NCAA FIELD HOCKEY: Monks Defeat AMCATS in GNAC Semifinal, 3-1

PORTLAND, Maine – Second-seeded Saint Joseph’s College (13-6) topped #3 Anna Maria College (13-7), 3-1, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Field Hockey Tournament Semifinal at Deering Memorial Stadium on Wednesday evening.
 
THE LEAD
The Monks registered just four shots on the evening but hit pay dirt on three bids in a victory that propels Saint Joseph’s into a conference championship match for the fifth time in the last eight seasons. Junior Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) and freshman Michalia Parent (Westborough, Mass.) both recorded a goal and an assist in the tourney triumph.
 
With the win, Saint Joseph’s advances to the GNAC Championship game and will face top-seeded Simmons College, which blanked #5 Johnson & Wales University, 3-0, this evening in the other conference semifinal. The title bout will be played at 6:00 PM on Saturday at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
 
The season may not be over for the AMCATS, who hope to earn a berth into the ECAC Tournament

Wachowiak Breaks SJC Career Kills Record‏

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph’s College senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) broke the Monks’ career kills record in a 3-0 victory at Husson University on Tuesday night.
Sitting on 1,100 kills and needing eight to surpass former teammate Sarah Hawkes ’13, Wachowiak broke the former mark (1,107) early in the second set with a kill off a Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) assist to lift the Monks to a 9-3 lead.

Wachowiak totaled 13 kills in the sweep over the Eagles and closed out the evening with 1,113 strikes over 376 career sets - 20 fewer than Hawkes played during her four seasons at Saint Joseph’s. Wachowiak also surpassed the mark in 293 fewer attempts than Hawkes, who remains as the only player in program history to notch 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.

The three-time All-Conference honoree is the Monks’ career leader by a wide margin in block solos (253), block assists (145) and total blocks (398) and is closing in on the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) career total blocks mark (421), which is held by Amanda Dennis, a 2009 graduate of Pine Manor College.

Wachowiak is in the midst of her finest collegiate campaign, with GNAC-leading marks in kills per set (3.45), kills (176), hitting percentage (.368), blocks per set (1.14), solo blocks (39), total blocks (58), points (224.5) and points per set (4.4). For her efforts, she has collected six weekly honors already this fall, with three Offensive Player and three Defensive Player of the Week awards to her credit.

She also owns the SJC single-season records for attack percentage (.318, 2012), block solos (103, 2014), block assists (54, 2012), total blocks (141, 2014) and blocks per set (1.21) and is on pace to surpass several of the these marks this fall.

Adding to her impressive list of team records, the four-year starter has eclipsed multiple single-match marks as well, including attack percentage (.812), total blocks (13), block solos (10), block assists (8), four-set kills (24) and four-set points (28).

In her NCAA career, Wachowiak has claimed an astounding 26 accolades, including a pair of First Team All-GNAC awards, two ECAC DIII New England Player of the Week honors, and 15 GNAC weekly honors.

Saint Joseph’s (15-0, 3-0 GNAC), one of just three undefeated women’s volleyball programs in all of NCAA DIII, will travel to WPI for a 7:30 PM non-conference match on Friday evening.

NCAA W. SOCCER: Saint Joseph’s Handles Anna Maria, 4-0‏

PAXTON, Massachusetts – Saint Joseph’s College (6-5-0, 3-1-0 GNAC) blanked Anna Maria College (2-7-1, 0-3-1 GNAC), 4-0, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women’s soccer action on Wednesday afternoon.
 

THE LEAD
The scoreless contest was interrupted in the 22nd minute as an AMCAT handball inside the box granted the Monks a penalty kick, which was buried by Desiree Parent (Westborough, Mass.) for the first score. The Monks added a second goal late in the first half to lead 2-0 at halftime and added two more scores in the second half to account for the 4-0 final.
 

NOTABLES

Men Place 36th at UMD Invitational

DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Saint Joseph's College men's cross country team finished 36th with 999 points in the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday. Sophomore Lucas Fisher (Strafford, N.H.) toured the 8K course in 28:15 and placed 143rd individually.

It was a relatively close finish for the team top honors, as Brandeis edged East Stroudsberg, 93-116, to win the event. Southern New Hampshire's Ignatio Hernando won the race with a 25:13 effort.

