NCAA VOLLEYBALL: Season Ends for Monks with GNAC Semifinal Setback

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Second-seeded Johnson & Wales University (22-7) defeated #3 Saint Joseph’s College (27-6), 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-23), in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinal on Thursday evening.

THE LEAD

All three sets were closely contested as the Monks held a lead on several occasions in each stanza. In the end, the Wildcats proved to be too much to handle, as the hosts held a 45-33 kills advantage with a .216 team hitting percentage in the tourney tilt.

With the victory, Johnson & Wales University advances to the GNAC Championship match for the 12th time in program history and will face top-seeded Rivier University in a rematch of the 2014 title bout, which was won by the Raiders, 3-1. Rivier has won six GNAC Championships while Johnson & Wales owns five conference crowns.

For the Monks, the loss signals the end of the 2015 campaign and the collegiate careers of the team’s five seniors: Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.), Cassie Leech (Middleborough, Mass.), Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.), Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) and Sam Wright (Westport, Mass.).

The 2016 volleyball graduating class has led Saint Joseph's to a 77-48 (.616) overall record, including a 27-18 (.600) mark in conference play, with three GNAC Tournament appearances over the past four seasons. The senior class winning percentage is the third-best in SJC volleyball history and the win total is tied for the fourth-highest since 1989.

GAMEPLAY

All three sets were tight with the difference being the Wildcats’ play down the stretch. Tied at 18-18 in the first set, JWU finish the stanza with a 7-1 run that included two kills and two aces by senior Paula Cadavid (Pawtucket, RI). The second set was knotted at 19-19 before Kapustin took over with four kills during a 6-2 Wildcat run to win the set. JWU was down 22-18 in the third set before Kapustin turned it on again, recording four kills and adding a block to put the match away.

The Wildcats played strong defense as they held an advantage over the Monks for digs (77-66) and blocks (5-1).

NOTABLES - Saint Joseph’s

  *   Junior outside hitter Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) notched a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs while posting a solid .290 hitting percentage
  *   Wachowiak posted 10 kills in 30 opportunities
  *   Junior outside hitter Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) chipped in with nine kills and eight digs
  *   Junior setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) tallied 26 assists, two service aces and six digs
  *   McPhee contributed with a pair of aces and 14 digs
  *   Freshman libero Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) chipped in with a match-high 22 digs


NOTABLES - Johnson & Wales

  *   Kapustin led the way for the hosts with 19 kills, six digs, two aces and a .326 hitting percentage
  *   Emily Kalmink posted 13 kills, four blocks and a .480 hitting rate
  *   Kellen Tensen dealt 35 assists with 10 digs and three blocks


HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the loss, Saint Josephs’ falls to 1-12 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University, a team the Monks last defeated on September 24th, 2011.

Husson splits pair of NAC matches Saturday

Johnsonville, Vt. - Husson split a pair of North Atlantic Conference (NAC) matches Saturday  on the campus of Johnson State. Husson (9-19, 2-3 NAC) defeated Johnson State (5-12, 0-5 NAC) 3-0 before losing to the Hornets 3-2.

Husson vs. Johnson State (3-0)

Husson came out firing and earned a 25-16 victory in the opening set followed up by a 25-15 second set victory. The Eagles appeared poised to take the third set in the same fashion, but Johnson State came back to tie it up 23 apiece. Kills by Lindsay Chapman gave Husson the 25-23 win.

The visitors finished with 36 total digs, with Nia Arranaga posting 11 herself and the squad ended with a .358  kill percentage with 32 kills.

For the Badgers, Breanna Laughlin posted 10 kills on the day while Anna Bingham lead the match in digs adding 12 to Johnson's 40 total digs.

Lyndon St. vs. Husson  (3-2)

The Eagles struck first cruising to a comfortable 25-14 win over the Hornets, but quickly realized that Lyndon was not ready to go down without a fight.  The teams battled to a 25-21 second set, seeing Lyndon State (7-11, 3-3 NAC) victorious followed by another close set with the win going to Lyndon State to put them up 2-1. Husson bounced back taking the fourth set 25-20 forcing the teams into a deciding fifth set. Not only would the set decide the match, but it also determined who would make the NAC playoffs. After an thrilling 15 point decider, Lyndon ended with two kills to seal the win and their spot in the post season.

