CAA VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY REPORT - OCT. 20
CAA VOLLEYBALL: Northeastern steadied at the top of the CAA standings with a 7-0 conference record as they earned victories over UNC Wilmington and Georgia State last weekend. William & Mary and VCU are tied at second in the standings, while Towson, Hofstra, Delaware and James Madison follow tied with a 4-3 conference mark.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Ivana Rich ? VCU
Cumberland, Va./Cumberland, Jr., Middle Blocker
VCU junior middle blocker Ivana Rich collected CAA Player of the Week accolades after propelling the Rams to a 3-2 victory over a tough William & Mary squad in conference play. The junior registered 11 kills with two errors on 19 attempts for a .474 attack percentage in the lone match for the Rams last week. Rich recorded four of her 11 kills in the deciding fifth set. She also averaged one block per set in the victory over the Tribe with five total in the match.
CO-PLAYER & ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Kim Stewart ? Delaware
Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood, Fr., Outside Hitter
Delaware freshman outside hitter Kim Stewart earned her first CAA Player of the Week and her second CAA Rookie of the Week honors after helping the Blue Hens to a 3-0 week with victories over Villanova, and conference foes James Madison and George Mason. The rookie led the Blue Hens with a team-best .308 attack percentage in the three matches. Stewart finished the week averaging 3.64 kills per set. The Kentwood, Mich., native also averaged 3.00 digs per set, and added four blocks and four service aces on the week. She posted her third double-double of the season in the match against Villanova with 11 kills and 16 digs. Against George Mason, Stewart fired a career-high 19 kills.
CAA PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL PICKS: Defending CAA volleyball champion Delaware has been picked to win the title once again in 2008 based on the votes from the league’s 10 volleyball head coaches. The Blue Hens received 78 points, including seven first-place votes, earning them the top spot in the preseason poll. Second place went to Northeastern with three first-place votes and 62 points. William & Mary placed third with 59 points, while James Madison finished fourth, followed by VCU, Hofstra, George Mason, Georgia State, Towson and UNC Wilmington.
CAA PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE PICKS: Stephanie Berry, junior libero from Delaware, was selected the CAA Preseason Player of the Year. Joining her on the preseason All-CAA team were teammate senior outside hitter Kelly Gibson, George Mason junior outside hitter Rebecca Walter, Hofstra senior outside hitter Lauren Engle, James Madison senior setter Lauren Miles, Northeastern senior outside hitter Lauren DeTurk and William and Mary senior setter Kim Mount.
NCAA STATS: Will be updated on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE SPECIAL: Georgia State’s Ashley Jones registered her third triple-double of the season in GSU’s match at Hofstra on Oct. 19. The sophomore posted 18 kills, 19 assists, and 10 digs in the four-set match. Jones recorded the league’s first triple-double of the season and repeated her efforts for a back-to-back performance (Sept. 30 & Oct. 4). The sophomore scored 13 kills, 15 assists and 15 digs on Sept. 30 against Mercer and then registered a season-high 19 kills, 18 assists and 11 digs on Oct. 4 against UNC Wilmington. Jones was one shy of posting a triple-double earlier in the season as she tallied nine kills, 26 assists and 11 digs in the match-up versus Delaware on Sept. 26. Northeastern’s Britney Brown registered the league’s third triple-double of the season on Oct. 11 as she scored 15 kills, 30 assists and 14 digs in the Huskies’ victory over William & Mary. The sophomore recorded a pair of triple-doubles in 2007.
HOME-SWEET-HOME: Northeastern is still perfect at home with a 4-0 record and will look to extend that streak with a home match against Hofstra this weekend. The Huskies spoiled William & Mary’s perfect 7-0 record on Oct. 11. The Pride of Hofstra returned to their home court on Oct. 17 when they defeated UNC Wilmington, 3-0. Due to the third and final Presidential Debate on Oct. 15, Hofstra did not play a match on its own Physical Fitness Center home court since Aug. 30.
