Nov. 14, 2009

Box Score

Video - Winning Point: UMass Lowell defeats Adelphi

Watch the Championship Match in Full

Senior setter Nichole Rondeau (Dracut, MA) dished out 33 assists and was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player as UMass Lowell defeated Adelphi University, 3-2, Saturday night for the Northeast-10 Conference Volleyball Championship at the Costello Athletic Center.

Game scores were 23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 15-12.

“I think this is the greatest,” said UMass Lowell head coach Karen McNulty, in her 16th season. “We’ve had some big wins, but this is the biggest. This is the greatest win since we have been here.”

With the victory, UMass Lowell earned the automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament, to be announced Sunday night on www.ncaa.com. In 17 years as a New England Collegiate Conference member and 10 years in the NE-10, the title is the first for the River Hawks, who were the No. 4 seed entering the Tournament.

UMass Lowell had previously lost twice in the NE-10 title match: in 2000 to Pace (3-0) and in 2002 to Bentley (3-2).

“Certainly, we are a talented team, but I also think that maturity was a big part,” McNulty said. “We’ve had two great non-traditional seasons in which the players have lifted and gotten stronger, which has made us mentally stronger. “This team needed to tough things out,” she added. “And we did.”

UMass Lowell defeated No. 5 Pace Friday night, 3-1, and No. 8 Southern Connecticut State earlier Saturday, 3-1, in the semifinal. The win was also the sixth straight for the River Hawks, who improved to 22-9.

No. 2 Adelphi, which had defeated No. 7 American International in the quarterfinal, 3-1, and edged No. 3 Bentley, 3-2, in the semifinal, slipped to 27-9 but has virtually sealed its place in the NCAA Tournament.

“Adelphi played great. They are a great team, very talented,” McNulty noted. “I think we matched up well with them. With Southern Connecticut beating New Haven (3-2) and Adelphi beating Bentley, I think it was in the stars for us.”

Junior Sarah Coscia (Pittsfield, MA) registered 18 kills and five blocks while senior OH Elsa LeGrand (Highlands Ranch, CO) added 17 kills and three blocks, including the match winner, to lead the River Hawk offense.

Junior OH Jillian Hadder (Yucaipa, CA) chipped in 12 kills and a team-high 25 digs while junior OH (Tewksbury, MA) had seven kills and 17 digs and senior libero 17 digs.Vicky WongAllie Eide (Gresham, OR)

“Our players off the bench have done a great job, kids like Larissa Niu (Oceanside, CA), Kasey Smith (Tewksbury, MA) and Ashlee Scott (Quincy, MA).” said McNulty. “They have helped us.”

Junior OH Hilary Pavels (North Woodmere, NY) led the Panthers with 18 kills and 16 digs while senior MB Kelsey Hackett (Alta Loma, CA) added 15 kills, five digs and three blocks and freshman OH Chelsea Overholt (Centrevilla, VA) 14 kills and five digs.

Junior setter Heather Mau (Honolulu, HI) dished out 56 assists and added 18 digs while senior libero Amy Williams (Bloomington, IN) led the defense with 26 digs.

Eide and Williams were named to the NE-10 All-Championship Team along with Stephanie Kazmierczak of Pace, Elizabeth Cheek of Le Moyne, Kambryn Williams of American International, Janeeka Williams of New Haven, Jenna Tammel of Southern Connecticut and Alaura Berry of Bentley.

“We had had a couple of pretty tough years,” McNulty said, noting the 2007 and 2008 seasons in which UMass Lowell finished a combined 27-39. “This team has lived the worst season and greatest season of UMass Lowell volleyball.”