 

FOR THE MONKS:

• Senior Taidghe Hagan (Reading, Mass.) was the second SJC runner to cross the line, placing 187th with a 29:15 performance
• Freshman Andrew Force (Lancaster, N.H.) and senior Andrew Caron (Gardiner, Maine) finished back to back with 30:47 (244th) and 30:49 (245th) efforts, respectively
• Senior Connor Dufour (Augusta, Maine) was 272nd with a 32:25 time
• Junior Nick Shuckrow (Winslow, Maine) placed 274th with a 32:31 performance
• Freshman Avery Liotta-Henderson posted a 34:41 time and finished 295th overall in his collegiate debut

NCAA W. SOCCER: Monks Pick Up GNAC Win Over Raiders, 2-0‏

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph’s College (2-4-0, 1-1-0 GNAC) defeated Rivier University (2-3-0, 0-2-0 GNAC), 2-0, in a GNAC women’s soccer contest at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday afternoon. Freshman forward Colleen Sheehan (Medway, Mass.) assisted on both of the Monks’ goals in the victory.

St. Joe’s controlled the pace of play for the better part of the conference contest, but would not find the back of the net until the 40th minute, when freshman forward Rebecca Pond (Westwood, Mass.) connected with Sheehan for her first NCAA goal.

The Raiders managed to keep the Monks off the board – and their hopes alive – until senior Hannah LeBlanc (Andover, Mass.) headed in a perfectly placed pass from Sheehan at the 87-minute mark. Streaking down the right side of the field, Sheehan found LeBlanc near the left goalpost in the box and the senior captain finished with a header into the top left corner to account for the 2-0 final.

Sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Troup (East Bridgewater, Mass.) made three stops to record her first shutout of the season while Rivier netminder Lauren Goodspeed (Merrimack, N.H.) posted five stops in the losing bid.

The Monks held a 21-8 advantage in shots with a 4-1 lead in corner kicks on the afternoon. Rivier will host Nichols College at 7:00 PM on Tuesday.

BOX: http://www.gomonks.com/sports/wsoc/2015-16/boxscores/20150919_wf5a.xml

NCAA M. SOCCER: Monks Topple Raiders, 3-0

STANDISH, Maine – Senior Ralph Houanche (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) netted a goal with an assist to help lift Saint Joseph’s College (3-3-1, 1-1-1 GNAC) past Rivier University (1-3-0, 0-2-0 GNAC), 2-0, in a GNAC men’s soccer contest at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday afternoon.

After a scoreless first half, Houanche put the Monks on top with an unassisted tally at the 56:15 mark and was credited with the assist on a goal by junior Nicholas Borowski (Webster, Mass.) marker just over 13 minutes later.

Freshman Jeremy Caruso (Pembroke, N.H.) connected off a Ryan Guidaboni (Nashua, N.H.) feed in the 72nd minute to put the match well out of reach.

Freshman keepers Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.) and Zack Moody (Steep Falls, Maine) combined to make three saves in what was the Monks’ third shutout effort of the young season. Mullen, making his second collegiate start, made a pair of saves in 86:04 of play while Moody registered a stop on the only shot he faced in 3:56 between the pipes.

For Rivier, Anthony Capozzi (Windham, N.H.) made five saves in 86:26 of play while Tyler Moore went untested in 3:34 of mop-up duty.

St. Joe’s held a 19-6 shots advantage with a 5-3 lead in corner kicks in the victory.
Saint Joseph’s returns to action on Tuesday with a 4:00 PM home game versus University of Maine-Farmington. Rivier, losers of three straight, looks to get back on track with a non-conference match at New England College at 6:00 PM on Wednesday.

BOX: http://www.gomonks.com/sports/msoc/2015-16/boxscores/20150919_roag.xml

Monks Win SJC Autumn Invitational

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (11-0) captured the SJC Autumn Invitational Championship for the fifth time in the last seven years with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-12) title-match victory over Husson University (5-10) at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday. Senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) tallied seven kills with three solo blocks and garnered tourney MVP honors for the second time in her career.

The Monks opened the day with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-8) triumph over Eastern Nazarene College (3-9) while Husson defeated Maine-Presque Isle (0-11), 3-0 (25-21, 24-26, 25-9, 25-14) in the other 10:00 AM match on court two.

In the consolation match, Eastern Nazarene blanked Maine-Presque Isle, 3-0 (25-15, 25-7, 25-12).
With the two victories, the Monks extend their winning streak to a program-record 11 matches. Saint Joseph's swept all four matches in which the team played during the invitational tourney, which has been hosted at St. Joe's each of the last 16 years.

