Women's Volleyball | 4/19/2021 4:14:56 PM
Six teams will vie for the 2021 Empire 8 Spring Women’s Volleyball Championship, which takes place from Tuesday, April 20 to Sunday, April 25, with all matches played at the higher seed. St. John Fisher College is the 2021 E8 regular season champion and top-seed and is looking to defend its 2019 league title.
Final 2021 Empire 8 Spring Women’s Volleyball Championship Seeds
#1 – St. John Fisher (5-0)
#2 – Elmira (4-2)
#3 – Nazareth (3-2)
#4 – Houghton (3-3)
#5 – Alfred (3-3)
#6 – Utica (1-3)
The 2021 Empire 8 Spring Women’s Volleyball 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 Spring Women's Volleyball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 20 – First Round
#6 Utica College at #3 Nazareth College – 7 p.m.
#5 Alfred University at #4 Houghton College –
7 p.m.
Thursday, April 22 – Semifinals
Winner of #4 Houghton/#5 Alfred at #1 St. John Fisher College – TBA
Winner of #3 Nazareth/#6 Utica at #2 Elmira College –
TBA
Sunday, April 25 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed
St. John Fisher enters the tournament as the top seed and won the 2021 Empire 8 Spring regular season title after going 5-0 in league play and is 7-0 overall. The Cardinals are looking for their second consecutive Empire 8 title and are riding a 16-match winning streak against E8 opponents dating back to the start of the 2019 season. Alea Steigerwald, the two-time reigning E8 Player of the Year leads the squad with 74 kills and a league-high 3.7 kills per set. She also has 66 digs and 12 service aces. First-year Gracie Jacob is hitting .248 with 53 kills, while Rebecca Hay and Katie Leaty have combined for 209 assists. Kara Balmer leads all E8 student-athletes with 0.94 service aces per set, while Julia Halsey has a team-high 70 digs.
Elmira, the No. 2 seed, is making its second straight E8 Tournament Appearance and tenth overall in program history. The Soaring Eagles won their lone Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball title in 2000. Elmira enters the tourney with a 6-3 overall record, having finished 4-2 in league play. The Soaring Eagles have strong depth, as six players have at least 35 kills in 2021. Lydia Milligan leads the squad with 74 kills to go along with 65 digs. Savannah Terry leads all E8 players with a .376 hitting percentage to go along with 59 kills, 21 service aces and 19 blocks. Amelia Martin has added 65 kills and 16 aces. Kassi Hastings is among the E8 leaders with 255 assists and 8.79 assists per set, while Maddie Hampton has 141 digs (4.55/set) and 21 aces.
No. 3 seed Nazareth is making its 15th consecutive E8 Tournament Appearance and 18th in 19 seasons. The Golden Flyers are looking for their ninth E8 title and first since 2018. Nazareth went 4-2 in the regular season, including a 3-2 mark in league play. Kaylee Kelly leads Nazareth with 71 kills to go along with 56 digs. McKenzie Hart is right behind with 60 kills in addition to 91 digs and 15 service aces. Kelly Taylor leads Nazareth with 159 assists, while Kelsey Ludwig has posted a team-best 100 digs and Julia Cavanaugh has 13 blocks.
Houghton enters the E8 Tournament with a 4-4 overall record, having finished 3-3 in league play. Jenna Bittinger leads the Highlanders with 97 kills and 114 points to go along with 76 digs. Setter Haley Unverdorben is among the league leaders with 206 assists (8.24/set) and 15 service aces. Brooke Decker, Allison Morgan and Alyssa Lyon are all strong contributors as well. The Highlanders are making their third appearance in the E8 Tournament.
Alfred is making its fourth appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament and third in the last four seasons. The Saxons went 3-3 in league play and 4-5 overall during the 2021 regular season. Sarah Raeman leads the team with 76 kills, while hitting .242 overall, while Honor Edmands has a team-high 90 points on 73 kills and 15 blocks. Amanda Burns leads Alfred with 171 assists, while Darian Ortiz has a team-best totals of 139 digs (4.8/set) and 20 service aces (0.69/set).
Utica is making its first appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament since 2002. The Pioneers opened the season with a four-set win over Russell Sage in which Eleanor Cepiel was named E8 Player of the Week. Cepiel leads the Pioneers with 36 kills and is second with 47 digs. Briana Toledo leads Utica with 57 digs (4.38/set), while Madison Maggiore and Hannah Johnson both have 44 assists.
Tuesday’s first round game between Nazareth and Utica will mark the first meeting of the season between the two programs. In the second first round contest, Houghton outlasted Alfred in four sets on March 18.
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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