Women's Volleyball Seeks to Build Upon Last Season’s Success
BROOKLYN, NY – St. Joseph's Women's Volleyball capped last season with a sensational run in the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) Tournament. The Lady Bears, the number four seed in the tournament, upset top-seeded Sarah Lawrence in the semifinals before falling to defending champions New Rochelle in a five-set thriller in the championship.
St. Joseph's will look to improve upon that finish this year under fourth-year head coach, Kathleen O'Neill. Last season the Lady Bears finished 8-19 and 2-3 in the HVWAC. Though the season just started, Coach O'Neill already feels like she has a strong team ready to take on the challenge of a difficult schedule.
They will open up their 2011 campaign with four straight road matches, starting with Cooper Union on September 9th. Following the opening road trip which will take them to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the Lady Bears will make their home debut on September 22nd against Staten Island. Last season, St. Joseph's posted a 3-4 record at Brooklyn Technical High School, their home court.
St. Joseph's will hit the road again after their home opener for a weekend tri-match in Poultny, Vermont. The Lady Bears will battle Gordon College and host school, Green Mountain College, on September 24th.
The second half of their schedule will begin with a tri-match against Lehman and Old Westbury in Old Westbury, NY on October 2nd. All six conference matches take place in the month of October with home tilts against Medgar Evers (October 4), New Rochelle (October 20) and new conference foe Culinary Institute of America (October 23). The final two conference matches bookend a four game home stand with a tri-match against Bryn Athyn and Mount St. Vincent in the middle on October 22nd.
The Lady Bears will finish their season with conference rival Yeshiva on October 25th in New York in a final tune-up before the HVWAC Tournament October 29th-30th. St. Joseph's will also look to qualify for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship Tournament for the first time since 2006.
To have a repeat of last season's success, the Lady Bears will be counting on a number of new faces. St. Joseph's has an influx of new talent with six new girls joining the squad. There may be a bunch of new members, but O'Neill thinks that their experiences in high school will help them get off to a smooth start.
Jeanne Baez, Sabrina Cornia, Chanelle Joseph, Jacklyn Kennedy, Jennifer Moncino, and Nicole Rios will all need to be major assets for this team to succeed. They've already shown their strong skill sets in practice that has Coach O'Neill thinking that this is "the team to beat in the Hudson Valley Athletic Conference".
There will also be a new face joining the coaching staff this season. In addition to O'Neill and assistant Kristin Wulff, 2009 graduate, Bala Huseinovic will be on the sidelines for the Lady Bears.
Gone from the 2010 HVWAC runner-up team are four-year starters Yliane Ulloa and Melissa Simo. Senior Kim Matthews (Breezy Point, NY/Bishop Kearney) has stepped up in Ulloa's absence and has taken on a more vocal leadership role. Matthews, a versatile player, averaged 2.3 kills per set to lead the team in 2010 and also filled in at setter after an injury to Simo. She was named to the HVWAC All-Conference Team for her outstanding play in her first season with the Lady Bears.
St. Joseph's will also be counting on the veteran presence of Kathy McCarthy (Breezy Point, NY/Fontbonne Hall) and Megan Moran (Syosset, NY/St. Dominic's). McCarthy has the most experience on the team, with 2011 marking her third season. Last season, McCarthy finished second on the team in digs (256) and third in kills (133). Moran gives the team size in the middle. The sophomore led the team with 21 blocks in 2010.
Despite the loss of some key members from the 2010 team, St. Joseph's is eager to prove that their HVWAC tournament run was no fluke. They'll be relying heavily on their freshman to get to where they want to go in 2011.