HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 3, 2009) – The Stevens Institute of Technology went 1-1 on the day en route to a second-place finish at the 2009 Ducks Invitational at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. The Ducks downed the City College of New York, 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 18-25, 16-14) in its first match of the day before losing to SUNY New Paltz, 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-14, 25-21) in the championship match. Stevens is now 14-7 on the year with a 4-0 league ledger.
New Paltz senior setter Stephanie Bova (Central Square, N.Y.) was named the tournament MVP for her efforts, while teammate Brittany Coyle (Middletown, N.Y.) earned all-tournament team honors. Joining Bova and Coyle on the all-tournament team were Stevens' Sarah Byrne and Julia Reilly, CCNY's Floriana Garo (Albania) and Melissa Blass (Oneonta, N.Y.), and Montclair State University's Karen Martin (Sicklerville, N.J.).
Stevens return to action on Wednesday, October 7 against Vassar College in its annual “Dig Pink” event as the Ducks try to raise funds and awareness in the fight against breast cancer. Last season's event raised over $3,300 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Stevens 3, CCNY 2 (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 18-25, 16-14)
After winning a closely contested first set, 25-22, the Ducks found themselves trailing 16-12 in the second set. Undeterred, the Ducks rallied with a 13-5 run to close out the Beavers for a 2-0 set advantage, but CCNY would claw its way back into the match, taking sets three and four by scores of 25-23 and 25-8, respectively. Down 7-2 in the fifth and final set, the Ducks would once again seize the momentum with a 9-4 run which tied the set at 11. Stevens would then take five of the match's next eight points to seal their sixth consecutive victory.
Byrne led the Ducks with 23 kills and 11 digs, while newcomer Brittany Fuller added 10 kills and six blocks. Reilly finished with 20 digs in the win, with junior setter Sara Budar adding 39 assists.
Garo led the Beavers with 23 kills and 19 digs, while Blass finished with 13 kills and nine digs. Sophomore setter Alexis Kinsman (Mystic, Conn.) and freshman Dalliana Toussaint (Brooklyn, N.Y.) each had 13 digs in the loss.
SUNY New Paltz 3, Montclair State 0 (27-25, 25-17, 25-19)
SUNY New Paltz advanced to the championship match of the 2009 Ducks Invitational with a 3-0 sweep of Montclair State University. Senior Alison Kiernan (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) tallied a match-high 11 kills in the win, with junior outside hitter Stephanie Skrobach (Webster, N.Y.) finishing with 10 kills. Bova collected 37 assists and a team-high 11 digs.
Martin finished with a team-high nine kills to lead the Red Hawks offensively, while seniors Kara Burnham (Moorestown, N.Y.) and Samantha Karpinski (Hackensack, N.J.) added six kills apiece. Senior libero Meghan Stevens (Woodcliffe Lake, N.J.) and sophomore setter Michelle Del Valle (Teaneck, N.J.) finished with 20 digs and 28 assists, respectively.
SUNY New Paltz, 3, Stevens 1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-14, 25-21)
Despite knotting the game at a set apiece following a 25-21 victory in set two, Stevens was unable to extend its win-streak to seven matches, falling to the Hawks, 3-1, in the Ducks Invitational championship match. Three Ducks recorded double-digit kills in the loss, with Byrne and freshman Maggie Kowalska tallying 12 kills, while junior Maggie Majcher added 10 kills and 17 digs. Budar finished with 34 assists in the loss, while Reilly had a match-high 26 digs.
Skrobach and sophomore outside hitter Melinda DiGiovanna (West Hempstead, N.Y.) each tallied 10 kills for the Hawks, with Kiernan and Coyle adding nine kills apiece. Bova totaled 40 assists in the win, while sophomore libero Loren Crabbe (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) collected 22 digs.
CCNY 3, Montclair State 1 (17-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-16)
The Beavers wrapped up play at the 2009 Ducks Invitational with a 3-1 victory over Montclair State. Garo led the Beavers with 22 kills and eight digs, while Blass finished with 14 kills and seven digs. Junior Karina Castro (Brentwood, N.Y.) tallied 10 kills in the win, while Nicole Cascone (Champaign, Ill.) finished with 43 assists and a team-high 15 digs.
Martin paced the Red Hawks with 12 kills and 17 digs. Del Valle totaled 36 assists in the loss, while senior middle blocker Anna Chesnakova (East Brunswick, N.J.) finished with a match-high 10 blocks.
