SAGE COLLEGES READY TO OPEN MEN'S VOLLEYBALL SEASON

Troy, NY----The newest varsity team at The Sage Colleges is ready to take to the court this coming week the men's volleyball team hosts Bard College on Tuesday, January 26 in the Kahl Campus Center (Albany, NY) at 7 p.m.

Head Coach Andy Smith (Scotia, NY) has recruited his first class of players and they will compete as a member of the Skyline Conference as well as a member of the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA), both featuring NCAA Division III opponents.

Smith said of the upcoming season, "I am very excited to be at the beginning of what hopes to be a long tradition of men's college volleyball in the capital district and here at The Sage Colleges." Smith added, "the young men on the team are filled with energy and excitement for the season and are ready to tackle the challenges that face them ahead.  We know that we are laying the foundation for what this team's future will be and we take this task seriously.  We know it will be hard work and an up-hill battle, but we are ready to meet it head on."

Sage will host nine home matches, while participating in two tournaments as well as number of tri-matches before the first season wraps in late March.

Headlining the 2010 Gators' roster will be four freshmen, a junior and one senior.  The team has elected freshmen Anthony Gerace (East Greenbush, NY/Columbia) and Kyle Ray (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) as their co-captains. Gerace earned Suburban Council Honorable Mention honors as a senior.

Ray comes to Sage after an embattled high school career, where he played as a member of the girls' varsity team due to the lack of a boy's volleyball program at Horseheads High School. As a junior, Ray decided to try out for the girls' squad due to the lack of a boy's program at his school. Based on the rules regarding mixed competition set by the state Education Department and legal precedent set by Title IX, the school had no choice but to allow Ray to play. Ray helped his 2007 team capture their fourth straight Class AA Section IV championship and advance to the semifinals of the state tournament.

Junior transfer Dustin Farrell (Port Kent, NY/AuSable Valley) and senior Hussnain Hussain (Albany, NY/Schenectady) will be joined on the court by rookie middle hitter Jed Kubisch (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem) when the Gators open play. Farrell comes to Sage from nearby St. Rose College, while Kubisch's high school team finished second in the Suburban Council the past two years behind powerhouse, Burnt Hills High.

                                                                                    -30-