Tourney Leaders

Saint Joseph's def. Eastern Nazarene, 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-8)

The Monks were uncharacteristically slow out of the gates in the first set and fell into an 11-3 hole as a result. The hosts recovered with an 11-3 run of their own to knot the set at 14-14 and scored eight of 10 points down the stretch to take the first frame.

Saint Joseph's would not trail in the second and third sets to claim the shutout win and advance to the tournament title bout against Husson.

Junior Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) registered nine kills, five digs and a pair of aces while Wachowiak, Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) and Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) contributed five kills apiece in the win over the Lions. Freshman libero Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) posted a match-high 18 digs, Gosselin added 11 digs, senior Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.) contributed eight digs and four aces, and senior Samantha Wright (Westport, Mass.) chipped in with three aces in the triumph.

For the Lions, junior Joanna Joseph (Brockton, Mass.) belted three kills, freshman Viviana Coix (Warrenville, Ill.) posted nine digs, and senior Hannah Welsh (Derry, N.H.) added seven digs, two kills and a pair of aces in the setback.

Husson def. Maine-Presque Isle, 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-9, 25-14)

Husson recovered from a second-set loss with decided victories in the third and fourth sets to advance to the SJC Autumn Invitational Championship.

Sophomore middle hitter Bailey Cote (Biddeford, Maine) led the charge for the Eagles by posting 11 kills, five solo blocks and four service aces while junior outside hitter Lindsay Chapman (Gorham, Maine) contributed seven kills and 13 digs versus the Owls. Sophomore setter Marissa Johnson (Russell, N.Y.) dealt 28 assists with a pair of aces and six digs and sophomore defensive specialist Sarah Wilson (Dover, N.H.) picked up 28 digs in the 10:00 AM match on court two.

Senior Morgan Swan (Caribou, Maine) paced the Owls with six kills and tied for the team-lead with 13 digs while junior Abby Jewett (Bar Harbor, Maine) registered five kills and 13 digs and senior Hannah Boyce (Bar Harbor, Maine) tallied five kills and eight digs in the setback. Freshman Hannah Williams (Park Falls, Nova Scotia) added 13 assists and senior Katie Patenaude (Presque Isle, Maine) chipped in with 12 digs in the losing effort.

CHAMPIONSHIP: Saint Joseph's def. Husson, 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-12)

St. Joe's employed the dual threat of dominance at the net as well as on the serve in the sweep over Husson, as the Royal Blue boasted 21 kills with a .241 attack rate and 14 service aces in the title bout.
Wachowiak posted seven kills with three blocks while Huntley put up six kills and six digs with a pair of aces and Gosselin added five kills and eight digs in the win. Junior setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) totaled 15 assists, three digs and a pair of aces, Thompson chipped in with 16 digs and four aces and McPhee and Wright both delivered three service aces for the hosts.

Senior Emma Plouffe (Frankfort, N.Y.) led the Eagles with three kills while sophomore Nia Arranaga (San Jose, Calif.) tallied three aces, two kills and six digs in the losing bid. Sophomore Kaitlyn Carl (East Machias, Maine) contributed seven digs and Johnson dealt five assists in the closing match.

CONSOLATION: Eastern Nazarene def. Maine-Presque Isle, 3-0 (25-15, 25-7, 25-12)

The Lions picked up their second win of the tournament with the help of 22 kills and 22 aces as Joseph led the attack with eight kills and Welsh boasted six kills and six aces in the three-set sweep.
Sophomore Oksana DiCamillo (Nottingham Township, Pa.) contributed five aces and 10 digs for Eastern Nazarene while sophomore Kayla Dean (Lansdale, Pa.) recorded three kills, six assists, five aces and four digs in her team's final match of the annual tourney.

For the Owls, Boyce tallied four kills and three digs, Jewett posted three kills and 11 digs, Swan picked up a match-high 14 digs, and Williams dealt seven assists.

 

All-Tournament Team
Saint Joseph's - Felicia Wachowiak - MVP
Saint Joseph's - Victoria Huntley
Saint Joseph's - Jennelle Thompson
Husson - Bailey Cote
Husson - Lindsay Chapman
UMPI - Abby Jewett
ENC - Hannah Welsh

Saint Joseph’s Blanks Rivier, 6-0

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (3-1, 2-0 GNAC) blanked Rivier University (1-4, 0-2 GNAC), 6-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) field hockey contest at Mercy Field on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore midfielder Elyse Caiazzo (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) scored twice and added an assist in the triumph.