TOUGH COMPETITION: A number of CAA squads have played some tough opponents this season. Overall, the CAA has played 14 teams that have been ranked or receiving votes. Northeastern has faced the highest ranked squad when they played #2 Nebraska. The Huskies have also faced Cal Poly when they were ranked #14. Both contests were at the Cal Poly Invitational. William & Mary were challenged at the Billiken Invitational when they faced #3 Stanford and # 19 Illinois. The Tribe also played a match against Saint Louis, who is now receiving votes and sitting on the bubble of the Top 25 after downing #3 Stanford. James Madison played #5 California, while Hofstra faced #7 Southern California and # 21 San Diego in the same tournament. Georgia State recently played #25 Michigan to round out the teams that played ranked opponents thus far. Delaware (vs. Pepperdine), Georgia State (vs. Georgia Tech), Hofstra (vs. Oklahoma), Northeastern (vs. Tulane/vs. Ohio), Towson (vs. Dayton) and William & Mary (vs. Saint Louis) have faced a team receiving votes.
MVP HONORS: William & Mary’s Ginny Bray received her second MVP honor of the season at the Colonial Challenge. She joins teammate Erin Skipper, Paula McConnell (UNC Wilmington), Alysha Fanning (Towson), Harmonie Calinda (Hofstra), and Ariel Newman (VCU). Bray helped the Tribe clinch their third tournament title this season with a 3-0 record at the Colonial Challenge. The sophomore averaged 2.73 kills per set on a .379 attack percentage and added 14 blocks in three matches. Bray earned MVP honors for the second consecutive tournament with the first coming at the N.C. Classic.
CVU.COM TOP HONORS: Two CAA volleyball players have been honored as CVU.com Top Performers, most recently Northeastern’s Britney Brown, on Oct. 14. She recorded a double-double and a triple-double in the same weekend leading the Huskies to a pair of conference victories. Georgia State’s Ashley Jones was named a CVU.com Top Performer the previous week on Oct. 7. Jones recorded back-to-back triple-doubles the previous week and helped the Panthers to their first victory of the season, snapping a 14-game losing streak.
SISTER ACT: George Mason has a unique fact about its volleyball squad... sister connections. The CAA has a three sets of sisters playing around the league squads and one of the siblings from each set plays for the Patriots. George Mason senior Morgan Connell’s little sister, sophomore Jenna Connell, plays for Hofstra, while George Mason freshmen Katrina Boryc and Kelsey Bohman have older sisters that play for the CAA in Georgia State sophomore Rachel Boryc and William & Mary senior Molly Bohman.
DELAWARE (10-13, 4-3 CAA)
Delaware went 3-0 with victories over Villanova at home before defeating James Madison and George Mason on the road in conference outings. The Blue Hens have now won three straight conference road matches for the first time since joining the CAA in 2001. Prior to defeating JMU and Mason this week, the Hens also defeated Georgia State and UNC Wilmington earlier in the season. On the week, the Blue Hens were led by freshman Kim Stewart and sophomore Katie Dennehy as they posted 40 and 41 kills, respectively. Dennehy averaged a team-high 3.73 kills per set and added six service aces and Stewart finished the week hitting at a .308 clip and averaged 3.64 kills per set. Stewart registered her third double-double of the season against Villanova with 11 kills, 16 digs and then fired a career-high 19 kills in the victory over Mason. Sophomore setter Jess Chason dished out 121 assists in the three matches (11.0 a/s). Freshman middle hitter Elena DelleDonne led the team with 13 blocks during the week, including a season-high eight against the Patriots. Her efforts against George Mason marked the most blocks by a Blue Hen in a four-set match this season. She has now recorded at least one block in 20-straight matches, marking the longest streak by a Hen this year. Sophomore middle hitter Paige Erickson set a career high versus James Madison with her 18 kills. She also posted a .467 hitting percentage during the match, marking the highest attack percentage by a Blue Hen with at least 12 kills this season. Junior libero Stephanie Berry averaged a team-high 4.1 digs per set (45) last week, while four other Delaware members also produced double-digit kills. The Blue Hens will host a pair of home CAA contests this week as they entertain UNC Wilmington and Georgia State.
