HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 8, 2008) – Senior right-side hitter Melissa Rhode earned the Most Valuable Player Award of the 2008 Empire 8 Championship as the 25th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team knocked off Nazareth College in the final round. The Ducks defeated the Tigers of Rochester Institute of Technology earlier in the day to advance to the championship round. The Ducks have now claimed five-straight conference titles as they prepare for their fifth appearance at the 2008 NCAA New York Regional Tournament. Including last season, the Ducks are now 20-0 in the Empire 8, including championship matches. They have extended their conference win-streak to 53-0, which dates back to the 2004 season when the program competed in the Skyline Conference.

Saturday, November 8, 2008
No. 1 Stevens def. RIT 3-1 (25-19, 29-27, 23-25, 25-14)
No. 2 Nazareth def. Fisher 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-19)
No. 1 Stevens def. No. 2 Nazareth 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-16)

Set 1 Stevens 25-19
The Ducks took a one-set lead behind the offensive attacks of sophomore outside hitter Sarah Byrne and Rhode. Byrne landed five kills as Rhode posted four. Sophomore setter Sara Budar dished out seven assists in the win. Defensively for Stevens, sophomore libero Julia Reilly and senior outside hitter Melanie Volk each lifted six digs, while Reilly recorded a service ace.

The Tigers had a difficult time trying to get things clicking offensively. Junior middle blocker Ashlie Baker (Northridge, Utah) had three kills and a dig, while senior setter Nichole Boxler (Varysburg, N.Y.) led in both assists and digs having recorded five and four, respectively.

Set 2 Stevens 29-27
In the second set, the Tigers took a commanding lead as they were ahead 12-19 before the Ducks were able to regroup. Stevens went on a 6-1 run to pull within two points behind the serving of Budar. A side out by the Tigers allowed the Ducks to come within one as Volk took position behind the serving line. A long, intense volley saw Stevens come away with the point to knot the set at 20-all. Back and forth points brought the contest to a 24-24 deadlock. A receiving error by Stevens gave RIT a point and possession.  A kill by Volk tied the set at 26-all as Budar went back to serve. Then a blocking error by Stevens saw the fifth tie of the set. Volk repeated with her seventh kill of the match to give the Ducks a 28-27 advantage. An attacking error by the Tigers allowed Stevens to take the set and grab a two-game lead.

Volk landed six kills on 10 swings with just an error for a .500 hitting percentage. Sophomore right-side hitter Maggie Majcher posted three kills as Reilly lofted seven digs. Junior middle hitter Vic Petko (East Amherst, N.Y.) led the Tigers in kills with six and added a pair of blocks. Boxler connected on 10 assists and added three digs.

Set 3 RIT 25-23
RIT once again jumped out to an early lead to take a 7-2 lead. Stevens clawed back to cut the deficit to two points on a 12-9 run as the Tigers still led 16-14. With the score at 19-16 in favor of RIT, a big block by senior middle blocker Jessica Gardner brought the Ducks within two. Down by one, Stevens was in need of a kill as Volk posted her tenth of the match to knot the contest at 20-all. Back and forth points brought the set to a 21-21 tie. RIT posted a quick three points to go ahead 24-22. Byrne kept the Ducks in the set as she landed a kill to pull Stevens within one (23-24). The Tigers finished off the set with the help of a kill from Baker.

Petko again led in kills for RIT having totaled six. Boxler connected on 10 assists and added three digs. Volk had six kills to bring her total to 13 on the match. Majcher landed three of her own and added a block. Rhode led in assists with seven.

Set 4 Stevens 25-14
Trailing 6-9, the Ducks battled back to knot the set at 9-all, behind the strong serving of Byrne. Stevens then took over after senior middle blocker Summer Hamilton landed a kill to give Stevens a 15-13 advantage as RIT called a timeout to talk things over. The Ducks returned even stronger to go on an 8-0 run before the Tigers took their second timeout as the score read 23-13 in favor of Stevens.

Stevens was led by Volk who produced a .429 hitting percentage having landed 13 kills with just one error on 28 swings. She added 18 digs and two blocks in the win. Byrne was also tallied 13 kills and added five digs and a pair of blocks. Rhode dished out 17 assists, recorded 10 kills, a service ace and six digs. Reilly led the squad defensively with 19 digs. Hamilton was solid at the net as she put down nine kills. Gardner was stellar having posted six block assists as she finished with six kills.

For RIT, Petko led in kills (16) and added six block assists. Boxler connected on 29 assists and accumulated 10 digs. Senior right-side hitter Heidi Little (Glenville, N.Y.) was second on the team in kills with eight. Senior right-side hitter Kate Gleason (Hamburg, N.Y.) led the squad in digs with 17.

Fisher vs. Nazareth
Set 1 Nazareth 25-17
Nazareth opened championship play against the Cardinals having taken Set 1. The Golden Flyers led by as much as eight with the score 17-9 in favor of Nazareth. The Cardinals rallied off three straight points to cut the score to 17-12 in favor of the Golden Flyers. However, it was Nazareth all the way as it went on an 8-5 run to close out the set.

Senior outside hitter Laura Persico (Ravena, N.Y.) led the team offensively having landed seven kills. Junior setter Kate Zwickl (Chester, N.Y.) connected on 14 assists and added a block assist.  For the Cardinals, senior middle blocker Kayleigh Cassetta (Liverpool, N.Y.) posted a pair of kill, while junior setter Elaina Braun (Waterloo, N.Y.) totaled four assists.

