Women's Volleyball | 8/24/2021 10:07:52 AM
St. John Fisher College will attempt to win its third straight Empire 8 Championship, as the 2021 season gets underway on Sept. 1. Regular season league play will begin on Sept. 21. The top five teams will advance to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, which will take place with first round action taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 2. From there, the top four teams will head to the regular season champion for semifinal action on Friday, Nov. 5 and the championship match Saturday, Nov. 6. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship.
Fans can watch the action all season long, free of charge on the
Empire 8 Network.
Players to Watch (Sorted Alphabetically by Player)
Toria Betelak, Hartwick, Sr., MH, North Syracuse, NY/Liverpool – Betelak returns after earning All-Empire 8 second team accolades in 2019. She led the league with a .360 hitting percentage and was fifth in blocks per set
.
Eleanor Cepiel, Utica, Jr., OH, West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names – Cepiel led the Pioneers with 43 kills in just five spring 2021 matches and opened the season by earning Empire 8 Player of the Week accolades.
Kaylee Kelly, Nazareth, Jr., OH, Owego, NY/Owego Free Academy – Kelly returns after earning All-Empire 8 first team accolades last spring. She led all Empire 8 student-athletes with 116 kills.
Amelia Martin, Elmira, Jr., S/RS, Athens, PA/Athens Area – Martin was second on a deep Soaring Eagles unit a season ago in kills and points per set on her way to earning All-Empire 8 third team accolades.
Tiana Moss, Keuka, Jr., OH, Colorado Springs, CO/Sierra – Moss will be expected to lead a young Keuka squad as they make their Empire 8 debut in 2021. She enjoyed a strong rookie season for Keuka in 2019.
Darian Ortiz, Alfred, Jr., L, Santa Fe, NM/St. Michael’s – Ortiz enjoyed a breakout season in the spring, earning All-Empire 8 second team accolades, while averaging a league-best 5.0 digs per set. She had 20 or more digs five times.
Emma Parkington, Russell Sage, Sr., OH, Dalton, MA/Wahconah – Parkington led the Gators with 2.06 kills and 2.4 points per set last spring, while adding 72 digs. She will be counted on to lead Russell Sage this fall.
Alea Steigerwald, St. John Fisher, Sr., OH, Rochester, NY/Penfield – Steigerwald will look to become the Empire 8’s first four-time Player of the Year in 2021. She is a two-time AVCA All-American and enters the season with 1,089 kills and 1,255 points in just 260 career sets.
Haley Unverdorben, Houghton, Sr., S, Portville, NY/Portville – Unverdorben is a two-time All-Empire 8 selection, having earned second team accolades in 2019 and first team plaudits last spring. She enters the season with 1,681 career assists.
Team Capsules (Sorted by Spring 2021 Standings)
St. John Fisher
St. John Fisher enters the 2021 fall season riding an 18-match winning streak against Empire 8 opponents dating back to the start of 2019. The Cardinals will look to be the first team to win three straight league titles since Nazareth from 2011-13. Senior Alea Steigerwald enters the season as the three-time reigning Empire 8 Player of the Year. She will look to be the first volleyball student-athlete to earn four straight accolades. Junior Lindsey DeBonis and sophomore Gracie Jacob return after earning All-Empire 8 second team accolades in the spring. DeBonis was also an All-E8 honorable mention pick in 2019.
Elmira
The Soaring Eagles will look to make their third straight E8 postseason performance in 2021 after enjoying their best regular season finish since 2012 last spring. Elmira will look to replace three All-Empire 8 selections in Savannah Terry, Kassi Hastings and Lydia Milligan. Junior Amelia Martin returns after earning All-Empire 8 third team honors last spring and will be counted on to be a key leader. Kaylene Sauschuck, Sam Sprague and Maddie Hampton will also take on a larger role this season. Seven talented newcomers will also vie for playing time this season.
Nazareth
Nazareth will look to advance to its fifth straight Empire 8 championship match in 2021 and win its ninth Empire 8 title in program history. The Golden Flyers, who most recently won the 2018 Empire 8 title, return a pair of All-Empire 8 first team selections in senior McKenzie Hart and junior Kaylee Kelly. Hart transitioned from libero to become a standout outside hitter last spring, while Kelly led the league in kills. Senior Olivia Quick and junior Eva Lyko will also be counted on for key contributions in the fall.
Houghton
Houghton will look to make its third straight Empire 8 postseason appearance in 2021. The Highlanders return all but one player from last spring’s squad. Senior setter Haley Unverdorben is a two-time All-Empire 8 selection and was second in assists per set last spring. Junior middle hitter Allison Morgan and right side Brooke Decker will also be counted on to lead the way for the Highlanders, who also finished second in the Empire 8 standings in 2019.
Alfred
The Saxons advanced to the Empire 8 Semifinals in the spring and will look to improve on that this fall. Alfred returns 14 players from the spring, including a trio of All-Empire 8 selections, libero Darian Ortiz, outside hitter Sarah Raeman and setter Amanda Burns. Ortiz led the league in digs per set and was second in service aces per set last spring, while Raemen led the league in kills. Honor Edmands enjoyed a strong first season, having earned E8 Rookie of the Week honors, while finishing in the top-10 in blocks and kills per set.
Utica
Utica advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament for the first time in program history last spring. Josh Higby takes over as head coach for the 2021 season and will look to keep the positive momentum rolling. Eleanor Cepiel, Briana Woods, Kurstan Martin and Caitlyn Curcurito will be counted on to lead the way for the Pioneers. Utica returns 11 players from last season’s squad and has had four highly touted newcomers.
Russell Sage
The Gators will look to get back to the postseason in 2021 and return 11 players from the spring, including senior outside hitter Emma Parkington, who led the team in kills and points per set. Classmate Celia Gagnon returns after leading the team in hitting percentage and service aces. Sophomore Monalissa Carius will look to build off an impressive first season. The trio of Sydney Shepard, Sydney Dohr and Haely Russell will look to make an immediate impact in the Gators lineup this season.
Hartwick
The Hawks return 13 players from its 2019 team that won 16 matches and was in playoff contention until the final weekend of the regular season. Senior Toria Betelak and Junior Colette Maloney return after both earning All-Empire 8 second team accolades that season. Betelak led the league with a .360 hitting percentage, while Maloney was fourth in kills and kills per set as a first-year star.
Keuka
Keuka begins its first season as an Empire 8 women’s volleyball member in 2021. The Wolves competed in the Nort East Athletic Conference (NEAC) before joining the Empire 8 in 2020 and return 12 players from that team. In addition to Tionna Moss, Keuka returns seniors Kelsie Allen and Delaney Yorks, along with sophomore Camey Knapp.
Final Spring 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball Standings
St. John Fisher (9-0, 5-0 E8) – League Champions
Elmira (6-4, 4-2 E8)
Nazareth (6-3, 3-2 E8)
Houghton (4-5, 3-3 E8)
Alfred (5-6, 3-3 E8)
Utica (1-4, 1-3 E8)
Russell Sage (0-9, 0-6 E8)
^ Hartwick and Keuka opted out of league play for the 2021 spring season.
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 and
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