GEORGE MASON (6-14, 2-5 CAA)
George Mason came into the weekend with a two game winning streak, but was unable to extend that streak as the Patriots fell to both Towson, 3-2, and Delaware, 3-1, last weekend. Junior outside hitter Sam Simmonds led the Patriots on the week as she posted 21 kills (2.62 k/s) and hit at a .224 clip. She also added six blocks on the week. Fernanda Bartels averaged 6.78 assists per set in the two matches and Katrina Boryc led the Patriots with 32 digs (3.56 d/s). Jourdan Dozier and Laura Turner each recorded eight blocks. Down two sets on Friday, the Patriots staged a furious comeback to force a fifth set, but were unable to hold off Towson. Mason was led by double-digit kill outings from juniors Rebecca Walter and Simmonds, as the pair chipped in 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Recording a double-double for Mason was Bartels, who had 34 assists and 11 digs, while Boryc led all players with 17 digs. Against the Blue Hens, Mason took the first set, helped by a 6-to-1 blocking advantage in the set. However, Delaware controlled the remainder of the match as they took the victory. The Patriots were led by nine kills from Simmonds and 15 digs from Boryc. Dozier led the Patriots at the net chipping in seven total blocks. Mason will look to return to the win column this weekend with they travel to face VCU and William & Mary.
GEORGIA STATE (1-19, 1-6 CAA)
The Panthers of Georgia State suffered a pair of losses on the road last week to Northeastern and Hofstra. Sophomore Ashley Jones led the Panthers on the week as she registered 24 kills (3.43 k/s) and posted a team-high hitting percentage of .239. The sophomore also contributed 24 assists and 17 digs on the week. She continued her dominant play on Sunday posting her third triple-double of the season as she scored a team-high 18 kills, 19 assists and 10 digs against the Pride. Freshman Chelsea Perry saw her first action of the season as she spent both matches at setter, earning 10 assists and an ace against the Huskies and then came back with 23 assists, six digs and a kill against the Pride. Sophomore libero Audrey Cantrell averaged 5.71 digs per set last week and now has a team-high 298 through 20 matches. Junior Jocelyn Waldern has continued to be the Panthers top server and now stands fifth in the CAA-only matches with .39 aces per set. Waldern also contributed 18 digs on the week for the Panthers. Georgia State will continue a road stretch as they visit Delaware and Towson this weekend.
HOFSTRA (10-10, 4-2 CAA)
Hofstra went 2-0 last week to even its overall record to 10-10 and move to 4-3 in conference play. The Pride earned victories over UNC Wilmington and Georgia State at home. Three members of the Pride squad posted 20 or more kills on the week, led by senior outside hitter Lauren Engle and junior outside hitter Harmonie Calinda each posting 22. Junior right side Monica Knight followed with 21 and senior Ashley Legerretta (16) and freshman Taylor Moore (14) chipped in double-digit kills in the two matches. Legerretta led the Pride with 10 blocks in the two matches. Junior setter Chrissey Cruz dished out 71 assists (10.14 a/s). Sophomore libero Rachel August led the Pride with 32 digs on the week, while three others added 20+ in the two victories. Against the Seahawks, Cruz notched 32 assists and nine digs, while three players totaled 10 kills apiece to lead Hofstra to a three-set sweep. In Sunday’s match versus Georgia State, Calinda had 12 kills and 20 digs, while August added a career-high 22 digs as the Pride used a stunning rally in the fourth set to defeat GSU in four sets. Before the match against the Panthers, Engle was presented with a commemorative volleyball in recognition of her reaching 1,000 career kills. Engle, who reached the milestone versus St. John’s on Sept. 16, now has 1,105 career kills and ranks 10th on the all-time list at Hofstra. Calinda and Cruz each picked up their conference-leading 11th double-double of the season against GSU. Engle also posted a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs against the Panthers giving her five this season. The Pride has a busy week ahead as Hofstra will play a pair of non-conference matches before closing the week with a CAA match at Northeastern on Saturday. The Pride will travel to Fordham on Tuesday before hosting Robert Morris on Friday.