Despite the loss, Chapman again led the Eagles posting an impressive 17 kills and 11 digs.

For Lyndon State,  Ashley Barski posted a team high eight kills and six digs while Murtaugh posted 11 assists and five aces on the match.

The Eagles will close out the 2015 season on Saturday, October 31, when they travel to Lewiston, Maine to face Bates and Bowdoin in a tri-match.

NCAA VOLLEYBALL: Monks Claw Past Bobcats in Five Sets

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph’s College (22-4, 6-2 GNAC) outlasted Bates College (7-12, 3-6 NESCAC), 3-2 (25-11, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 15-12) in a non-conference women’s volleyball match at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday evening.
 
THE LEAD
The Monks seemed poised to sweep the Bobcats after breezing through the first set and posting a five-point win in the second, but the visitors clawed their way back into contention with three-point triumphs in the third and fourth sets, effectively forcing a deciding fifth set in the process.
 
The fifth frame was tightly contested, as neither team held more than a three-point advantage until the Monks, leading 11-9, rattled off four unanswered points to close out the set and the match.
 
NOTABLES – Saint Joseph’s

•       Senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) tallied a match-high 14 kills along with a .237 attack rate (five errors in 38 attacks) and nine total blocks (six solo)

•       Junior outside hitter Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) chipped in with nine kills and 14 digs

•       Junior outside hitter Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) added six kills and 13 digs

•       Senior middle blocker Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) produced six kills and four total blocks (one solo)

•       Junior setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) notched 32 assists with a pair of kills, two aces and 10 digs

•       Senior defensive specialist Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.) contributed 13 digs
 
NOTABLES – Bates

•       Junior outside hitter Chandler McGrath (Seal Beach, Calif.) registered 11 kills, four digs and a pair of block assists

•       Freshman middle hitter Claire Naughton (Darien, Conn.) recorded nine kills and two total blocks (one solo)

•       Senior libero Laryssa Schepel (Flemington, N.J.) tallied 27 digs and a pair of service aces

•       Junior setter Hannah Tardie (Orange, Calif.) posted 16 assists and eight digs

•       Sophomore setter Jacqueline Forney (Bloomington, Ind.) contributed nine assists and 10 digs

•       Senior middle hitter Mary Deneen (Windsor, Conn.) added four kills, three aces and four digs
 
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph’s held advantages in kills (42-32), attack rate (.125-negative .070), assists (37-28), digs (86-82) and total blocks (12-4) in the victory. Bates owned a 9-4 lead in service aces and a 171-152 cushion in attack attempts in a losing bid.
 
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the victory, Saint Joseph’s improves to 5-21 since the start of the 1989 season versus Bates College and snaps a three-match losing streak at the hands of the Bobcats. Tonight’s win is the Monks’ third over the Bobcats since the 1998 campaign.
 
NEXT!
Perhaps the most important conference games of the season lie ahead for the Monks, who travel to Newton, Massachusetts Saturday to face Mount Ida College (4:00 PM) and Rivier University (6:00PM). Bates travels to Boston on Saturday for a non-conference tri-match with Framingham State University (1:00 PM) and Emerson College (3:00 PM).

Volleyball GM 1: MMA 3 - UMPI 0 | GM 2: MMA 3 - UMPI 0

CASTINE, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy volleyball defeated Maine-Presque Isle 3-0 in both games of a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday night inside of Smith Gymnasium. With the pair of victories the Mariners improve to 14-10 on the season.

Game One: Maine Maritime 3 – Maine-Presque Isle 0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-7)

In the first set the Mariners jumped out to a 5-0 lead, led by two kills from Gillian O'Neal (Burbank, Calif.). Tess Clark (Spring, Texas) also sparked a five-point run with three-straight service aces to make it 14-2, and the Mariners never looked back taking the 25-13 set one victory. The Mariners cruised to victories in set two and three, to win the match.

O'Neal led the Mariners with 10 kills, while Jessica Menges (Old Forge, N.Y.) led Maine Maritime with seven digs and Melissa Spaulding (Fairbanks, Alaska) added a game-high 17 assists. Clark and Spaulding each added four aces for the Mariners.

