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Long Island went from pulling off postseason upsets to win a conference title to now being the preseason favorite to win the NEC championship.
The Sharks received all but two first-place votes to finish atop the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll that was released Tuesday.
Long Island ended last season in third place in the NEC and then in the conference tournament defeated the No. 2 seed Daemen and the No. 1 seed Saint Francis to win the inaugural NEC championship.
Among the starters returning for the Sharks includes First-Team All-NEC outside attacker Livan Moreno. The team in the offseason also added All-ConfCarolinas setter Jack Sarnowski who transferred from King.
Daemen and Saint Francis were the only other teams to receive first-place votes in the preseason poll. Daemen finished in second place, while Saint Francis rounded out the top half of the poll in third place.
The NEC regular season will begin in February and conclude with the seven-team NEC Tournament in April.
2024 NEC Preseason Poll
1. Long Island (5)
2. Daemen (1)
3. Saint Francis (1)
4. Sacred Heart
5. Merrimack
6. Fairleigh Dickinson
7. D’Youville