JAMES MADISON (10-13, 4-3 CAA)
James Madison went 1-1 last week, splitting a pair of home matches by falling to Delaware on Friday, 3-1, and defeating Towson on Saturday, 3-0. The win over the Tigers, who entered the match ahead of the Dukes in the CAA standings, was perhaps the best all-around performance of the season for JMU with scores of 25-16, 25-19, and 25-19. It was the first sweep of a CAA opponent this season for the Dukes. Sophomore outside hitter Lindsay Callahan led the Dukes with 25 kills (3.57 k/s) in the two matches, while senior setter Lauren Miles dished out a team-high 73 assists (10.43 a/s). Sophomore libero Sofia Lindroth averaged 4.71 digs per set with 33 total, giving her 10 or more digs in nine of the last 10 matches. Senior middle blocker Michelle Johnson recorded a team-high seven blocks for the Dukes. Against Towson, Johnson led JMU with 11 kills and .526 hitting with just one error on 19 swings. She also had eight kills and six blocks against Delaware for one of her best weeks of the season, averaging 2.71 kills and 1.0 blocks per set while hitting .368. Callahan posted a double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs against UD followed by a 10 kill, six dig performance against the Tigers. Freshman middle blocker Kelly Turner averaged 2.0 kills and 0.86 blocks per set with seven kills and three blocks in each match. JMU will have its final non-conference match of the season on Tuesday at Norfolk State to open a stretch of five straight road matches. The Dukes will then travel to William & Mary on Friday and VCU on Saturday.
UNC WILMINGTON (5-15, 0-7 CAA)
The Seahawks of UNC Wilmington suffered a pair of road losses at Hofstra and Northeastern last weekend. With the two losses, the Seahawks have dropped 14 straight matches, its longest losing streak since they went through a 17-match losing streak during the 2005 season. The Seahawks have combined to post a .117 hitting percentage during their 14-match losing skid, while its opponents have turned in a .218 attack clip. UNCW recorded a .203 attack percentage in its first six matches of the season, while limiting opponents to a .115 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Lindsey Strucko led the Seahawks last week averaging 2.00 kills per set. Junior middle blocker Paula McConnell (11) and freshman outside hitter Jennifer Mallard (10) also posted double-digit kills on the week, while McConnell added a team-high five blocks. Senior Jacqueline Crane and freshman Kelsey Bendig split time at the setter position as they dished out 22 and 18 assists, respectively. Strucko and Crane each recorded 11 digs on the week, followed by junior defensive specialist Ashlyn Morris’ 10. In the match against Hofstra, McConnell and Strucko recorded six kills for the Seahawks, who was held to a .019 hitting percentage. Morris had a team-high nine digs, while Crane tallied eight. Against Northeastern, Strucko and Mallard had six kills apiece as the Seahawks were limited to a .000 attack percentage in the match. Crane dished out a team-best 14 assists and sophomore outside hitter Kelli Clear posted six digs. The Seahawks return home Tuesday for a non-conference match against Winston-Salem State before hitting the road for a pair of conference contests at Delaware and Towson.