UMPI's Morgan Swan led all players with eight digs, while Abby Jewett recorded a team-best three kills.

Game Two: Maine Maritime 3 – Maine-Presque Isle 0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-8)

The Mariners grabbed the first set victory in game two, 25-15. In the second set, the Owls found momentum and made a good run, but the Mariners grabbed the 25-20 win, and took the third set 25-8 to claim the doubleheader.

O'Neal led the Mariners once again with 12 kills and Spaulding added 27 assists and grabbed a team-best seven digs while tallying three aces. Clark led all players with four aces, and tallied three blocks on the night.

Jewett and Swan added three kills each for the Owls, and dean Swan chipped in with seven digs.

Maine Maritime returns to action this weekend when they travel to Johnson State for a pair of North Atlantic Conference matchups against the Badgers and Lyndon State.

Volleyball Sweeps NAC Opener‏

CASTINE, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy volleyball picked up two 3-0 wins against Castleton and Green Mountain on Saturday afternoon, in the first North Atlantic Conference action of the year inside of Smith Gym.

Game One: Maine Maritime 3 – Castleton 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-9)

The two teams battled closely in the first set, but the Mariners went on a run to grab the 25-17 opening set victory. The second set proved to be just as close with the Mariners edging the Spartans 25-21. Maine Maritime took an impressive 25-9 third set win to claim in the match.

Tess Clark (Spring, Texas) led the Mariners with a double-double, recording 11 kills and 12 digs while adding a service ace and an assist. Gillian O'Neal (Burbank, Calif.) added nine kills, eight digs and three service aces andMelissa Spaulding (Fairbanks, Alaska) led the team with 25 assists, while also grabbing 11 digs and a service ace.Molly Marcotte (Woonsocket, R.I.) and Jessica Menges (Old Forge, N.Y.) each added eight digs, while Alex McClure (Iron Station, N.C.) led the team with four service aces.

Amanda Chambers led the Spartans with a game-high 17 digs, while Brittany Brayman added 10 digs and four kills and Alex Madsen led the team with 10 assists.

Game Two: Maine Maritime 3 – Green Mountain 0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-10)

The Eagles jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first set, but the Mariners ran away with the set taking the 25-16 win. The Mariners took sets two and three by scores of 25-9 and 25-10.

McClure led the way for the Mariners with a game-high nine kills and six digs, while Marcotte led all players with seven digs and Spaulding added 19 assists.

O'Neal added a career-high 11 service aces. O'Neal now ranks third all-time in aces per game, tying with Jennifer Dixon who accomplished the feat on October 23, 2010. This is the third time in O'Neal's career that she has recorded 10 aces or more in a game.

Megan Roy led the Eagles with two kills and five digs, while Aixa Lujan added six digs.

The Mariners, who improve to 10-7 overall and 2-0 in the NAC, will return to action next Saturday, September 10th at the University of New England when they take on both the Nor'Easters and Southern Maine.

Volleyball earns New England Region ranking

WATERVILLE, Maine — The Colby College volleyball team, unbeaten at 3-0 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, is ranked 14th in the latest New England Women’s Volleyball Association Division III regional poll.

The Mules, under head coach Candice Parent, have been dominant in 3-0 wins against Trinity College, Wesleyan University, and Bates College.

 

The schedule gets tough over the next five matches. After a non-conference match tonight against a tough Bowdoin College squad, the Mules play four road matches against teams ranked ahead of them in the poll. Colby is at No. 2 Amherst on Friday and No. 5 Williams in a Saturday match. The Mules get the week off before heading to No. 8 Connecticut College next Friday and No. 3 Tufts on Saturday.

 

New England Women’s Volleyball Association

 

Division III Regional Poll (week ending Sept. 27)

1. MIT, 14-1

2. Amherst, 9-1

3. Tufts, 7-3

4. Springfield, 12-2

5. Williams, 7-5

6. Clark, 12-1

7. Babson, 11-4

8. Connecticut College, 6-4

9. Roger Williams, 8-7

10. Rivier, 10-4

11. Endicott, 11-5

12. Middlebury, 9-2

13. Plymouth State, 11-4

14. Colby, 7-4

15. St. Joseph’s 14-0

—. Emerson, 6-6

 

Also receiving votes: WPI.