As it played out, the Monks put the game away early as the hosts netted three markers during in the first 12 minutes. Caiazzo kicked off the game scoring with her first NCAA goal, off a Bailey Cutler (Lisbon Falls, Maine) pass, just 3:12 after the opening whistle and freshman forward Michalia Parent (Westborough, Mass.) scored her fourth of the season off a Meghan Williams (Greenland, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas) pass just 2:02 later. Senior Amanda Celata (Dedham, Mass.) capped the early scoring at the 11:25 mark with junior Kesley Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) claiming an assist on the play.

Dumond closed out the first half with her fourth goal of the year, an unassisted strike, at the 33:40 mark.

Caiazzo connected with Williams for her second score of the day in the 39th minute and was credited with an assist on the hosts' sixth goal, a marker by Dumond in the 49th minute.

Freshman keeper Megan Baker (Gorham, Maine) did not face a shot and recorded her second shutout in as many starts while Raiders first-year netminder Emily Foster (West Lebanon, N.H.) recorded 10 stops in a complete-game performance.

Saint Joseph's will play at University of Southern Maine on Tuesday at 4:00 PM while Rivier returns to action tomorrow with a 1:00 PM non-conference match at Maine-Farmington.

VB: Husson splits pair of matches Friday‏

STANDISH, Maine - Husson split a pair of matches on the first day of the Autumn Invitational, hosted by Saint Joseph's (Maine), inside the Alfond Center. The Eagles defeated Eastern Nazarene (Mass.) 3-0 by scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-21 but lost to Saint Joseph's 3-0 by scores of 25-10, 25-16 and 25-14.

Husson (4-8) improved to 3-0 all-time against Eastern Nazarene (1-8) on Friday. Bailey Cote posted a career-high nine service aces, as the Eagles pumped out 19. Emma Plouffehad three service aces. Lindsay Chapman totaled eight kills in the win, while Kaitlyn Woods had five. Sarah Woods had eight digs. Marissa Johnson dished out 17 assists.

Kayla Dean had five kills in the loss, as the Lions hit just .018 in the match. 

Victoria Huntley came up with 11 kills for Saint Joseph's (9-0). Janelle Thompson recorded 16 digs. Mariah Hebert had 24 assists.

Nia Arranaga served up five service aces for the Eagles, while Cote pumped in four. Chapman and Cote each had three kills. Wilson added eight digs. Johnson recorded eight assists.

Husson takes on Maine-Presque Isle on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. The championship and consolation games of the tournament are set for 12 p.m.

NCAA M. SOCCER: Terriers Score Late, Nip Monks 2-1‏

STANDISH, Maine – Thomas College (2-2-0) edged Saint Joseph’s College (2-3-1), 2-1, in a non-conference men’s soccer contest at Westerlea Way Field on Thursday afternoon. Senior goalkeeper Scott Benner (Post Falls, Idaho) made five saves in the losing effort.

Thomas held a 1-0 lead until the 53rd minute when freshman Brett Mattos (Mahopac, N.Y.) netted his second goal of the season off an Austin Bell (Gorham, Maine) pass. The in-state rivals played fairly even in the second stanza as the match seemed destined for extra play before sophomore William Nilson (Vaxholm, Sweden) tapped in the game-winner at the 85:44 mark.

Taking advantage of a defensive lapse in the box, the Terriers opened the game scoring in the 18th minute on a play set up by senior midfielder Tre Ming (Devonshire, Bermuda), who collected a loose ball near midfield and sent it into the heart of the box. After an unlucky bounce, the ball found the foot of freshman forward Josh Emard (Lebanon, Maine), who ran in on the left and drove a shot into the right corner.

The 1-0 advantage remained until the 53rd minute, when Bell and Mattos connected to knot the game at 1-1. Running down the right side and into the corner, Bell fought off several defenders and dealt a perfect crossing pass to Mattos, who was stationed near the left post and tapped the ball in past diving junior keeper Joakim Sternas (Stockholm, Sweden).

Both teams had opportunities to take the lead but neither would do so until the 86th minute when Nilson collected a high bouncing ball near the top of the box and placed a kick to the left side of the net for the game-winner.

Thomas held a 13-9 lead in shots while Saint Joseph’s owned a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks on the afternoon. Sternas made six saves for the Terriers.

