STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Rivier University (19-5, 13-0 GNAC) will host #8 Saint Joseph's (9-21, 5-8 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball Tournament Quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
Tonight's winner will advance to the GNAC semifinal round on Thursday to face the victor of #4 Regis College (13-18, 8-4 GNAC) and #5 Norwich University (14-14, 7-5 GNAC), two teams that also play tonight at 7:00 PM.
The conference championship game will be played on Saturday, November 6th. The higher seeded team hosts throughout tourney play and the GNAC Champion earns an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA DIII Women's Volleyball Championship.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Saint Joseph's:
- Senior Sarah Quinn (Dover, N.H.) leads the Monks in kills (137), attack percentage (.273), block assists (48), and total blocks (57)
- Junior Hanna Holden (Stoughton, Mass.) has produced 526 assists, 33 service aces, and 222 digs with 18 total blocks
- Freshman Hanna Webster (Alvin, Texas) has enjoyed a fine rookie season with 112 kills, 18 aces, 83 digs, and 37 total blocks
- Freshman Sierra Burns (Peyton, Colo.) leads the conference in digs (405) and ranks seventh in service aces (51)
Rivier:
- Junior Lily Blodgett (Dunstable, Mass.) ranks second in the conference in kills (262) and is third in kills per set (3.40), fourth in points per set (3.7), and sixth in points (286.5)
- Freshman Lily Sills (Carlisle, Mass.) has posted 190 kills and leads the league in attack percentage (.335) while ranking sixth in both block assists (44) and total blocks (56)
- Senior Avery Pollard (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) ranks second in the conference in assists (729) and third in assists per set (8.89); she is also fourth in aces (61) and aces per set (0.74)
- Sophomore Sofia Pawlusik (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) is fourth in the GNAC in digs per set (4.06) and ranks seventh in total digs (313)
ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:
Monks third-year coach Jon Roberts has led the team to it's third GNAC tournament birth in as many seasons with a 27-61 overall record with a 15-22 mark in conference play
Raiders Head Coach Craig Kolek is in his 20th season at the helm for Rivier and has amassed a 488-209 career record. In 2017, Kolek became the first coach in NCAA history to notch 400 victories as both a men's and women's volleyball skipper.
THE LAST TIME WE MET:
The Raiders handled the Monks in straight sets: 25-12, 25-9, 25-15 on October 9th as part of a GNAC tri-match at Norwich University. Holden tallied eight assists and a pair of digs in the setback.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
The Monks are 5-21 all-time versus the Raiders with their last win being a 3-0 triumph during the 1999 campaign. The Raiders have not dropped a set to the Monks since 2017.
POSTSEASON HISTORY:
The Monks have made the conference tournament nine out of the last 11 years with trips to the postseason in each of the last six seasons. The Monks are looking to advance to the Semifinals for the first time since 2015.
Rivier has made an appearance in the GNAC Tournament in each of the last 21 seasons with an 18-2 record in quarterfinal games and a 15-3 mark in semifinal matches. The Raiders have won six GNAC Championships with their last title being the 2014 crown.
