KUTZTOWN, PA (August 31, 2010) – The Kutztown University volleyball team begins its 2010 season this weekend by hosting the Kutztown Classic on Friday September 3 and Saturday September 4 at Keystone Arena.
In what promises to be an outstanding weekend of exciting volleyball, Kutztown welcomes four quality teams to campus highlighted by Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division rival West Chester and Le Moyne College, who won 17 matches last season. In addition to Le Moyne, the tournament features C.W. Post and the College of Saint Rose.
Le Moyne and Saint Rose are members of the Northeast-10 Conference while C.W. Post is a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC). After finishing with 16 victories last season, Kutztown is eager to start the season.
“We're very excited to get into action and take the next step in the development of our 2010 team,” Kutztown head volleyball coach John Gump said. “The tournament features a good field of teams and an opportunity for some excellent competition.”
Kutztown will face Le Moyne Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in its season opener. The Golden Bears will play a pair of matches on Saturday against College of Saint Rose (2:00 p.m.) and C.W. Post (6:00 p.m.).
Here's a brief look at each of the schools participating this weekend with last year's record in parenthesis:
KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY (16-13): The Golden Bears were picked fourth in the PSAC East preseason coaches' poll. Kutztown, which finished second in the PSAC East last season, returns four players who finished with over 100 kills last season: Lindsay Confer (Wingate, PA/Bald Eagle) (212), Cali Snell (York, PA/York Suburban) (183 kills, 83 blocks), Kelsey Nester (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua) (101) and Katie Lutz (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle Antrim) (127). Overall, the Golden Bears return 14 players from last year. Dana Wright (Warminster, PA/Saint Basil Academy) and Kimberlee Gomber (Washington, PA/Washington) combined for 816 assists last season. Jamie Celia (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone) was named to the PSAC East second team last year and is probably the Golden Bears' most versatile performer. She led the team with 51 service aces and 391 digs. Celia enters the season needing 11 service aces to become Kutztown's all-time leader in that category. Celia and Lindsey Smith finished second (0.58) and third (0.55), respectively in the PSAC in service aces per game.
COLLEGE OF SAINT ROSE (15-14): The Golden Knights return four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's squad. Saint Rose missed the postseason for only the second time in eight years following a 5-10 NE-10 mark and an 11th place finish in the final regular-season standings. The Golden Knights started the year 8-0 for the first time in their 19-year NCAA era, but went 2-10 over a 12-match stretch during the middle of the season. Junior outside hitter Sarah Kahrs and junior setter Theresa Staulo are both serving as team captains in 2010 along with senior outside hitter Rachel Baxter. Kahrs led Saint Rose with 274 kills and finished seventh in the league in aces (0.48) last season. Staulo, who was named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine District I Academic All-America® Third Team, was 10th in the conference with 8.04 assists per-game to go along with 106 digs and 66 kills. Baxter has contributed 338 kills and 394 digs throughout her career.
C.W. POST (14-14): Coach Shellane Ogoshi begins her second season at the helm for C.W. Post, and looks to improve upon her first as the Pioneer head coach. The team returns five players, including four seniors that will help lead the group. Senior outside hitter Marilena Guadagnini looks to improve upon her impressive numbers from last year's campaign. Her totals of 253 kills and 288 digs were category leaders on the team. Returning as the overwhelming team leader in assists will be senior Amanda Ostapow, who recorded 876 helpers last year, including a season-high 59 against Mercy on Oct. 5. She also played solid defense, recording 217 digs, and is the returning leader in blocks with 40. Senior Sammy Figliolia enters the season with 904 career digs, as well as 738 career kills. The lone returning underclassman is sophomore Geony Fisher. Figuring into both right and middle blocking positions, Fisher starts her second year in the program after a season of 139 kills.
WEST CHESTER (23-15): Head Coach Kassie Bellaver has won at least 20 games in each of the last three seasons and has finished as high as second place in the last two campaigns. She returns all six starters and lost just one senior off the bench from last year's team. First team all-leaguers, Michelle Powers and Helen Fitzpatrick return, along with second team honorees Lisa Campbell and Lexi Kegerise. The Golden Rams were picked to finish second in the PSAC East preseason poll. West Chester qualified for the PSAC East playoffs in 2009.
LE MOYNE COLLEGE (17-10): Le Moyne ended last year with its highest winning percentage (.629) since the 2005 season. The 2010 Le Moyne College women's volleyball team is coached by 20th-year head coach Ken King. The Dolphins return 13 letterwinners from last year's squad that placed sixth in the Northeast-10 Conference. Le Moyne, which was picked to finish eighth in the Northeast-10 preseason coaches' poll, is led offensively by sophomore middle hitter Morgan McDermott and senior outside hitter Krista Prentice. McDermott, who was named to the Northest-10 third team and all-rookie Team last year, finished second on the team with 222 kills (2.27/gm) and posted double-digit kills in 11 matches. She also led the team with 75 total blocks. Prentice posted 184 kills and 126 digs as a starter in all 27 matches played.
Admission is free for the entire tournament.
KUTZTOWN CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, September 3, 2010
2:00 p.m. C.W. Post vs. College of Saint Rose
4:30 p.m. KUTZTOWN vs. LeMoyne
7:00 p.m. C.W. Post vs. West Chester
Saturday, September 4, 2010
10:00 a.m. West Chester vs. College of Saint Rose
12:00 p.m. C.W. Post vs. LeMoyne
2:00 p.m. KUTZTOWN vs. College of Saint Rose
4:00 p.m. West Chester vs. Le Moyne
6:00 p.m. KUTZTOWN vs. C.W. Post
