Gulls set to chase after first ECAC New England Championship as #3 seed
CENTERVILLE, Mass. - The Endicott women's volleyball team will make their fourth appearance in the ECAC Division III New England Tournament this week as the Gulls host the \#6 seed Emmanuel College Saints on Wednesday, November 9th at a time to be determined.
Endicott and Emmanuel have faced of 16 times since 1994 with the Gulls holding a 9-7 record over the Saints, including four straight victories. The Blue and Green have won 12 out of the 13 sets played during that four-match stretch.
Endicott (15-15) earned the \#3 seed in the tournament two days after falling in the CCC Championship to Roger Williams. In Endicott's three previous ECAC Tournament appearances, the Gulls lost in the first round in 2005 and 2009 before reaching the title match last year. Playing as the top-seed in 2010, Endicott won in convincing fashion over Daniel Webster and Colby-Sawyer in the quarterfinal and semifinals rounds before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Keene State in the championship.
The Gulls will be led into the quarterfinals by senior captains Elyse Barbour (Greenville, R.I.) and Sarah Allshouse (Berthoud, Colo.). An All-CCC First Team right side hitter, Barbour paced the offense with 243 kills and a .220 hit percentage. Allshouse, who earned All-CCC Second Team honors for the second straight season, averaged 8.22 assists per set and moved up to the number two spot on Endicott's all-time assists leaderboard. Both players were strong defensively with Barbour and Allshouse blocking 78 and 42 opposing attacks, respectively. Allshouse is also currently second on the team with 297 digs (2.70 per set).
Junior All-CCC Honorable Mention players Ashley Norley (Sudbury, Mass.) and Falyn Torelli (Pelham, N.Y.) will also key factors in Endicott's success in the upcoming ECAC DIII New England Tournament. Norley, Endicott's libero, has set career-highs in digs per set (4.73), service aces (35), and new low in reception errors (49). Torelli's presence on the outside has produced 224 kills, an average of 2.11 per set. Torelli has also added 32 service aces and 203 digs this season.
Finally, Endicott should continue to see significant contributions from junior Gillian Kucharski (Avon, Conn.), sophomore Callie Dolan (Westford, Mass.), and freshman Hannah Dahlgren (Queensbury, N.Y.). Kucharski has been an effective passer for the Gulls, shattering her personal best with 231 digs this season. Dolan has recorded double-digit kills over her past five matches and has accumulated 202 kills in her sophomore campaign. Dahlgren leads the Gulls in blocks with 83 while providing a spark offensively with 125 kills.
Emmanuel (21-15) comes into the ECAC Tournament having won 15 of their last 18 matches. The Saints, however, lost to the eventual GNAC Champions Rivier 3-0 in the semifinals.
Emmanuel is led by its senior tri-captain trio of Rebecca Stanton (Quincy, Mass.), Jenna Ross (Centerburg, Ohio) and Kathryne Olsen (Fairhaven, Mass.). Stanton leads the GNAC with a total of 479 kills which is also a new single-season record at Emmanuel. The middle hitter ranks fifth in the nation with a .431 hitting percentage and earlier this season recorded her 1,000th career kill. Ross has been a reliable second offensive option for the Saints, ranking second on the squad with 363 kills and also made some history this year becoming Emmanuel's all-time leader in digs. The outside hitter notched her 1,000 career kill in the GNAC tournament to become the only player in the program's history to record over 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Olsen has been a mainstay in the Saints lineup serving as one of team's main setters, dishing out 572 helpers on the year while also helping the squad fill a void in the rotation as a hitter, collecting 180 kills as well. The senior will finish her career ranked second all-time in assists dishing out over 2,800 helpers in her four seasons with the Saints.
2011 ECAC Division III New England Women's Volleyball Championship
Quarterfinal Round – Wednesday, November 9
No. 8 Framingham State Univ. (19-13) at No. 1 U.S. Coast Guard Acad. (23-6), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Western New England Univ. (15-14) at No. 2 Plymouth State Univ. (23-10), 7 p.m.
No. 6 Emmanuel College (21-15) at No. 3 Endicott College (15-15), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Salve Regina (16-13) at No. 4 Keene State College (18-13), 7 p.m.
Semifinal Round – Saturday, November 12 (at highest remaining seed)
No. 1 vs. No. 8 winner vs. No. 4 vs. No. 5 winner (time to be determined)
No. 2 vs. No. 7 winner vs. No. 3 vs. No. 6 winner (time to be determined)
Championship Game – Saturday, November 12 (at highest remaining seed)
Two Semifinal Winners (time to be determined)