Championship Game
#1 Long Island 3, #3 Robert Morris 0 (30-12, 30-22, 30-22)
Brooklyn, NY -- Northeast Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player Martina Wagner’s (Friedrichshafen, Germany/Wilhemi Gymnasium) 19 kills led the Long Island University volleyball team past Robert Morris 3-0 (30-12, 30-22, 30-22), as the Blackbirds captured their third consecutive NEC Championship. The win also secures an invitation to the NCAA Tournament.
Wagner added nine digs and three aces as she hit .462 for the match. Teammate and NEC Tournament Team member Martina Racic (Pula, Croatia/School of Arts) contributed 14 kills and hit .458. Freshman Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia/Commercial School) registered a match-high 18 kills for the victorious Blackbirds. Simic also garnered a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Long Island (25-10) came out of the gate firing. The Blackbirds took an early 8-4 advantage and never looked back en route to a convincing 30-12 win. The second game was a bit more competitive, as Robert Morris (17-16) took an 8-7 lead. Long Island rattled off the next seven points to take the lead for good. LIU would win the game, 30-22.
Game three was similar to its predecessor, as the Colonials again took an 8-7 lead. The Blackbirds took the lead with three straight points and went on to a 30-22 win.
Jennifer Stambaugh (Union Bridge, MD/Francis Scott Key) led Robert Morris with eight kills. Sophomore Alaina Gibson (Muncie, IN/Muncie Burris) had a team-high 13 digs.
The Blackbirds outhit the Colonials, 50-31, and hit .339 as a team. For the match, Robert Morris hit .150.
Gibson and teammate Tawnya Storino (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) joined Wagner, Racic and Simic on the All-Tournament Team. Saint Francis (Pa.)’s Anne Roosevelt, Central Connecticut State’s Brynn Good, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Elena Schmidt and Wagner’s Kerry Krohn were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
Long Island will find out its opponent for the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 26, when the selection show airs on ESPNEWS between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Brooklyn, NY -- Junior Haley Schroeder (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore West) led a trio of Robert Morris players in double-figure kills with 15 as the No. 3 seeded Colonials upended No. 2 seed Saint Francis (Pa.), 3-1 (30-21, 30-28, 18-30, 30-25) to advance to the finals of the Northeast Conference Volleyball tournament, which will take place on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the Wellness Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
First team All-NEC selection Janette Schneider (Leetsdale, PA/Quaker Valley) finished with 14 kills on .379 hitting while junior Jennifer Stambaugh (Union Bridge, MD/Francis Scott Key) closed with a dozen as Robert Morris heads to the championship game for the second time in three seasons.
Stambaugh led the charge in the first game as her six kills helped lead the Colonials to a 30-21 victory. Robert Morris outhit the Red Flash, .355 to .057, and outdug its opponent 14-7.
Robert Morris jumped out to a quick 9-1 lead in game two and looked to run away with the game. But SFPA came back behind two four-point runs that knotted the score at 26-26. After both squads split the next four points, Schneider came up big with a kill and an attack error by the Red Flash gave the Colonials a two-game advantage.
The third game of the match was dominated by St. Francis (Pa.). NEC second-team selection Kristin Buter (Bowie, MD/Bowie) had six of the team’s 17 kills as the Red Flash hung tough and took the game, 30-18.
Schroeder again took charge in game four, recording six more of her kills in the stanza to lead Robert Morris to victory. The 6-foot-2 middle blocker hit .464 for the match on 28 attempts.
First team All-NEC selection Anne Roosevelt (Plymouth, MI/Mercy) finished with a match-high 19 kills and 18 digs. Buter closed with 12 kills for the Red Flash.
#1 Long Island University 3, #4 Central Conn. State 0 (30-23, 30-20, 30-22)
Brooklyn, NY -- With three players registering double figures in kills, the top-seeded Long Island University volleyball team defeated No. 4 seed Central Connecticut State, 3-0 (30-23, 30-20, 30-22) to advance to the championship match of the Northeast Conference Tournament. On Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1:00 p.m., the Blackbirds will take on the winner of the Saint Francis (Pa.)-Robert Morris match.
NEC Player of the Year Martina Wagner (Friedrichshafen, Germany/Wilhemi Gymnasium) had a match-high 14 kills for Long Island. The junior also contributed seven digs and five service aces. Sophomore Martina Racic (Pula, Croatia/School of Arts) racked up 12 kills in the win and teammate junior Shelby Heggie (Laramie, WY/Laramie) added 10 kills. Freshman Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia/Commerical School) recorded a match-high 18 digs.