Saint Joseph’s will host GNAC-rival Rivier University this Saturday at 3:00 PM while Thomas returns to the pitch with a game at Bates College at 2:00 PM on Saturday.

Southern Maine Falls in Five Sets to Unbeaten St. Joseph's 3-2

Junior Megan Nilson was one of three USM players to post a double-double in the Huskies' tough, five-set loss to undefeated St. Joseph's College Thursday night at Hill Gym.

GORHAM, Maine -- The unbeaten St. Joseph's College Monks came from behind to take a 3-2 victory over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a non-conference volleyball match Thursday evening at the Warren Hill Gymnasium.

            The win was the seventh straight for the Monks who are now 7-0 on the season.  The Huskies dropped their second straight to slide below .500 at 4-5.  The two teams will meet again at St. Joseph's on October 8.

            Senior middle hitter Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H./Nute) led the Monks attack pounding down 21 kills.  Junior Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) added 14 kills, junior Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) contributed nine kills, and senior Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) and sophomore Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) had eight kills apiece as the Monks had a total of 63 kills in the match.

            Junior setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) passed out 48 assists, and rookie libero

Terriers Beat Monks 2-1

STANDISH, ME – The Thomas College men's soccer team defeated Saint Joseph's College in a non-conference matchup 2-1.  Sophomore William Nilson scored the game-winning goal for the Terriers in his first game of the season.

The Terriers opened the scoring 17 minutes in the game when Josh Emard continued his scoring ways to give the Red and Black a 1-0 lead.  Senior captain Tre Ming sent in a ball from midfield which after a few deflections found the foot of Emard who sent in the opening goal.  The score remained the same into halftime with the Terriers having a 10-4 advantage in shots.

At the 53rd minute of the second, Brett Mattos netted his second goal of the season off an Austin Bell pass tied the score one. Thomas regained the lead with five minutes to play when Nilson tapped in the game-winner to seal the 2-1 victory for the Terriers.

Junior goalie Joakim Sternas was awarded the victory for the Terriers with a six save performance.  Monks' keeper Scott Benner was given the loss with five saves.

The Terriers will be back in action on Saturday, September 18 when they play Bates College in a 2:00 pm contest in Lewiston, Maine.

2015 SJC Athletics Hall of Fame Class Inducted

STANDISH, Maine - The 13th class of the Saint Joseph’s College Athletics Hall of Fame was enshrined with a ceremony at the Mercy Dining Hall on the evening of Saturday, September 12th. Stephen Chase ’93 (Basketball), Robert Doyle (Baseball), Billie L’Heureux ’91 (Basketball) and Joe Manganaro ’05 (Golf) are the latest to enter the Monks’ hallowed hall.

The addition of this year’s class brings the Athletics Hall of Fame membership to a total of 78 accomplished individuals and teams.

The evening began with a reception in the Harold Alfond Center, which included an unveiling of the plaques for each of the newest members in the Hall of Fame Room, which was constructed in 2014. President Dr. James Dlugos kicked off the evening with a brief introductory address in the Hall of Fame Room.

The ceremony followed in Mercy Dining Hall with Athletics Director Brian Curtin welcoming the

NCAA W. SOCCER: Second Half Surge Propels Beavers Past Monks, 4-2‏

STANDISH, Maine – University of Maine-Farmington (2-2-0) erased a two-goal deficit with four unanswered goals in the second half to defeat Saint Joseph’s College (1-4-0), 4-2, in a non-conference women’s soccer contest at Westerlea Way Field on Tuesday afternoon.

The Monks played well early on in what was the team’s 2015 home-opener, as the hosts scored twice in a matter of five minutes midway through the first half to secure a 2-0 lead. The Beavers gained momentum late in the opening frame and the effort carried into the second stanza, when the visitors netted a pair over a four-minute span to knot the game at 2-2 with 26:28 remaining.

The stalemate score remained until the 78th minute when freshman midfielder Ashley Gleason (Scarborough, Maine) collected a bounding ball beyond the SJC defense and chipped a ball over Monks sophomore keeper Brooke Troup (East Bridgewater, Mass.), who left her post to challenge on the 1v1 play.

The Monks poured on the offensive pressure over the following 10 minutes, but the effort was for naught as junior forward Bridget Humphrey (Jefferson, Maine) effectively put the game out of reach at the 87:08 mark when she potted her second goal of the afternoon.

