HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 14, 2019) – Led by four First Team All-MAC Freedom selections including MAC Freedom Player of the Year Sara Hain and MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Year Elizabeth Chu, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team heads into the NCAA Baltimore, Maryland Regional hosted by Johns Hopkins with a matchup against Carnegie Mellon Friday at 12:30 p.m.

The Ducks have been stellar down the stretch of the season, currently riding an 11-game winning streak while also winning the MAC Freedom Championship Title in their first season in the new conference.

This is the third time in the last four years the Ducks have advanced to the NCAA Tournament and the 11th time in program history. The six seniors on the squad will be looking to improve upon their 3-2 overall record in NCAA Tournament competition.

Stevens also cleaned up the MAC Freedom postseason awards as Hain was joined on the First Team by fellow senior Shelby Stewart as well as sophomores Chu and Kathleen Riegner. Additionally, senior Casey King, junior Jillian Roumbanis and freshman Allie Morton all earned Honorable Mention All-Conference recognition.

From the Pond

• The Ducks have run a balanced offensive attack all season with five players producing at least 100 kills on the year.
• Hain and Stewart lead the way offensively for the Ducks. Hain averages 2.74 kills per set with a .381 attack percentage which ranks 20th in NCAA DIII and would tie her own single season program record. Stewart is also a force at the net, leading the MAC Freedom and ranking 29th in the nation with 110 total blocks this season.
• Chu and Roumbanis have been solid on the backend of the defense as well, combining for over 800 digs this season with a .905 receive percentage on the year. Since the start of October, Chu is averaging 17.4 digs per match and has produced double-digit digs in 18 of her last 20 contests. Roumbanis, who is just 77 digs from reaching 1,000 in her career, has added 16 matches with at least 10 digs on the year.
• Riegner has run a solid offense for the Ducks all year, helping Stevens rank third in the MAC Freedom with a .200 team attack percentage. She has registered 985 assists this season and sits just 15 away from becoming the eighth player in program history to have 1,000 assists in a single season.
• King and Morton have both been versatile options for Stevens, sitting third and fourth on the team in total kills this season. King leads the Ducks with 2.88 kills per set as well as 10 double-doubles on the year. Morton, meanwhile, has been a force down the stretch producing double-digit kills in five of her final nine matches of the season.

Scouting CMU

• The Tartans received an at-large bid to the tournament into the contest with a 22-7 overall record after finishing fourth in the University Athletic Association.
• After earning the #3 seed in the UAA Tournament, CMU advanced to the conference tournament semifinals before falling to #2 University of Chicago as well as dropping the third-place match against Washington University-St. Louis.
• Susquehanna University is the lone opponent CMU and Stevens have both played this season. The Ducks fell on the road to the River Hawks 3-1 while the Tartans dropped a 3-0 contest at home.
• Offensively, Carnegie Mellon will be led by the 1-2 punch of Second Team All-UAA honorees Erika Foose and Vivian Beaudoin who average 2.25 and 2.18 kills per set, respectively. Foose leads the team and is second in the UAA with a .361 attack percentage this season.
• On the defensive side of the ball, the Tartans will feature one of the top liberos in the country in junior Kayla Yew. A 2019 First Team All-UAA selection, Yew leads the conference with 5.53 digs per set and ranks second on the school's all-time digs list with 2,304, needing just 53 more to become the program's all-time leader.
• Both teams have been excellent at the point of attack this season, as CMU ranks 41st and Stevens sits 42nd in the country with 1.90 and 1.89 blocks per set, respectively.

The Rest of the Pod

• The Baltimore, Maryland Regional will feature eight teams with four opening round contests Friday, two regional semifinal matchups Saturday, and the regional championship Sunday.
• The winner of the Stevens-CMU matchup will take on the winner of Susquehanna and Westminster (Pa.) College Friday at 4:00 p.m.
• The other side of the bracket will feature Stockton University taking on Penn State-Behrend and the regional host Johns Hopkins facing off against Manhattanville College.
• The Ducks have already played against the River Hawks as well as Johns Hopkins and Stockton earlier this season. Stevens fell 3-1 to JHU and Susquehanna and dropped a 3-0 matchup against the Ospreys.
• JHU heads into the NCAA Tournament with a 29-0 record and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Centennial Conference Tournament. The Blue Jays are the lone remaining unbeaten team in DIII this season. Stevens was one of just six teams to win a set against the JHU this season.
• Manhattanville posted a 24-5 overall record on the season and earned an auto-bid by virtue of winning the Skyline Conference Tournament. The Valiants have won 12 straight contests including a pair of narrow 3-2 victories in the conference semifinals and championship matches to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
• Stockton produced a 30-3 record on the year and won the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Ospreys are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2015.
• Penn State-Behrend will be making their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history after finishing 19-10 and winning the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Title. The Lions head into the opening round having won 10 straight matches.
• Susquehanna is 31-6 on the year and earned an at-large bid to the dance after losing to Juniata in the Landmark Conference Championship match. The River Hawks won the regular season conference crown and will be making just their second NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Westminster sits at 26-6 this season and won the President's Athletic Conference to earn an NCAA Tournament berth for the second time in program history. The Titans dropped three of their final four regular season contests before making a run in the conference tournament to get into the field of 64.

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