The match opened up with a tight first game. The Blackbirds (24-10) built an early lead, but Central Connecticut (19-10) kept things close. Long Island would take game one by a 30-23 margin. LIU built some steam in the second stanza, leading the entire way en route to a 30-20 win.
In the third game, the Blue Devils came out strong as they established a 13-8 lead. With CCSU leading 21-16, the Blackbirds rattled off 10 straight points to take a 26-21 advantage. Long Island closed out the game by a score of 30-22.
Sophomore Amanda Olmstead (Wilmington, DE/Padua Academy) and freshman Sara Grona (Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan/Porcupine Plain) led the Blue Devils with six kills each. Olmstead and senior Brynn Good (Surrey, BC/White Rock Christian) paced the Blue Devils with nine digs apiece.
Long Island outhit Central by a 55-17 margin, and hit .240 for the match. The Blue Devils hit .012 as a team.
First Round
#3 Robert Morris 3, #6 Wagner 2 (22-30, 30-32, 30-15, 30-22, 15-13)
Brooklyn, NY -- After dropping the first two games of its opening round Northeast Conference Tournament match, the third-seeded Robert Morris volleyball team rallied to defeat No. 4 seed Wagner 3-2 (22-30, 30-32, 30-15, 30-22, 15-13) at Long Island’s Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center. Junior Jennifer Stambaugh (Union Bridge, MD/Francis Scott Key) registered a double-double with 21 kills and 17 digs for the Colonials. Senior Janette Schneider (Leetsdale, PA/Quaker Valley) also had a match-high 21 kills, adding six digs.
Wagner took the first game by a convincing score of 30-22 and jumped out to an early lead in the second stanza. Robert Morris began its push to swing the momentum in its favor, forcing the Seahawks to need 32 points put the Colonials away.
The third game belonged to Robert Morris. The Colonials used a quick advantage to build a lead and never looked back on their way to a 30-15 win. The fourth game had a similar feel as Robert Morris used a fast start to put away the Seahawks, 30-22. In the deciding game, the Colonials put Wagner’s back to the wall with yet another early run, but the Seahawks fought back to tie the score at 13. Robert Morris scored the next two points to take the match and advance to meet second-seeded Saint Francis (Pa.) later today at 6:30 p.m.
Robert Morris sophomore Alaina Gibbs (Muncie, IN/Muncie Burris) led all players with 26 digs. Wagner had a pair of players achieve double-doubles. Senior Kerry Krohn (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) had 19 digs and 16 kills, while sophomore Kelly Kasper (West Windsor, NJ/Windsor Plainsboro South) notched 11 kills and 11 digs.
The Colonials outhit the Seahawks, 67-47, and hit .116 for the match. As a team Wagner hit .079.
#4 Central Connecticut State 3, #5 Fairleigh Dickinson 0 (30-27, 30-28, 30-21)
Brooklyn, NY -- Freshman Sara Grona (Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan/Porcupine Plain) led Central Connecticut State with 13 kills as the fourth-seeded Blue Devils swept No. 5 seed Fairleigh Dickinson 3-0 (30-27, 30-28, 30-21) in the opening round of the Northeast Conference Volleyball Tournament, hosted by Long Island University. Central Connecticut’s Milou Saxton (Balzac, Alberta/George McDougall) also tallied double figures in kills with 12.
With the win, the Blue Devils (19-9) advance to the semifinals, where they will take on top-seeded Long Island at 4:00 p.m. today.
Central Connecticut fell behind early in the first game but took a 3-2 lead and managed to hold off a late Knight rally to secure the 30-27 win. The Blue Devils hit .233 while limiting FDU to a .179 percentage in the first game. Central Connecticut took a similar path to the game two win, again coming from behind to win a close game, 30-28.
The Blue Devils closed out Fairleigh Dickinson in the third game by hitting .405 en route to a 30-21 win. The Knights trailed for the entire game.
Fairleigh Dickinson (17-13) was paced by junior Elena Schmidt (Nevada City, CA/Nevada Union), who registered 13 kills. Sophomore Megan Philbrick (Seabrook, MD/Elizabeth Seton) contributed 10 kills and six digs in the loss. Junior Lauren Lombardo (New Castle, PA/Laurel) had a match-high 14 digs for the Knights. Amanda Olmstead (Wilmington, DE/Padua Academy) registered a team-high 12 digs for the Blue Devils.
Central Connecticut outhit Fairleigh Dickinson by a 56-38 margin. For the match, the Blue Devils hit .250, compared to FDU’s .119.