Set 2 Nazareth 25-17
Trailing 12-18, Fisher received a kill from senior middle blocker Alyssa Ziobrowski (Lewiston, N.Y.) as the Cardinals were desperately trying to catch up. Nazareth answered however, as junior middle blocker Katelynn Reed (Horseheads, N.Y.) landed a kill of her own. Fisher produced a late rally but Nazareth's lead was too great as the Golden Flyers closed out the set 25-17.
Junior outside hitter Carra Vanderstyne (Victor, N.Y.) tallied five kills and added a pair of digs. Zwickl added 11 assists and a service ace, while junior libero Mary Clary (Baltimore, Md.) lofted eight digs. For Fisher, Ziobrowski added a pair of kills and a block in the loss. Braun tallied six assists and two block assists for the Cardinals.

Set 3 Nazareth 25-19
Ahead 18-14, Vanderstyne controlled the serving possession for the Golden Flyers as she helped to rally off three points including an ace of her own. Down 15-20 Fisher was on the move. The Cardinals posted a pair of points off the serving of junior libero Jenna Waldron (Windsor, N.Y.). A side out by Nazareth brought the score to 21-17 in favor of the Golden Flyers. The offensive attack by Nazareth was too great to overcome as the Golden Flyers went on to win 25-19 to secure their spot in the championship match.

Reed finished the match with 10 kills on 19 swings with only an error to produce a .474 hitting percentage. Perisco, Vanderstyne and freshman right-side hitter Audrey Zimmerman (East Aurora, N.Y.) each tallied nine kills in the win. Zwickl accumulated 39 assists and added four digs.

Fisher finished its season with a 22-12 record. Ziobrowski led the team in kills with eight against the Golden Flyers. Braun totaled 12 assists and three block assists. Freshman libero Kelsey Chappell (Canandaigua, N.Y.) led the team defensively with 11 digs.

Nazareth vs. Stevens
Set 1 Stevens 25-13
Stevens took an early lead as Hamilton drilled her first kill of the game to bring the Ducks lead to 10-6. Stevens then posted three points behind the serving of Budar. A huge block by Gardner extended the Ducks' lead to 14-7; however consecutive miscues by Stevens allowed Nazareth to earn a pair of points (14-9). A kill by Majcher got the Ducks back on track as the score read 15-9. After two ball handling errors by the Golden Flyers, Stevens held a 17-9 advantage. It was then the Ducks all the way as junior outside hitter Laura Johnson closed out the set with a kill. 

Volk and Hamilton combined for seven kills as Volk had four and Hamilton three. Rhode posted six assists and three digs. For Nazareth, Reed notched a pair of kills as Zwickl dished out four assists.

Set 2 Stevens 25-21
Back and forth points saw Stevens with a slight advantage as the score read 9-7. A kill by Vanderstyne brought the Golden Flyers within one. Under Zwickl's serving Nazareth closed the margin with the help of some miscommunication by the Ducks to knot the set at 12-all. Soon after, a Volk kill broke the 13-13 deadlock. A ball handling error by the Golden Flyers allowed Stevens to go up two as Nazareth took a timeout. Following the stoppage of play, Hamilton fired the ball down for a kill and to provide the Ducks with a 16-13 advantage. Stevens then went on a 5-1 run as the score read 20-15. Back and forth points brought the contest to a 23-17 score in favor of the Ducks. The Golden Flyers would not go down without a fight as they rallied off four-straight points (20-21). A Rhode kill snapped the momentum by Nazareth as a side out by the Golden Flyers allowed Stevens to take a two-set lead.

Volk added three kills to bring her tally to nine in the match. Rhode added four assists and a pair of digs. Zimmerman posted four kills for the Golden Flyers  as Zwickl connected on 10 assists and chipped in with a block assist and service ace.

Set 3 Stevens 25-16
Knotted at 9-all and with Rhode serving, the Ducks got a pair kills from Volk to allow for some breathing room as the Golden Flyers were unable to catch up. The largest lead Stevens had was by eight points. However that came down the stretch as Nazareth kept things close throughout. Some miscommunication by the Golden Flyers was the deciding factor as they had a difficult time getting an offense rolling. Gardner closed out the match with a kill as Stevens secured a spot in the NCAA New York Regional Tournament.

Hamilton led in the third set with four kills. Volk and Gardner each tallied three kills apiece as Gardner added a block. Budar dished out eight assists in the win. For Nazareth, Zwickl connected on eight assists, while Persico knocked down a pair of kills. Clary led defensively with six digs.

Johnson had a huge game for the Ducks off the bench. She landed five kills and lofted 12 digs. Volk led the team in kills (12) as she lifted seven digs and added a block. Rhode, the MVP, dished out 16 assists, tallied four kills and seven digs. Stevens received stellar outings from its middle blockers. Gardner hit .429 on the match as Hamilton produced a .800 hitting percentage having landed eight kills on 10 swings. Budar chipped in with 13 assists and four digs.

“We got a huge lift from Laura Johnson and our defense played phenomenal against a tough Nazareth squad,” said Head Coach J.J. O'Connell.

Nazareth was led by Zimmerman, who accumulated seven kills and a block assist. Zwickl finished with 22 assists and an ace. Reed and Vanderstyne each tallied five kills apiece as Vanderstyne added eight digs. Clary accumulated 15 digs in the loss. The Golden Flyers fall to 29-10 on the year.

Stevens advances to the NCAA New York Regional Tournament for the fifth-straight year as the Ducks claimed their fifth-straight conference title; sixth conference tournament crown in program history. The 2008 New York Regional Tournament will be hosted by New York University and will begin play on Thursday. Match times have yet to been determined.