Women's Volleyball | 11/2/2021 1:34:44 PM
Top-seed St. John Fisher College will look to win its third straight league title, as the 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball Championship begins on Tuesday, Nov. 2 with first round action. Semifinal and championship action will take place on Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6 at St. John Fisher.
No. 4 seed Elmira College will host No. 5 Keuka College in the opening round Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. The winner of that match will take on St. John Fisher from Manning-Napier Varsity Gym in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday. No. 2 seed Hartwick College and No. 3 seed Nazareth College will battle in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2021 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship, which begins Nov. 12-14.
Participants
No. 1 - St. John Fisher (8-0 E8, 24-4 Overall)
No. 2 – Hartwick (7-1 E8, 18-3 Overall)
No. 3 – Nazareth (6-2 E8, 13-10 Overall)
No. 4 – Elmira (3-5 E8, 7-15 Overall)
No. 5 – Keuka (3-5 E8, 9-17 Overall)
St. John Fisher enters the tournament having won 27 straight matches against Empire 8 opponents dating back to the start of the 2019 season. The Cardinals are looking to win their third straight Empire 8 Championship and earn the automatic bid into the NCAA Championship for the second straight season. Senior outside hitter Alea Steigerwald, who is looking to become the conference’s first four-time E8 Player of the Year, leads the conference in kills (316), kills per set (3.40) and points per set (4.03). She also leads the team with 283 digs and 48 service aces. Junior Lindsey DeBonis and sophomore Gracie Jacob are both averaging at least three points per set for the Cardinals in 2021. Senior Katie Leaty has 829 assists to lead the conference, while Julia Halsey is tied for the team lead with 283 digs and Sydney French has 34 blocks.
Hartwick, the number two seed, enters the tournament with a sparkling 18-3 overall record this. The Hawks are making their second all-time appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament and first since 2002. Senior middle hitter Toria Betelak is averaging 3.44 points per set, slamming 177 kills, while leading the Empire 8 with a .346 hitting percentage. She also leads the league in blocks per set (0.86). Teammate Myla Dobson is right behind Betelak, averaging 0.83 blocks per set, while slamming 164 kills. First-year Staecia Silofau leads the Hawks with 189 kills to go along with 163 digs and 47 blocks. The duo of Kayley Ericson and Braelyn Hornick have combined for 721 assists.
Nazareth finished third in the league standings with a 6-2 mark. Kaylee Kelly has slammed 253 kills in 2021 and led all players with 141 kills, 4.41 kills and 5.20 points per set in Empire 8 play. Versatile first-year standout Tessa Grover serves as Nazareth’s primary setter and is also a valuable hitter from the right side. She is averaging 5.5 assists, 2.2 kills, 1.56 blocks and 0.73 blocks this season, while hitting .247. Senior McKenzie Hart leads the Golden Flyers with 330 digs and 4.52 digs per set.
Hartwick defeated Nazareth in a five-set thriller on Sept. 25. Nazareth won sets one and three before the Hawks rallied for the win. Staecia Silofau had 15 kills to lead Hartwick, while Kelly had a match-high 24 for the Golden Flyers.
The fourth-seeded Soaring Eagles are in the postseason for the third consecutive season. Kaylene Sauschuck has 114 kills and is hitting a team-best .257 to go along with 39 blocks, while Sam Sprauge has a team-high 115 kills and 26 blocks. Libero Maddie Hampton has 273 digs (3.85/set) and a team-best 44 service aces.
Keuka advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament in its first season as a league member. The Wolves knocked off Houghton in three sets on Oct. 20 to earn the head-to-head tiebreaker. Tionna Moss leads Keuka with 231 kills this season, while Delaney Yorks and Casey Hunziker have combined for 755 assists. Libero Lauren Kuipers has 403 digs (4.2/set) while Dayna Edholm has a team-best 38 blocks.
Elmira defeated Keuka in four sets from Speidel Gymnasium on Oct. 6. St. John Fisher has knocked off Elmira in three sets on two separate occasions this season, while earning a three-set win (25-17, 26-24, 25-11) over Keuka on Oct. 22.
Nazareth is looking to win its Empire 8 record ninth league title, while Elmira is looking for its second league championship and first since 2000. The Hawks and Wolves are both trying to win their first E8 women’s volleyball championship.
This weekend's championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
2021 Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, November 2 – First Round (at Higher Seed)
No. 5 Keuka at No. 4 Elmira - 7 p.m.
Friday, November 8 – Semifinals (at St. John Fisher)
Winner of Keuka/Elmira at No. 1 St. John Fisher - 5 p.m.
No. 3 Nazareth vs. No. 2 Hartwick - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 9 - Championship Final (at St. John Fisher)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - 2 p.m.
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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