2013 Women's Volleyball Season Preview

BROOKLYN, N.Y. –  The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team is looking to build off an impressive 2012 campaign which saw the Lady Bears go take home the regular season title in the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) as they went undefeated while finishing with a 14-7 overall record.

St. Joseph's brings back a majority of their production from a year ago with seven of the nine players on the team a year ago returning this year. The Lady Bears lose Nicole Rios as well as two-time Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) First-Team selection and three-time HVWAC All-Conference Team nominee Kim Matthews. Matthews remains tied to the program as head coach Kathleen O'Neill, 2012 AD3I Coach of the Year, added her as assistant coach in the offseason.

Leading the returning starters for the Lady Bears is AD3I Rookie of the Year, AD3I All-Independent First Team selection and HVWAC All-Conference Team member sophomore Lauren GaNun (Breezy Point, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall) who led the squad in kills (213) and blocks (39). Also returning is AD3I All-Independent Second Team honoree senior setter Sabrina Cornia (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller) who led St. Joseph's with 523 assists.

Completing the list of returning award winners is AD3I All-Independent Honorable Mention selection senior Megan Moran (Syosset, N.Y./St. Dominic's) who finished last season ranked third on the team in kills (164) and second in blocks (20).

The Lady Bears open their home slate with a matchup against sister campus St. Joseph's (L.I.) on September 18th as they begin a stretch of five straight home matches including a tri-match versus Merchant Marine and Mount Saint Vincent. They conclude their five-game homestand with their conference opener in the newly rebranded Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) on September 26th against new member King's (NY).

St. Joseph's follows that with a stretch of six straight games away from home before returning home for matchups against HVIAC foes New Rochelle and Medgar Evers. The Lady Bears conclude their 2013 regular season with a road match against borough rival Brooklyn College before finishing the season with the HVIAC Tournament and a possible USCAA National Championship appearance at the end of October.