November 9, 1998

LADY ‘HOUNDS RECEIVE SECOND STRAIGHT NCAA BID

BETHLEHEM, PA --- With a 27-6 record and a ranking of second in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional poll, the Moravian College women’s volleyball squad was awarded its second straight NCAA Tournament bid Sunday night.

Under the leadership of head coach Shelly Sorensen-Bauder, the Lady Greyhounds have tied the school record for victories with 27 and played in the Middle Atlantic Conference Championship match this past Saturday.

Moravian, the second seed, will have a first round bye at the NCAA Tournament at Juniata College which begins on Thursday, November 12th. Thursday’s first round match-ups are Gettysburg College (#3) versus Salisbury State University (#6) at 5:30 p.m. and Lycoming College (#4) against Franklin & Marshall College (#5). Moravian will play the winner of the Gettysburg-Salisbury State match on Friday at 5:30 p.m. while top-ranked Juniata will play the other winner at 8:00 p.m. The championship match is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The Lady Greyhounds have been led on the court this season by senior middle hitter Stephanie Rickards (Lansdowne/Upper Darby HS) with a school record 454 kills, 271 digs, 123 blocks and a .377 hitting percentage. Junior setter Kaitie Kramer (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Catholic HS) runs the Moravian offense with 10.46 assists per game and has 262 digs and 53 service aces.

Junior outside hitter Amy Sandt (Allentown/William Allen HS) is second on the team with 397 kills and a .290 hitting percentage. She leads the squad with 465 digs and 65 service aces. Sophomore defensive specialist Emily Shonk (Ligonier/Ligonier HS) has 31 service aces and 269 digs while senior outside hitter Teresa Hahn (Whitehall/Whitehall HS) has 113 kills and 81 blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Rebecca Falk (Allentown/ Dieruff HS) and middle hitter Sara Young (Tunkhannock/Tunkhannock Area HS) have 220 and 135 kills respectively. Young will miss the rest of the season with a back injury.

Moravian’s other players are sophomore Natalie Balaziuk (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Catholic HS) with 320 kills and 60 service aces and freshman Krystol Kessack (Bethlehem/ Liberty HS) with 145 kills and 240 digs.