Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136
CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Director
DATE: Wed., Oct. 31, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Women's Volleyball
Devils look to make the most of their No. 1 seed
FREDONIA, N.Y. -- In 2004, the Fredonia State women's volleyball team earned the No. 1 seed after SUNYAC West Division Pool Play. That group of Blue Devils were then ousted by Oneonta in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
This year's team, also the No. 1 West Division seed, will look for a better result Friday with it faces either Geneseo or New Paltz in a semifinal at SUNY Cortland. The match starts at 6 p.m., with the winner advancing to the championship match Saturday afternoon. "We are excited for the opportunity we have earned this weekend," Blue Devil head coach Geoff Braun said. "It is unique in that we do not know who we match up against. Both Geneseo and New Paltz are tough teams with some strong athletes. But if we focus on getting the job done on our side of the net, we will be prepared for the task ahead of us." The Blue Devils (25-12) defeated Geneseo twice during pool-play competition this season. First was a 3-0 victory Sept. 22 at Geneseo, while most recently it was 3-2 Fredonia State in Dods Hall Oct. 19. The second match was so well-contested -- a see-saw affair which saw the Blue Devils rally from a 2-0 deficit -- that fans and parents from both sides gave the teams a standing ovation at the end of night. New Paltz offers a bit more mystery. The Blue Devils and Hawks last met Nov. 4, 2005, in a SUNYAC Tournament match at Cortland, won 3-0 by New Paltz. Only three active players remain on the Blue Devil roster from that game -- senior JaHanna Dixon (Hamburg/Frontier), and juniors Amy Bertrando (Westfield) and Val Grell (Lancaster). A fourth, junior Tonja Royce (Forestville), had season-ending shoulder injury earlier this fall. In the other semifinal, No. 1 East Division seed and tournament host Cortland will meet one of three possible opponents. Oneonta and Potsdam have a play-in match at noon Thursday, the winner meets Brockport at 2 p.m., and that winner faces Cortland at 3 p.m. Friday. Meanwhile, the Geneseo vs. New Paltz quarterfinal is 5 p.m. Thursday. NOTES: The championship match is 2 p.m. Saturday. The SUNYAC champ receives an automatic NCAA bid ... SUNYAC regular-season awards will be made Thursday with freshman Kaitlyn Erdmann (Randolph) among the hopefuls for Rookie of the Year honors. Erdmann leads SUNYAC in hitting percentage (kills minus errors, divided by total attempts) with a .382 mark. She has 265 kills, 50 errors, and 563 attempts ... Dixon and sophomore reserve Jen Reese (Barton/Tioga) are seventh and sixth, respectively, in hitting percentage. Dixon's at .286, Reese at .298 ... Dixon is also seventh in the conference with 2.98 kills per game ... junior setter Alyssa Torpy (West Henrietta/Rush-Henrietta) averages 9.57 assists per game, fourth in SUNYAC ... junior Leanne Maloney (West Seneca/Mount Mercy) is sixth in SUNYAC with 4.72 digs per game ... Maloney also holds the current single-season school record of 86 service aces, and counting ... the Blue Devils' 25 victories is the most by the team dating back to 1985. They have won 18 of their last 21 matches.Athletics Home | Fredonia Home
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