Sports News: Fall 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SQUAD TO TRAVEL TO JUNIATA COLLEGE FOR
LANDMARK CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s volleyball team is seeded fourth in the inaugural Landmark Conference Championship Tournament and will travel to top seed Juniata College for a semifinal match on Wednesday, October 31st at 7:00 p.m.

The Greyhounds, who are 18-12 overall and posted a 3-3 mark in Landmark Conference regular season action, are making their 11th postseason appearance in the last 12 seasons.  The Eagles, the defending NCAA Division III National Champions, enter the contest at 30-4 overall and ranked second in the country.  Juniata was a perfect 6-0 in Landmark Conference action during the regular season.

Wednesday’s other semifinal match features third seeded The University of Scranton traveling to second seed The Catholic University of America for a 6:00 p.m. match.  The winners of the semifinal contests will meet on Saturday, November 3rd for the first-ever Landmark Conference Championship match at the highest remaining seed.

Moravian head coach Shelley Bauder has the Greyhounds in the postseason for the 11th time in her 15 seasons at the helm of the program.  Earlier this season, Bauder surpassed the 300-win plateau and enters the Landmark Conference Championships with an overall record of 314-170.

Senior outside hitter Jenna Wallace (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS), pictured at right, leads Moravian this fall with 419 kills, just the fifth player in school history to record more than 400 kills in a season, to go along with 260 digs, 52 service aces and 32 blocks.  Wallace, this week’s Landmark Conference Player of the Week, is also fifth in school history with 1,209 career kills becoming just the seventh player in school history to reach 1,000 career kills.  Senior outside hitter Rachel Radocha (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) has added 305 kills, 292 digs, 21 blocks, 18 assists and 24 service aces.

Senior right side hitter Katherine Perkins (Lehighton, PA/Lehighton HS) has 173 kills, 225 digs, 39 service aces and 40 blocks this season while freshman middle hitter Mary King (Paramus, NJ/Paramus HS) has contributed 272 kills, 68 digs, 114 blocks, 35 service aces and a team high .248 hitting percentage.  King is just the fifth player in school history to record more than 100 blocks in a season.  Freshman middle hitter Christine Reeser (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock HS) has 128 kills, 53 blocks, eight digs and three service aces for the Greyhounds.

Junior setter Stephanie Struble (Hampton, NJ/Voorhees HS), pictured at left, controls the Moravian offense on the court with a team high 1,023 assists, becoming the fourth player in school history to record over 1,000 assists in a season, to go with 291 digs, 51 kills, 37 blocks and 45 service aces.  Senior libero Elise Martin (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus HS) leads the Greyhounds with 472 digs, the second highest single season total in school history, to go along with a team high 56 service aces, 45 assists and five kills while freshman setter Christine Poole (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central HS) has 67 assists, 25 digs, 11 service aces and four kills in limited action. 

Freshman right side hitter Molly DuVall (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township HS) has added 22 kills, 41 digs and two service aces while freshman outside hitter Kelly Griffith (Cedar Knolls, NJ/Whippany Park HS) has five kills and eight digs.

Juniata, which also won the 2004 NCAA Division III National Championship and was the runner-up in 2005, has not lost to a conference opponent since 1982.  The Eagles are coached by Larry Bock and had lost just once to an NCAA Division III opponent in the last two seasons.

Leading Juniata is junior outside hitter Amber Thomas who has 414 kills, six assists, 18 service aces, 276 digs, and 34 blocks on the year. Junior middle hitter Erin Albert has contributed 315 kills, five assists, 28 service aces, 80 digs, leads the team in blocks with 103 while sophomore outside hitter Paige Johnston has 240 kills, 51 digs and 36 total blocks.

Junior setter Beth Kozak leads the team in assists with 1,039 to go along with 34 kills, 18 service aces, 230 digs and 33 blocks while sophomore middle hitter Megan Lamens has added 226 kills, 30 digs and 60 blocks. Junior outside hitter Brittany Carr has contributed 183 kills, 71 digs, and 40 blocks, while junior middle hitter Cassie Dickmann has 101 kills, nine service aces, 29 digs and 40 blocks as well.

Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Megan Sollenberger leads the team in digs and service aces with 693 digs and 57 service aces on the year while sophomore outside hitter Michelle Morchesky has contributed 79 kills, 11 service aces, 55 digs and seven blocks. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Molly Sollenberger has put up 49 service aces and 288 digs while junior defensive specialist Jessica Ritchey has 47 service aces and 333 digs.