NORTHEASTERN (13-7, 7-0 CAA)
The Huskies of Northeastern won a pair of conference contests against Georgia State and UNC Wilmington. With the victories, Northeastern is currently on an 11-match win streak and owns a perfect 4-0 record at home. Senior outside hitter Lauren DeTurk led the offense with 20 kills (3.33 k/s) and finished the week with a .286 hitting percentage. The senior also posted 15 digs just behind team leader junior libero Leah Neubeck, who recorded 23. Setters Jessica Tkachuk (29) and Britney Brown (24) share time dishing out assists. Brown finished the week with an impressive 12 service aces, 10 earned in the match against UNC Wilmington. Against Georgia State, DeTurk recorded a match-high 11 kills on a .381 attack percentage and added nine digs. Brown recorded a match-high 13 assists, which put her over the 1,000 assists plateau for her career. She now has 1,022 career assists. Neubeck added a match-high 13 digs, while Brown and sophomore Caitlin Tittl added three blocks apiece. On Sunday, the Huskies held UNC Wilmington to a .000 hitting percentage for the match as they went onto sweep the Seahawks, 3-0. Brown broke a school record when she registered 10 in the three-set match. DeTurk recorded a match-high nine kills and six digs. Tkachuk posted a match-high 17 assists against the Seahawks, while Neubeck received credit for a match-high 11 digs. Ten of Northeastern’s 13 victories have been 3-0 sweeps. The Huskies will host Hofstra at home in CAA play on Saturday before visiting Fairfield on Sunday for a non-conference outing.
TOWSON (15-8, 4-3 CAA)
The Tigers went 1-2 last week on the road with a victory over George Mason in conference play and losses to UMBC and conference foe James Madison. Towson fell to UMBC, 3-1, before rebounding to take the Patriots of George Mason to five-games and earn the victory. The Tigers completed the weekend with a 3-0 loss at James Madison. Towson was led by senior outside hitter Maddie Haseltine’s 37 kills (3.08 k/s). She led four others in double-digit kills over the three matches and added 25 digs for the Tigers. Senior libero Kristina Shannon recorded a team-best 38 digs on the week, leading five others in double-digit digs. Sophomore middle blocker Shelynne Hoyt averaged 1.17 blocks per set as she stopped 14 attacks. Sophomore setter Katee Luecke finished the week with 104 assists, 25 digs and seven blocks. Senior Ally Perko received credit for 23 kills last week and enters this week needing 25 more kills to reach the 1,000 plateau for her career. Against UMBC, Britney Loomis tabbed a match-high 13 kills, while Luecke dished out 38 assists and three players earned 11+ digs for the Tigers. In the win over Mason, Haseltine notched a match-high 20 kills, while teammate Valerie Chromy added 10. The Tigers also got 43 assists from Luecke. The Tigers return home this weekend to host Georgia State and UNC Wilmington. The Tigers will also host their Breast Cancer Awareness night on Saturday evening when the Tigers face the Seahawks.
VCU (12-7, 4-2 CAA)
The Rams picked up a victory in its only contest of the week as they defeated William & Mary on the road, 3-2. VCU pushed itself into a second-place tie with a come-from-behind victory over the Tribe. The last four matches between VCU and W&M has needed five sets. Junior Ivana Rich had four of her 11 kills in the deciding fifth set as the Rams picked up the win. Rich also hit .474 with five blocks. Senior Elisa Kuehnel added 14 kills, 15 digs and a season-high five service aces. The senior currently has 313 total blocks in her career and needs 13 to tie Shelley Sprouse for second place in school history. Senior Laryssa Goncalves picked up 19 digs in Thursday’s match and now has 1,691 for her career. With three matches scheduled for this week, Goncalves has a chance to catch Cindy O’Brien (1,740) for second on the Rams’ career list. With its win over the Tribe, VCU matched its win total from the 2007 season. The Rams are scheduled to visit Temple on Tuesday before hosting George Mason and James Madison this weekend.
WILLIAM & MARY (14-5, 4-2 CAA)
William & Mary dropped a close 3-2 decision to Virginia Commonwealth at home on Thursday night in its lone contest of the week. The loss tied the Tribe for second place in the conference standings with VCU. Sophomore outside hitter Erin Skipper led the Tribe with 13 kills (2.6 k/s). Kim Mount dished out 31 assists (6.2 a/s) and junior outside hitter Lauren Powell posted a career- and team-high 18 digs, while leading two others with double-digit digs. Powell also led at the net stopping a team-high three blocks. The Tribe is one win away from surpassing last year’s win total, and clinching a winning season record for the first time since 2005. W&M is also one win away from giving head coach Melissa Shelton her 250th career victory. William & Mary will host James Madison and George Mason this weekend in conference play.