The Monks’ goals, scored by freshman Haley DeGraca (Saco, Maine) and senior Hannah LeBlanc (Andover, Mass.), seemed to be an early indication of how the game would be played. DeGraca opened the scoring with a kick from the right side of the box that clanged off the left post and into the back of the net. LeBlanc was credited with an assist on the play and hit pay dirt herself 5:29 later. Junior Desiree Parent (Westborough, Mass.) set up the score with a perfect lead pass in the middle of the box, with LeBlanc placing a shot to the right corner to finish the quick strike.

The Beavers got on the board at the 49:54 mark when freshman forward Lydia Roy (Waterville, Maine) scored off an Ashley Gleason (Scarborough, Maine) feed, cutting the hosts’ lead in half. UMF tied the game just 3:38 later when Humphrey netted an unassisted tally.

Saint Joseph’s held advantages in shots (25-16) and corner kicks (7-2) while Maine-Farmington owned an 11-6 lead in shots on goal on the afternoon. Troup made seven stops in goal for the Monks while Beavers keeper Sam Hatch (Hebron, Maine) recorded a pair of saves on the afternoon.

Saint Joseph’s returns to the pitch this Saturday with a home contest at 12:00 PM versus GNAC-rival Rivier University.

Eaton Of Lincolnville Earns GNAC Runner of the Week Award‏

STANDISH, Maine – The GNAC weekly honors have been released and Saint Joseph’s College graduate student Heather Eaton (Lincolnville, Maine) has claimed GNAC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week accolades.

Eaton placed third out of 151 participants with a 19:57 performance in the 5K University of New England Invitational on Saturday. The sub-20 time was the third of her career and also ranks as her third-fastest effort in a 5K event. She placed 10th with a 20:08 performance in the UNE Invitational a year ago.

For Eaton, a three-time All-GNAC honoree and two-time Rookie of the Week award recipient, the Runner of the Week honor is just the second of her esteemed career.

Saint Joseph’s will compete in the UMass.-Dartmouth Invitational this Saturday.

NCAA W. VOLLEYBALL: Monks Blank Panthers, Remain Undefeated‏

STANDISH, Maine - Saint Joseph’s College (6-0) defeated Plymouth State University (7-3), 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-22), in a non-conference women’s volleyball match at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday night. Junior outside hitter Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) tallied a match-high nine kills with seven digs and a pair of aces in the sweep.

Saint Joseph’s rarely trailed in the three-set victory as the hosts would not face more than a two-point deficit in the three-set triumph over Plymouth State. The Monks boasted a solid .217 attack percentage with 18 unforced errors overall while the Panthers mustered a negative .051 rate with 42 errors – including 26 on attack bids – in a losing effort.

The Monks opened the night by producing five unanswered points, with junior setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) making it a 5-0 set with a service ace. The Panthers responded with four straight points, a run capped with a Dani Tabor (Olympia, Wash.) kill.

St. Joe’s rattled off five straight again, as a pair of Huntley kills helped the hosts reclaim a five-point (10-5) cushion, but the visitors answered with an 11-6 run, tying the opening set at 16-16. Minutes later, Plymouth State received a service ace from Tabor to take a 19-18 lead, their first advantage of the evening, and a see-saw battle ensued with the Panthers earning a 23-22 edge after sophomore Clair Sporer (Medford, Ore.) notched a kill. But the Monks reclaimed service on a Katie Sylvia (Lee, N.H.) errant serve and proceeded to claim a 1-0 match lead after the Panthers fell victim to a pair of attack errors.

The New England rivals played close for the better part of the second set as well. Plymouth led 13-12 after junior Brianna Wojtas (Salem, N.H.) blocked a Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) attack, but the advantage did not last as St. Joe’s put up six straight points with the help of two aces from senior Sam Wright (Westport, Mass.) and a pair of Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) kills. Saint Joseph’s led by no fewer than four points for the remainder of the set and earned a 2-0 lead with the help of a late 5-2 run, which was capped with a service error by Sylvia.

The third set was quite competitive, as neither team led by more than four points and the clubs stood at a 17-17 deadlock late in what turned out to be the final segment of the evening. With the tie score, Saint Joseph’s produced a 7-3 surge to claim a 24-20 cushion before Plymouth State tacked on a pair of points, but the Monks did not waver as Wachowiak rejected a Kayla Wyland (Melrose, Mass.) attack to clinch the three-set win.

