HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 4, 2017)  – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team begins play in the Empire 8 Conference championship Saturday afternoon with a match against Alfred University.

The Ducks enter the weekend with a 24-7 record and a unblemished 8-0 mark in league play. Stevens went 2-1 at last week's Eastern Fall Invite, picking up wins over Ithaca College and Eastern University. 

On the other side of the bracket, Nazareth College will take on St. John Fisher. All games will be played at Canavan Arena.

Scouting Stevens
The Ducks earned the conference's number one overall seed in making its 10th appearance in the conference's tournament. Stevens is looking for its fifth conference championship and will look to improve its 12-5 mark in the tournament.

While the Ducks will take on Alfred for the first time in the postseason, the team is 2-0 against St. John Fisher and 2-3 versus the Golden Flyers.

Offensively, Stevens is lead on the outside by sophomores Casey King and Taleen Mitchell. King, a leading contender for the conference's Player of the Year, is fourth in the conference with 3.38 kills per set, 10th in hitting percentage (0.231) and fifth in aces (0.54). Mitchell has posted eight double-doubles and is averaging 3.33 points per set.

In the middle, sophomore Shelby Stewart ranks among the nation's leaders in blocks per set (1.15) and total blocks (116) and is on pace to again break the program's record for blocks. Showing an improved service game, Stewart has also recorded 31 aces. Stewart is joined at the net by classmate Sara Hain, who ranks seventh in the conference in blocks (0.71) and sixth in hitting percentage (0.267).

In addition to the team's strong play at the net, senior libero Sydni Horner is averaging 4.92 digs per set and set both the program's, and the Empire 8's, record for career digs earlier this season.

The Ducks lead the conference in hitting percentage (0.230) due in large part to the play of sophomore setter Julie Greco, who leads the league with 9.65 assists per game. The Thornwood, New York native has collected eight games with 40 or more helpers.

Nazareth's News
The Golden Flyers will look for their eighth Empire 8 title and 11th NCAA appearance. Nazareth's last conference crown came in 2013, the third straight title for the program.

Nazareth has a 1-0 all-time championship record against it's semifinal opponent and will look to improve upon its 16-8 mark in tournament play. The Golden Flyers bested St. John Fisher in four sets in its home opener.

The Nazareth offense begins with the play of freshmen Savannah Bothner and Jessica Barry, who are tops in digs (4.97 per set) and assists (10.4) in conference play. Against conference opponents, the Golden Flyers are hitting .221 and average 3.17 aces per set. 

In the middle, junior Kelsey Milligan and sophomore Melissa Newcomb rank among the top-10 in hitting percentage.

Catching up with the Cardinals
Posting its best record since the 1993 season, St. John Fisher finished 22-8 overall and 6-2 in E8 play. The Cardinals were especially tough at home, going 7-1 on Bobby Wazner Court.

St. John Fisher will make its eighth appearance in the Empire 8 tournament, but the program has yet to earn a conference championship, going 0-8 in postseason play since the conference moved to its current format.

Seniors lead St. John Fisher with Amma Marcy, Katie Mazierski, Amanda Miller and Madison Karwas leading the team in most statistical categories. Marcy, in particular, has been a force, leading the team in kills, hitting percentage, aces and blocks. The Rochester, New York native led the conference in points per set and joined the 1,000-kill club earlier this season and moved into the program's top-three in career kills. 

Additionally, Miller moved into ninth place in program history in kills and junior libero crossed the 1,000-dig plateau.

Announcing Alfred
The Saxons are participating in their first-ever conference championship. Alfred arrives in Hoboken with a 9-20 mark and a 4-4 record in league play, but the team has won three straight matches, including a pair of victories at the Oswego Tri-Match. 

Sophomore outside hitter Amber Smith ranks third in the conference with 3.40 kills per set. Senior setter Aubrey Totsline ranked fourth in the conference with 8.57 assists per set, helping the Saxons to a .122 hit percentage. Defensively, Alfred is allowing opponents to hit a league-high .199. 

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