CAA VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY REPORT - AUG. 31
*Full Report in PDF Format located at the bottom of this release*
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Mariel Frey • VCU
Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township, Jr., Outside Hitter
Frey led the Rams to a 4-0 record to start the 2009 season at VCU’s own Third Degree Sportswear Invitational. The junior outside hitter recorded 14 or more kills per match, including a career-best 18 against St. John’s. She averaged a team-high 3.76 kills per set and posted a double-double in her first two outings of the year. Frey also contributed 2.53 digs and 0.59 blocks per set during her four appearances and was named to the All-Tournament team.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Nicole Bishop • Northeastern
Park City, Utah/Park City, Fr., Middle Hitter
Bishop led the Huskies to a 2-0 start with victories over Long Island and UMBC at the Madison Bingman Memorial Tournament. Bishop, a freshman middle hitter, made 19 blocks in her rookie debut, averaging 2.38 per set. After just one week of action, Bishop leads the league in blocks.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Jordyn Moloney • William & Mary
Whitby, Ontario, Canada/Anderson CVI, Fr., Setter
Moloney helped the Tribe accomplish a 3-1 record at William & Mary’s own Tribe Invitational. The rookie led the Tribe in assists with 9.93 per set and recorded a pair of double-doubles on the week. Moloney added 2.36 digs per set and scored four service aces in her collegiate debut.
CAA PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL PICKS: Defending CAA volleyball champion Delaware has been picked to win the title once again in 2009 based on the votes from the league’s 10 volleyball head coaches. The Blue Hens received 70 points, including four first-place votes, earning them the top spot in the preseason poll. Second place went to VCU and William & Mary tied for second with three first-place votes and 69 total points. Northeastern was fourth in the poll, followed by Hofstra and James Madison. George Mason and Towson tied for seventh-place, followed by Georgia State and UNC Wilmington.
CAA PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE PICKS: Stephanie Berry, junior libero from Delaware, was selected the CAA Preseason Player of the Year. Joining Barry on the preseason All-CAA volleyball team are teammate Katie Dennehy, Northeastern’s Britney Brown, VCU’s Ivana Rich, William & Mary’s Erin Skipper and George Mason’s Rebecca Walter.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE SPECIAL: A year ago, Georgia State’s Ashley Jones completed the season with six triple-doubles and in the first weekend of the 2009 season two CAA student-athletes recorded their firsts of the season. Northeastern’s Jessica Tkachuk and Britney Brown each tabbed triple-doubles in NU’s win over UMBC. Tkachuk recorded her first triple-double with 12 kills, 12 digs and 22 assists, while Brown notched her fifth of her career with 14 kills, 11 digs and 25 assists.
DELAWARE (1-2, 0-0 CAA)
Delaware went 1-2 on the first week at the New Mexico Tournament, with a win over Portland State. The Blue Hens fell to host New Mexico and UC Santa Barbara. Michelle LaLonde led the team with 11 blocks, including eight against Portland State. The senior middle hitter also led the team with a .245 attack percentage, while Jess Chason led the team with 8.70 assists per set. Kim Stewart recorded a team-best 2.45 kills per set over the weekend. The Blue Hens will host the Delaware Invitational this weekend and entertain Princeton, Army and Rutgers.
GEORGE MASON (2-1, 0-0 CAA)
The Patriots went 2-1 in the D.C. Challenge with victories over American and Georgetown. After going 2-0, George Mason fell to George Washington. Holly Goode led the Patriots with 3.18 kills per set and recorded a team-high .405 attack percentage. She also added 10 total blocks to Kelsey Bohman’s team-high 16. Fernanda Bartels produced 8.91 assists per set for the Patriots in the three matches. George Mason will host #13 Minnesota on Monday evening before hosting the Patriot Invitational when they welcome Kent State, Cornell, and Morehead State.
GEORGIA STATE (3-1, 0-0 CAA)
The Panthers opened the season with a 3-1 record at the North Carolina Central Tournament with wins over the Citadel, North Carolina Central and South Carolina State. Georgia State fell to High Point in the third match of the tournament. Ashley Jones led the Panthers with an attack percentage of .377 and a team-best 2.75 kills per set. Chelsea Perry produced 98 (8.17 a/s) assists over the weekend and Perry joined Muki Kangwa for team-best 12 service aces each. Georgia State will participate in the Great 8 Volleyball Challenge this weekend when they will face North Carolina A&T in the opening match. Presbyterian and Louisiana Monroe are also participating in the tournament.
