STANDISH, ME - The 2012 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Volleyball postseason accolades have been released and three Saint Joseph's College players have been honored.
Senior middle blocker Sarah Hawkes (Pownal, Maine) has earned First Team accolades while senior setter Kiah Begley (Berwick, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas) and freshman middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) have claimed Second Team honors.
Hawkes, a two-time Third Team All-GNAC honoree, takes First Team mention after posting a team-high and program-record 339 kills along with a .256 hitting percentage, 406 digs and 60 total blocks during her senior season. A three-time GNAC Player of the Week honoree this fall, Hawkes is the only St. Joe's player - and one of just four GNAC players - to have recorded career totals of 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs and leaves the SJC program as the Monks' all-time leader in kills (1,107), digs (1,229), solo blocks (146) and total blocks (261).
Overdue for GNAC recognition, Begley receives her first All-GNAC honor after tallying a career-high 843 assists along with 293 digs and a team-best 56 service aces as a senior. Begley currently ranks as the Monks' all-time leader in career assists (2,988) and is second in digs (1,096).
Wachowiak, a four-time GNAC Rookie of the Week recipient, emerged as a force at the net this season for Saint Joseph's. The first-year middle blocker led the Monks in hitting percentage with an SJC single-season record .318 mark and also paced the squad in blocks (41) and total blocks (95) and this fall. Wachowiak ranked second on the team in kills (290), kills per set (2.82) and total attacks (629) as well.
In 2012, Saint Joseph's went 22-8 overall and 9-3 in GNAC play en route to earning the #3 seed in the conference tourney under the watch of third-year Head Coach Yamile Nolan. With the third seed, the Monks hosted a GNAC Tournament match for the first time in six seasons as a member of the conference, but saw their season come to a close with a quarterfinal loss to #6 Johnson & Wales on October 31st.
The premature ending to the season was a tough pill to swallow, but the 2012 campaign will go down as one of the best ever posted by a Saint Joseph's College volleyball team. The team's winning percentage (.733) ranks as a program-high while the 2012 win tally is the most for the volleyball program in 17 years. The 2012 team also shattered the program single-season records for kills (1,118), hitting percentage (.189), assists (1,012) and total blocks (186).
2012 GNAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
GNAC RELEASE:
BOSTON, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference has announced the 2012 All-GNAC Women's Volleyball Teams and major awards following the completion of this weekend's championship in which Emerson College claimed the title following a 3-0 victory over Rivier University.
Rivier University senior outside hitter Kenna Finlayson (Derry, N.H.) has been named the GNAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Finlayson dominated the action all season long, leading the conference in kills (471) and kills/set (4.76). The senior collected 10 or more kills in 28 matches including a season-high of 27 winners on Sept. 8 vs. the University of New England. The Derry, N.H. native played all the way around, recording a 232 digs over 99 sets played. Finlayson also led the GNAC in service aces, registering 74 on the year. The outside hitter recorded a total of 566 points which was first in the GNAC.
Johnson & Wales University senior libero Giselle Cram-Ortiz (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico) has been named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. The senior finished her campaign with an incredible 646 digs, which ranks second-most in GNAC history for digs in a single season. Cram-Ortiz averaged 5.82 digs per set, besting the conference by more than a full dig per set. The libero posted 10 or more digs in 27 matches including a career-high and GNAC single-match record of 43 digs on Oct. 13 against Salve Regina.
Emerson College freshman setter Juliana Tucker (Encino, Calif.) has been named the GNAC Rookie of the Year following an outstanding rookie campaign. Tucker, who was also named the GNAC Tournament MVP, led the Lions to the GNAC Championship dishing out 869 assists on the year. The setter averaged 9.34 assists per set to ranks second in the GNAC and also registered a solid .304 attacking percentage. Tucker was very consistent through her first season, posting 20 or more assists in all 25 matches including a monster match of 65 assists on Sept. 8 against Western Connecticut State University.
Rivier University head coach Craig Kolek has been named the GNAC Coach of the Year after leading the Raiders to a 19-10 overall record including a 10-2 mark in GNAC action. The Raiders, who were picked as the 2012 pre-season favorite in the coaches' poll, have now played in nine of the past 11 GNAC Championship matches. This honor marks the third time Kolek has been named the GNAC Coach of the Year as he also received the award in 2003 and 2010. Kolek has also now coached five GNAC Players of the Year.
Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.