NCAA VOLLEYBALL: Monks Blank Eagles, Wachowiak Breaks SJC Career Kills Record‏

BANGOR, Maine – Saint Joseph’s College (15-0, 3-0 GNAC) blanked Husson University (6-13), 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-12), in a non-conference women’s volleyball match on Tuesday night.

THE LEAD
Senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) led the Monks’ offensive charge with 13 kills on 21 attempts and, with her eighth kill of the night, became the program’s all-time kills leader. The three-time All-Conference honoree now has 1,113 career kills and surpassed former teammate Sarah Hawkes ’13 – who recorded 1,107 kills over four seasons – on the Monks’ all-time list.

Head Coach Yamile Nolan also reached a milestone tonight, as the sixth-year skipper notched the 100th win of her collegiate coaching career with the 3-0 triumph over the Eagles. Nolan is just the second coach in SJC volleyball history to reach the triple-digit mark and trails only John Razsa (133-166) on the Monks’ coaching victories list.

Saint Joseph’s held the lead for all but one service in the lopsided victory and posted a .405 attack rate with 36 kills and nine errors in 84 total attempts.
 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) has played very well of late and added nine kills and 10 digs in the victory

• Junior Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) totaled seven kills and seven digs

• Senior Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.) registered six aces with seven digs

• Freshman Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) added a team-high 20 digs

• Junior Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) was credited with 30 assists and four digs

• Senior Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) contributed four kills in the winning effort
 

TEAM TOTALS
Saint Joseph’s held advantages across the board with leads in kills (36-17), attack percentage (.303 - .000), assists (34-17), aces (11-6) and digs (54-41). Husson held a 7-0 lead in total blocks in the loss.
 

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
Saint Joseph’s is now 20-9 all-time against Husson University and has defeated the Eagles in all three meetings this fall. Tonight’s victory stretches the Monks’ win streak against the Eagles to 14 games as St. Joe’s has not lost to Husson since 2008.

With the 15th-consecutive victory, the 2015 SJC volleyball team is tied for the fifth-longest win streak in Saint Joseph’s Athletics history. The 1992-93 women’s basketball and 1995-96 men’s basketball teams also won 15 straight games.

The College’s longest win streak (23 games) belongs to the 1998-99 men’s basketball and 2010 softball teams.
 

NEXT!
Saint Joseph’s returns to the court on Friday with a 7:30 PM non-conference match at WPI (9-4, 2-3 NEWMAC), a team the Monks have faced just twice, splitting the pair of matches, in the last 26 years. St. Joe’s last played WPI on September 6th, 2009 when the Engineers defeated the Monks by a 3-1 score in the Regis Pride Invitational.

VB: Husson swept by Saint Joseph's‏

BANGOR, Maine - Saint Joseph's (Maine) picked up a 3-0 win over Husson on Tuesday evening inside Newman Gymnasium. The Monks defeated the Eagles by scores of 25-12, 25-14 and 25-12.

A block by Nia Arranaga and Bailey Cote tied the first set at two, but Saint Joseph's (15-0) responded by scoring seven of the next eight points to pull away. The Monks later went on a 5-0 run, ending with a Victoria Huntley service ace, to take a 14-4 lead. Husson (6-13) would only get as close as eight points, 14-6, down the stretch after a Caela Fenderson kill, but an Eagles service error later ended the set.

After a Cote block gave the first point of game two to Husson, Saint Joseph's answered by scoring eight straight, including three-consecutive Felicia Wachowiak kills. The Monks stretched their lead to 10 for the first time after back-to-back Shadai Gosselin kills. Husson trimmed the margin within single digits at 21-13 after aMarissa Tautimer service ace, but Saint Joseph's scored four of the next five points to win the set.

A Fenderson kill trimmed an early Husson deficit in game three to 5-3, but after the teams traded four points, a Wachowiak kill triggered a 4-0 spurt to give the Monks breathing room. The Eagles came back by scoring three of the next four, as a Cote service ace brought the margin within five at 14-9. A Carolyn Miller service ace drew the Eagles closer at 15-11, but Saint Joseph's responded with a 9-0 run to take control of the set. A Huntley kill ended the match.

Wachowiak ended with 13 kills. Jenelle Thompson had 20 digs, while Mariah Hebert dished out 30 assists.

