home, the No. 2 Nichols men's volleyball team has punched its ticket to the New England Collegiate (NECC) Championship match to face off against No. 1 Endicott for the second time in as many years on Saturday, April 15 at MacDonald Gymnasium, with first serve set for at 1:00 p.m.
 
The Bison (21-8) travel to face the Gulls (14-9), who have won eight NECC crowns in their 23-year history, after they came out victorious with a 3-1 victory over SUNY Potsdam to also advance to the final.
 
Nichols and Endicott each saw five student-athletes garner NECC postseason awards. Both right side Luis Martinez and middle Tanner Soracco were named to the First Team, while middle Dylan Knapp, outside Carlos Mercado, and setter Dylan Urbanski landed on the Second Team after helping Nichols to its best record in program history including the first-ever ranking in the AVCA Coaches Poll at No. 15.
 
Endicott's middle blocker Nikolas Kasprzak highlighted the five Gulls All-Conference selections, as he was named the NECC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Gulls' head coach George Chappell was named the NECC Coach of the Year after leading his team to an undefeated record in conference matches, winning all but two of the eight in straight sets. A win in the title match would mark the 200th of his 11-year tenure.
 
Chappell will go head-to-head with Nichols second-year head coach Casey Fitzpatrick, who boasts a 36-20 record through his first two seasons at the helm. Fitzpatrick looks to coach the Bison to their first championship in program history, as well as the first win against the Gulls in the all-time series.
 
Live streaming and statistics links for the NECC Championship can be found HERE.