Stevens Set To Host 2014 Women's Volleyball Playoffs
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The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team will host the Empire 8 playoffs this weekend at Canavan Arena. Both semifinal games will be played on Friday, with the E8 championship game taking place on Saturday. The winner of the tournament will earn automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championships later this month.
Beginning at 3 p.m., Friday's first semifinal game will feature top-seeded Stevens and fourth-seeded Houghton College. The second semifinal contest will start at 5:30 p.m., and will feature second-seeded Nazareth College and third-seeded Ithaca College. The winner of both games will face off at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
*Admission each day is $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Admission is free children 12 and under.
First Semifinal Game: Stevens vs. Houghton
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The top seeded Ducks come into the playoffs with a 29-6 overall record, including a perfect 8-0 mark in the Empire 8. Mary Tobin paces Stevens with 3.53 kills per set while Ashley Castillo runs the offense handing out 9.60 assists per set. Defensively, the Ducks rely on Sydni Horner who averages 5.03 digs per set.
Houghton comes in as the fourth seed with a 17-12 overall mark and 5-3 against E8 teams. Houghton's three conference losses came at the hands of the tournament's top three seeds. But the Highlanders take pride in that fact that they took all three matches to five games. Hattie Burgher leads Houghton with 3.15 kills per set, while Laurel Wroblicky leads the Highlanders and the E8 with 5.44 digs per set. First year player Anna Coryell has handed out 8.06 assists per set.
Houghton is in its third season of membership in the Empire 8 and was granted the opportunity to compete for conference championships for the first time this season in team sports. As a third-year provisional member in NCAA Division III the Highlanders are still unable to move on to NCAA Division III National Championship play. If they win the Empire 8 title, the second place team will earn the conference's automatic qualifier to nationals.
Second Semifinal Game: Nazareth vs. Ithaca
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Second-seeded Nazareth is seeking its fourth straight conference title and 12th NCAA Tournament appearance. Senior Maria Allocco has been MVP of the last three E8 Tournaments and brings to the table a conference-best .438 hitting percentage that includes a team-high 402 kills. Sophomore Madi Wickens (1,141 assists) runs the offense and sophomore libero Maureen Thayer (510 digs) anchors the defense.
Ithaca, the third-seed in the E8 tournament, finished the regular season with a record of 23-10 overall and an E8 record of 6-2. The Bombers are in search of their first championship title since 2010. Rylie Bean (3.41 k/set) and Joelle Goldstein (3.02 k/set) are the top offensive threats for the Bombers. Kayla Gromen is a force on offense (702 assists) and defense (401 digs).
Championship Game: TBD vs. TBD
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