Sports News: Fall 2002

Monday, November 4, 2002

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM PREPARES FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT TRIP TO COMMONWEALTH PLAYOFFS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s volleyball squad will make its seventh consecutive Commonwealth Conference Playoff appearance as the second-seeded Greyhounds host third-seeded Messiah College for a semifinal match on Wednesday, November 6th at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday’s other semifinal contest has four-seeded Lebanon Valley College traveling to top-seed and defending Commonwealth Conference Champion Juniata College. The Eagles have not lost to a conference opponent since losing to Gettysburg College back in 1981.

Moravian, which has made the Commonwealth Championship match the last six years, has posted a 24-8 overall record this season under tenth-year head coach Shelley Bauder. The Greyhounds have won five consecutive matches and have won over 20 matches in each of the last seven seasons.

The Greyhounds are being led this season by junior outside hitter Kim Zipf (Wyomissing, PA/Holy Name HS) with 392 kills this fall and she has added a .302 hitting percentage, 338 digs, 18 blocks, 18 assists and 19 service aces.

Freshman middle hitter Lindsey Siracusa (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury HS) has a hitting percentage of .314 and 38 service aces and she leads the Hounds with 79 blocks. Siracusa has also added 360 kills and 95 digs on the year. Junior middle hitter Shannon McNeil (Reading, PA/Reading Central Catholic HS) has 243 kills, a.320 hitting percentage, 93 digs, 20 service aces and 55 blocks for the Greyhounds this season.

Junior setter Amy Lawrence (Gettysburg, PA/Delone Catholic HS) controls the Greyhounds on the floor with 1,288 assists this fall. Lawrence has also contributed 330 digs, a team leading 51 service aces, 114 kills, 23 blocks and a .321 hitting percentage. Lawrence and Zipf have combined to earn the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week award five times this season with Zipf winning three times.

Senior outside hitter Sara Walkiewicz (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has contributed 193 kills, 228 digs, 21 assists and 33 service aces. Junior right side hitter Sara Hollenbacher (Reading, PA/Reading Central Catholic HS) has added 77 kills, 25 digs, 19 assists and 19 blocks while junior right side hitter Mary Kate Cordisco (Bethlehem, PA/Notre Dame HS) has 95 kills, 42 digs, 15 blocks, 17 assists and 11 service aces.

Sophomore outside hitter Christina Wallace (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has added 166 kills on the year with 144 digs, 34 service aces and 17 blocks while senior right side hitter Vicki Fisher (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick HS) has contributed 22 kills and ten blocks.

Junior Alissa Bucsi (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has 340 digs while playing the new libero position. Bucsi also has nine service aces. Junior defensive specialist Andrea Frankenfield (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus HS) has added 178 digs and 40 service aces.

Siracusa, Lawrence, Wallace and Bucsi all earned All-Tournament Honors at the Elizabethtown College Blue Jay Classic last weekend as the Greyhounds captured the title.

Messiah enters the contest with an overall record of 25-9 and the Falcons earned the third seed with a 3-2 victory over Moravian last Wednesday.

Senior outside hitter Priscilla Chase leads Messiah with 390 kills and 522 digs this season and she has added 50 service aces and 20 blocks. Senior middle blocker Amanda Hopkins has contributed 323 kills, 48 service aces, 64 digs and a team-leading 109 blocks while freshman outside hitter Ashley Beck has added 303 kills, 171 digs, 30 service aces and 13 blocks. Senior setter Karen Sollenberger controls the Falcons on the court with 1,317 assists and she leads the squad with 150 service aces. Sollenberger has also added 357 digs and 214 kills.

Sophomore middle blocker Vicki Brown has 149 kills, 37 service aces, 47 blocks and 48 digs this fall while sophomore setter Amiee Eshleman has added 130 kills, 42 assists, 38 service aces, 36 blocks and 325 digs. Freshman middle blocker Kelly Kennedy has 97 kills, 41 digs and 23 blocks on the year. Sophomore defensive specialist Kayte Hall has 378 digs while playing the libero position this fall while sophomore defensive specialist Carrie Stern has contributed 128 digs as the libero.