PITMAN, NJ -- Rowan is slotted in fourth place as the New Jersey Athletic Conference announced its 2024 NJAC Volleyball Preseason Poll on Friday.

The Profs also earned one of the 10 first-place votes. Defending champion Stockton was selected the favorite while picking up seven first-place votes. Kean is second along with a first-place vote with William Paterson in third and named the dark horse.

Montclair State is fifth with Rutgers-Camden (sixth), Ramapo (seventh), Rutgers-Newark (eighth), and NJCU (ninth) filling out the poll respectively.

Last season, Rowan battled to a 3-5 NJAC record and berth in the conference tournament. This year, the Profs welcome back all-region and all-conference selection in junior Jena Kaul. Kaul led the conference in kills and points and ranked in the top 35 in Division III in kills. The team also features five seniors with the experience needed to help put the Profs back on top. Brooke Adams, Kyra Hissner, Maya Iovacchini, Isabel Kirchner, Abigail Webster all return to make another run at a conference title.

The schedule has the team starting the season in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Rowan opens against Buffalo State on Friday, August 30th. On Saturday, September 7th, the Profs will host Widener and Drew the inaugural Matt Blatt Mitsubishi Invitational here at Esbjornson Gymnasium in the home opener. Weekend matches at Neumann (Sept. 13-14) and at Messiah (Sept. 20-21) precede the NJAC opener against Stockton at home on Tuesday, September 24th.

The team will host tri-matches in consecutive weekends: October 5th (DeSales & SUNY-Maritime) and October 12th (Misericordia & SUNY-Canton). The regular season finale takes place on Friday, November 8th at Eastern. NJAC Tournament play begins on Tuesday, November 12th with the semifinal round on Thursday, November 14th and the championship on Saturday, November 16th.