STANDISH, Maine – #3 Saint Joseph's College (26-5, 8-3 GNAC) will host #6 Simmons College (9-17, 6-5 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball Tournament Quarterfinal game at the Harold Alfond Center tonight at 7:00 PM.
Tonight's winner advances to the GNAC semifinals and will face the victor of the #2 Johnson & Wales University/#7 Lasell College on Thursday evening. Two other quarterfinal games are slated for Tuesday night, as top-seeded Rivier University hosts #8 Mount Ida College and #4 Emmanuel College faces off against #5 Anna Maria College at home.
The conference championship game will be played on Saturday, November 7th. The higher seeded team hosts throughout tourney play and the GNAC Champion earns an automatic berth into the 2015 NCAA DIII Women's Volleyball Championship, which begins on November 13th.
What have you done lately?
Saint Joseph's enters tournament play riding a three-match winning streak and having won five of the last six matches overall. Most recently, the Monks defeated Simmons, 3-1 (25-16, 24-26, 25-21, 25-16), and Maine Maritime Academy, 3-0 (25-11, 25-8, 25-17) at the Alfond Center on Saturday.
The Sharks come into tonight's postseason match having lost six-consecutive matches as the visitors' last victory came against Mount Ida College on October 17th.
Who to watch – Saint Joseph's:
Senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) is in the midst of perhaps the finest season ever posted by an SJC volleyball player. The three-time All-Conference honoree leads the conference in numerous categories, including kills (391), kills per set (3.65), solo blocks (76), total blocks (121), blocks per set (1.13), points (489.5) and points per set (4.6) and recently collected her ninth GNAC weekly award of the season as the November 2nd Co-Offensive Player of the Week.
Junior outside hitter Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) is also having a terrific season and provides the Monks with a dangerous second option on the attack. The heavy-handed hitter has posted 249 kills with 318 digs and 32 service aces this fall.
Freshman libero Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) has been a major factor for the Monks this fall and leads the conference in both digs (611) and digs per set (5.71) by wide margins. For her efforts, Thompson has collected a total of six GNAC weekly honors this season.
Who to watch – Simmons:
The Sharks also feature a strong one-two punch in junior outside hitter Cailin Fredrickson (Columbia, Md.) and sophomore outside hitter Sarah Woodward (Deerfield, Mass.). Fredrickson enters tonight's match with 289 kills and 194 digs with 45 aces while Woodward carries totals of 210 kills, 178 digs and 47 service aces into the playoff match.
Defensively, Simmons is led by junior libero Kat Guillotte (New Bedford, Mass.) who has registered 372 digs (4.13 per set) this fall.
Recipe for success – Saint Joseph's:
The Monks currently lead the conference in digs (1,914), digs per set (17.72), total blocks (185) and blocks per set (1.71) and rank third in kills (1,071), hitting percentage (.189) and assists (964).
Recipe for success – Simmons:
The Sharks have been one of the top service teams in the GNAC this fall and rank second in aces per set (.2.93) and third in aces (275). Simmons also ranks sixth in both assists per set (8.77) and kills per set (9.36).
Attitude reflects leadership:
SJC Head Coach Yamile Nolan, now in her sixth season at the helm, owns a 111-73 (.603) career coaching record. She currently ranks second in team history in victories and third in winning percentage.
Coach Nolan owns an outstanding playing résumé as she played two years at El Camino College, where she collected California Junior College Player of the Year and State Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Prior to her junior year, Nolan transferred to the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she received a full athletic scholarship and established many team records, specifically in the areas of passing, digging and serving.
Head Coach Scott Grandpre is in his first season as the Sharks' clipboard carrier. Previously, he served as an assistant coach for five years at NCAA DI program Sacred Heart University, which is his alma mater. He played collegiately for the Pioneers and remains as the program's single-season record-holder for service aces and digs.
The last time we met:
In the 3-1 win over Simmons on Saturday, Saint Joseph's posted a .228 attack rate and held advantages in kills (44-34), assists (38-34), aces (9-7), digs (64-60) and blocks (13-2) in the victory. The Sharks, who mustered a .061 attack percentage, committed 14 service errors in the loss.
Historically speaking:
The conference rivals have played even in 10 matches since St. Joe's joined the GNAC in the fall of 2007. One of the Monks' five setbacks at the hands of the Sharks took place in a conference quarterfinal almost exactly two years ago, as fifth-seeded Simmons edged #4 Saint Joseph's in five sets at the Alfond Center on November 5th, 2013. Wachowiak belted 18 kills and tallied six blocks in the loss while Guillotte posted nine kills, 18 digs, six aces and seven total blocks for the Sharks.
#GOMONKS
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
