J.J. Connell and the Ducks are the 2006 NCAA Division III New York Region Champions. |
HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 11, 2006) – Five years removed from finishing the 2001 season with a 3-18 record, the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team captured its first-ever NCAA Division III New York Region Championship with a heart-pounding 30-26, 40-38, 22-30, 30-22 victory over Washington and Lee University on Saturday evening in front of a wild crowd at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. With the win, the Ducks improved to 34-5 overall and advanced to the quarterfinals of the national tournament for the first time in program history.
“This is a huge win for our school,” head coach J.J. O’Connell (Ithaca, N.Y.) said. “From where we started five years ago to where these players have taken us is truly phenomenal. The support that our administration has given us is amazing as well.”
The rapid improvement of the Stevens women’s volleyball program has been nothing short of remarkable under O’Connell. After inheriting a three-win team, he led the Ducks to a winning season in 2002 followed by a trip to the Skyline Conference Tournament in 2003. In each of the last three years, Stevens has claimed the conference title and advanced to the NCAA tourney.
“We are very excited to still be playing,” O’Connell said. “We beat a very good Washington and Lee team. They had one of the most balanced lineups that we faced all season. I firmly believe that our crowd carried us to the victory.”
Coming up on Thursday, Stevens will take on Central Region champion and second-ranked Washington University of St. Louis at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va. The time of that match will likely be announced on Monday. The Bears (36-1) advanced to the national quarterfinals with a 30-17, 30-21, 30-20 victory over Rhodes College.
Stevens fell behind early in the first game against the fifth-seeded Generals (29-8), but the Ducks were able to battle back to get within 23-21. Junior outside hitter Dawn Herring (Prince Frederick, Md.) and sophomore middle blocker Summer Hamilton (San Diego, Calif.) keyed a decisive 9-3 run with a pair of kills each as Stevens earned a four-point victory.
The second game proved to be a classic confrontation of wills as both teams refused to fold. The game featured a remarkable 23 ties and 14 lead changes. After falling behind 12-5, the Ducks battled back to take a 17-16 lead following a 12-4 run. Facing game point later in the contest, sophomore outside hitter Melanie Volk (Thompson Station, Tenn.) and sophomore middle blocker Jessica Gardner (Penfield, N.Y.) combined to block an attack attempt by junior right-side hitter Jess Hudock (Tampa, Fla.) as the Ducks knotted the score at 30-all.
Both teams continued to trade points and had numerous opportunities to close out the game. In fact, in one stretch, Stevens fought off four straight game points. With the Ducks trailing 38-37, Volk came up with an important kill off a pass from senior setter Micki Biltz (Lakewood, Ohio). Following an attack error by sophomore outside hitter Laura Maurer (Sparta, N.J.), Stevens closed out the game as sophomore setter/right-side hitter Melissa Rhode (New Orleans, La.) and Hamilton blocked an attack from senior outside hitter Ashley Hurt (Altamonte Springs, Fla.).
Despite losing the first two games, Washington and Lee rebounded with a solid 30-22 victory in the third game. Stevens came out of the gates quickly in the fourth game as the Ducks grabbed a 6-3 lead. Tied at 15-all, Stevens closed out the match on a stirring 15-7 run. Herring and Hamilton came up huge in that spurt as they collected three kills apiece. With the Ducks leading 29-22, Gardner smashed a kill off a set from Biltz – sparking a jubilant on-court celebration as the women’s volleyball squad became just the second team in school history to reach the national quarterfinals. In 2004, the men’s lacrosse team earned an opening-round victory over Springfield College to reach the quarters.
Herring was huge for the Ducks on Saturday as she finished with 19 kills and 12 digs. Rhode hit .314 with 15 kills and just four errors in 35 total attempts. She also had 18 digs and five blocks. Hamilton added 15 kills and six blocks. She hit .308 (15-3-39) for the Ducks. Volk posted 10 digs, nine kills and two blocks. Biltz led all players with 50 assists. Gardner registered six kills, four blocks and three digs. Senior outside hitter/libero Rachel Ostroff (North Miami, Fla.) collected 27 digs.
The Generals were led by sophomore right-side hitter Jessica Ulrich (Gettysburg, Pa.), who had 12 kills, eight digs and five blocks. Hudock had 12 kills and 10 digs. Maurer also collected 12 kills in the match. Freshman setter Kristi Stevens (Overland Park, Kan.) added 23 assists and 12 digs. Junior setter Lauren Rudolph (Fort Wayne, Ind.) chipped in with 21 assists and 12 digs.