For the Monks, Hollander recorded six kills with a .400 attack rate, junior Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) added five kills and 18 digs, Wachowiak contributed five kills and seven total blocks (four solo), and Hebert tallied 27 assists with six digs. Freshman libero Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) chipped in with 18 digs and Wright added a pair of aces in the victory.
For the Panthers, Tabor registered seven kills, six digs and two aces, junior Mikki Taffe (Sandown, N.H.) posted five kills, Sporer produced four kills and six digs, and sophomore Megan Bailey (Canterbury, N.H.) added 16 assists and four digs. Sophomore Brenna Peruch (Cave Creek, Az.) recorded a match-high 19 digs in the loss.

Saint Joseph’s returns to play Thursday with a 7:00 PM match at University of Southern Maine while Plymouth State will host a tri-match versus Western Connecticut and Salve Regina on Saturday.

Fisher Tabbed as GNAC Runner of the Week‏

STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly honors have been released and Saint Joseph’s College sophomore Lucas Fisher (Strafford, N.H.) has been selected as the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week.

Fisher led the Monks with a 29:35 performance and finished 24th out of 162 runners overall in the UNE Invitational on Saturday.

The 2014 GNAC Rookie of the Year and All-Conference honoree was selected as the GNAC Rookie of the Week five times last fall – for Fisher, the Runner of the Week award is a career-first.

Saint Joseph’s College will compete in the UMass.-Dartmouth Invitational this Saturday.

Wachowiak & Thompson Claim GNAC Accolades‏

STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly honors have been announced and a pair of Saint Joseph’s College volleyball players have earned accolades.

Senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) has been named as the GNAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week and freshman libero Jenelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) has claimed GNAC Rookie of the Week honors.

Wachowiak was dominant again last week and collects dual honors for the second-consecutive reporting period with 38 kills and a stellar .411 attack rate to go with 16 total blocks - including 11 solo - in three matches, all SJC victories. The senior middle blocker tallied 13 kills and 13 total blocks in a 3-1 triumph over Colby College on Tuesday and contributed 25 kills and three rejections in a trip-match sweep over Norwich and Suffolk on Saturday. Wachowiak became the second member of the Monks' 1,000-kill club during the victory over the Rams Saturday afternoon.
Thompson has played a major role in the Monks' 5-0 start to the season and continued her high level of defensive play in three SJC wins last week. The freshman libero totaled 58 digs in three matches and 10 sets overall, including 26 in a 3-0 GNAC win over Suffolk on Saturday.

Wachowiak, a three-time All-GNAC honoree, currently leads the conference in solo blocks (19), total blocks (30), blocks per set (1.67) and points per set (5.1) and ranks second in the GNAC in kills per set (3.72), hitting percentage (.392) and points (91.5).

Thompson leads the conference in digs per set (5.22) and is fifth in the league with 94 total digs over five matches this fall.

Saint Joseph’s will host non-conference foe Plymouth State University tonight at 7:00 PM.

Parent Named GNAC Rookie of the Week‏

STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly honors have been released and Saint Joseph’s College freshman Michalia Parent (Westborough, Mass.) has been selected as the Field Hockey Rookie of the Week.

Parent scored a goal in all three of the Monks' games last week with a pair of game-winners and an assist to help Saint Joseph's get off to a 2-1 start to the 2015 campaign. The freshman forward registered a goal and an assist in a victory over New England College on Wednesday and slammed home the game-winner versus Mount Ida College on Saturday.

Parent is currently tied for the team-lead in goals (3) and ranks second on the squad in total points (7), shots (19) and shots on goal (17). The weekly conference honor is the first of her collegiate career.

Saint Joseph’s will host GNAC-rival Rivier University this Saturday at 12:00 PM.

Field Hockey Wins Home-Opener, 4-0‏

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph’s College (1-1) blanked New England College (0-4), 4-0, in a non-conference field hockey game at Mercy Field on Wednesday afternoon. Freshman Michalia Parent (Westborough, Mass.) scored a goal and added an assist in the shutout effort.

The Monks dominated the stat sheet and maintained possession in the Pilgrim’s defensive end for the majority of play in their 2015 home opener, as the hosts outshot the visitors by a 42-0 margin with a 25-0 lead in penalty corners on the afternoon.

New England sophomore goalkeeper Michaela Clark (Dorchester, Mass.) played very well despite the final tally, making a whopping 31 saves while maintaining a respectable score in the complete-game performance.

St. Joe’s had plenty of chances early and finally found the back of the cage when Parent steered a