HOFSTRA (0-3, 0-0 CAA)
The Pride went 0-3 at the Hofstra/Asics Invitational to open the season as they fell to Rhode Island, Binghamton and Marshall. Monica Knight led the team with 4.20 kills per set, while Taylor Moore posted a team-best .341 attack percentage. Chrissey Cruz recorded 8.56 assists and 4.44 digs per set to lead the Pride. Hofstra is back in action this weekend when they travel to the Albany Classic where they will take on the host Great Danes, Lamar and Seton Hall.
JAMES MADISON (1-2, 0-0 CAA)
James Madison opened the season going 1-2 at the Morehead State Classic with a victory over East Tennessee State. The Dukes fell to Morehead State and Chattanooga. Danielle Erb led the Dukes posting 3.33 kills per set over the three matches and also contributed 2.08 digs per set. Jessica Zeroual (12) and Erb (11) made 21 blocks for the Dukes. Lauren Fanelli dished out 9.25 assists per set. JMU ranks as the seventh-youngest team in the nation according to total seasons of Division I experience, with no seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and six freshmen on the roster. The Dukes will host the JMU Invitational this weekend welcoming Duquesne, Hampton and St. Francis (PA).
UNC WILMINGTON (2-2, 0-0 CAA)
The Seahawks opened the 2009 season with a 2-2 finish at the North Carolina Central Tournament, defeating UNC Asheville and South Carolina State and falling to Elon and High Point. Lindsey Strucko pushed UNC Wilmington along with team highs of 4.29 kills per set and a .322 attack percentage. Ashlyn Morris posted 35 digs, while Strucko added 32. Paula McConnell finished the weekend with 10 blocks. The Seahawks will host the UNCW Classic next week and will welcome Columbia and Niagara and will play both teams twice.
NORTHEASTERN (2-0, 0-0 CAA)
Northeastern started the season with a 2-0 record at the UMBC Tournament with victories over host UMBC and Long Island. Five Huskies averaged 2.00 kills per set, led by Britney Brown (2.88 k/s). Jillian Robinson led the team with a .464 attack percentage, while Nicole Bishop made 19 blocks (2.38 b/s). Brown and teammate Jessica Tkachuk each posted a triple-double in the five-set match against UMBC. Leah Neubeck recorded a team-high 25 digs, while Tkachuk added 21. Robinson also added 12 blocks on the weekend. Northeastern will host Rhode Island in a mid-week contest before participating in the UC Irvine/Long Beach State Invitational next weekend where they will take on Montana, UC Irvine and Long Beach State.
TOWSON (1-2, 0-0 CAA)
The Tigers went 1-2 at the West Virginia Classic with a victory over St. Francis (PA) and falling to host WVU and Oakland. Shelynne Hoyt and I’ishah Keliikoa led Towson with identical .218 attack percentages, while Britney Loomis led the Tigers with 2.67 kills per set. Katee Luecke (51) and Evan Schulz (56) split time at the setter position. Hoyt led the Tigers with 13 total blocks and three Tigers recorded 31 or more digs, led by Missy Rohrbaugh. Towson will host Lehigh for a mid-week match before facing Maryland, Loyola, Morgan State and Navy when the Tigers host the Battle of Baltimore
VCU (4-0, 0-0 CAA)
After a five-set victory over Temple, the Rams of VCU went onto capture a 4-0 record at their own VCU/Third Degree Sportswear Invitational with four-set wins over St. John’s, Wright State and East Carolina. VCU was led by Mariel Frey’s 3.76 kills per set and Lenka Melicharkova’s 9.94 assists per set and 10 service aces. Ivana Rich (2.06 k/s) and Kelsie Clegg (2.47 k/s) also contributed for the Rams. Four VCU players recorded double-digit blocks on the week, led by Clegg’s 21. VCU’s 4-0 start is the best for the Rams since the 2000 season, when VCU opened at 9-0 on the way to an 18-12 campaign. The Rams will travel down the interstate this weekend to participate in the Jefferson Cup in Charlottesville. They will face host Virginia, Campbell and North Carolina Central.
WILLIAM & MARY (3-1, 0-0 CAA)
William & Mary took second at the Tribe Invitational last weekend with a 3-1 record. The Tribe was victorious over Rider, UMES and North Carolina A&T, but fell to Ohio State in the finale. Erin Skipper posted 3.92 kills per set, while Ginny Bray followed with 2.50 k/s and led the team with a .368 attack percentage. Jordyn Moloney dished out 9.93 assists per set, while five Tribe members posted 22 digs or more, led by Lauren Powell’s 36. William & Mary will play in the Appalachian State Invitational this weekend and will face host Appalachian State, Tennessee Tech and North Florida.