Sarah Wilson registered 13 digs, and Fenderson had seven. Marissa Johnson totaled 16 assists. Cote had two service aces, solo blocks and block assists.

Husson travels to Maine-Maritime on Saturday for two NAC matches against Green Mountain (Vt.) and Castleton (Vt.) at 12 p.m. ET and 2 p.m., respectively.

USM Sweeps Eastern Connecticut and Emmanuel

Sophomore Jess Williamson prepares for an attack during the Huskies tri-match with Eastern Connecticut and Emmauel.

Huskies Gain First Win Over Eastern Since 2003
Williamson Posts Two Double-Doubles

            GORHAM, Maine -- Sophomore outside hitter Jess Williamson (Goffstown, N.H.) posted a pair of double-doubles to help the University of Southern Maine women's volleyball team sweep Eastern Connecticut State University and Emmanuel College in a tri-match Saturday afternoon at the Warren Hill Gymnasium.

            In the opening match, the Huskies defeated Eastern Connecticut for the first time since 2003, and just the second time in series history, by a 3-0 score (25-21, 25-23, 26-24), and later came back from a set down to knock off Emmanuel 3-1 (11-25, 28-26, 25-16, 25-23).  In the middle match, Eastern Connecticut came back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Emmanuel 3-2 (25-13, 17-25, 21-25, 28-26, 15-11).

            USM snapped a four-match losing skid with its Little East Conference win over Eastern Connecticut, and improved to 6-7 overall (1-1 LEC) with the two wins.  With the split, Eastern Connecticut is 6-7 overall (1-1 LEC).  Emmanuel slipped to 2-9 overall.

            Playing their best match of the season against Eastern Connecticut, USM jumped out to a 2-0 before rallying late in the third set to take the match.  Williamson had 18 kills and 15 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.  Junior Megan Nilson (Granby, Conn.) had 23 assists, three aces and eight digs.  Rookie Nicole Schmitz (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham) contributed nine assists, three aces and eight digs.

            For the Warriors, junior Kay Mullen (Fairhaven, Mass.) had 10 kills, and classmates Ashley Adams (Mystic, Conn./Fitch Senior) and Hannah Bryant (Avon, Conn./The Master's School) had nine kills apiece.  Rookie Leah Sopneski (Deep River, Conn./Valley Regional) had 18 assists, and senior libero Allie Luppi (Tewksbury, Mass.) matched Williamson with 15 digs to share match-high honors.

            Against Emmanuel, the Huskies dropped the opening set and trailed 17-6 in the second set before rallying for a momentum swinging 28-26 win.  After taking the third set to go up 2-1, the Huskies surged midway through the fourth set to take the lead, then held off a valiant effort from the Saints to take the decisive point.

            Williamson had another big match with 19 kills and15 digs for her sixth double-double.  She also had three aces and three blocks.  Nilson picked up a double-double as well with 29 assists and 10 digs.  Rookie Cammi Baumann (Salida, Calif./Joseph Gregori), who provided the pivotal spark in the second set, had six aces and 12 digs.  Senior libero Demi Ruder (Grand Junction, Colo./Central) added 17 digs and three aces.  The Huskies served 17 aces in the match.

            Junior Cassie Chruscielski (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) led Emmanuel with 12 kills, four aces and nine digs.  Rookie Carly Church (Higganum, Conn./Haddam-Killingworth) had 19 assists, and junior Sarah Schemerhorn (Los Angeles, Calif./Venice) had a double-double with 14 assist and 12 digs.

            In the Eastern Conn.-Emmanuel match, Mullen pounded down 17 kills, and junior Fabiana Della-Monica (Newark, Del./Hodgson Vo-Tech) passed out 25 assists.  Chruscielski, senior Brittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I./St. Mary Academy) and rookie Angelica Czercowy (Hebron, Conn./RHAM) combined for 31 kills.  Church picked up a double-double with 24 assists and 10 digs.

            Southern Maine will be back in action on Tuesday (7:00 p.m.) hosting Daniel Webster College.  Eastern Connecticut will be on the road at Western New England University on Tuesday (7:00 p.m.).  Emmanuel hosts Mt. Ida College in its next match on Wednesday (7:00 p.m.).