Elmira College will host the Empire 8 volleyball conference’s first of two weekends of play on Saturday and Sunday. All nine teams will play four matches this weekend and three matches the second conference weekend to be hosted by St. John Fisher College Oct. 21-22.
This weekend features several key matches in determining which team will garner the top seed and earn the right to host the conference championship on Saturday, Nov. 5 and Sunday, Nov. 6. The seeds will be determined by order of finish in the two conference weekends combined with the top four teams advancing to the championship tournament.
Ithaca College opens defense of its conference title against Nazareth College. The two teams were seeded first and second in last year’s championship.
The Golden Flyers also face host Elmira on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s semifinal matchup. The tough schedule continues for Nazareth on Sunday when it meets Stevens Institute of Technology, which won three consecutive Empire 8 titles from 2007-2009 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 a year ago.
Elmira enters the weekend with a conference-best 8-1 mark. 2010 Empire 8 Player of the Year Sasha Zavadska and senior middle hitter Brittany Raykoskie have each earned Player of the Week honors this season. Taryn Rumsey is ranked 38th in Division III with 0.84 aces per set, while Molly Short is ranked 46th with 9.63 assists per set.
The Soaring Eagles face Ithaca on Sunday in a rematch of last year’s championship final. Elmira also meets St. John Fisher, which has opened the season with an 8-3 record, including a three-set victory over the Bombers.
Another key matchup on Saturday pits St. John Fisher against Stevens.
Several Empire 8 student-athletes rank among national leaders. Kate Thoene of Ithaca (1.28 blocks per set) and Courtney Desmond of Hartwick College (1.26) rank 16th and 17th, respectively. The Hawks rank 15th in Division III with 2.51 blocks per set and fifth in aces per set (4.28) behind Mickey Coons (18th, 1.05 aces per set) and Brianna Eckert (28th, 0.89).
For the first time in Empire 8 history, every match from the round robin weekend will be webcast on Empire8.tv. Go to www.empire8.tv and click on the match you wish to view.
Schedule of Matches
Saturday, September 24
Court 1
10:00 a.m. – Nazareth vs. Ithaca
12:30 p.m. – Hartwick vs. St. John Fisher
3:00 p.m. – Nazareth vs. Elmira
5:30 p.m. – Hartwick vs. Utica
Court 2
10:00 a.m. – Elmira vs. Alfred
12:30 p.m. – Stevens vs. Utica
3:00 p.m. – Ithaca vs. Alfred
5:30 p.m. – St. John Fisher vs. Stevens
Sunday, September 25
Court 1
9:00 a.m. – Nazareth vs. Stevens
11:30 p.m. – Nazareth vs. Alfred
2:00 p.m. – Hartwick vs. Stevens
4:30 p.m. – Elmira vs. St. John Fisher
Court 2
9:00 a.m. – Ithaca vs. Utica
11:30 p.m. – Ithaca vs. Elmira
2:00 p.m. – St. John Fisher vs. Utica
4:30 p.m. – Alfred vs. Hartwick