October 2, 2010

Majcher, Kowalska Lead Stevens To Ducks Invitational Crown

Files associated with this release:
Box Score vs. New Paltz - October 2, 2010
Box Score vs. Clarkson - October 2, 2010

Links associated with this release:
2010 Ducks Invitational Tournament Page

HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 2, 2010) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team picked up where it left off after the first day of the 2010 Ducks Invitational, capturing the 2010 Ducks Invitational crown with a pair of wins over SUNY New Paltz and Clarkson University. The Ducks opened the day with a 3-0 (29-27, 25-19, 25-18) sweep of the Hawks before capping things off with a 3-0 (25-14, 24-26, 22-25, 25-19, 15-9) win over the Golden Knights.

Senior Maggie Majcher finished with 32 kills and 28 digs on the day en route to All-Tournament honors, while Ducks Invitational Most Valuable Player, sophomore Maggie Kowalska, had 27 kills Stevens’ two wins. Senior setter Sara Budar, who also earned all-Ducks Invitational accolades, notched 78 assists and 22 digs on the afternoon, while fellow senior Julia Reilly had 39 digs in defense.

Stevens will return to action on October 6 when it travels to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to face Vassar College.

2010 Ducks Invitational Champion: Stevens Institute of Technology

Tournament MVP: Maggie Kowalska (SIT)

All-Tournament Team:
Maggie Majcher (SIT)
Sara Budar (SIT)
Kate Anderson (Williams)
Emily Avis (Williams)
Sara Artus (Clarkson)
Sharon Hao (MIT)
Melinda DiGiovanna (New Paltz)
Eve Richards (Union)

Stevens 3, New Paltz 0 (29-27, 25-19, 25-18)
Stevens opened the match hitting .310 en route to a hard-fought 29-27 victory before notching a 25-19 win to take a 2-0 match lead. The Ducks then recorded a .300 attack percentage to close out the match with a 25-18 set three triumph to complete the sweep, snapping the Hawks' 12-match win-streak.

Majcher finished with 12 kills and 15 digs, while Kowalska hit .474 with 11 kills. Budar added 32 assists and 12 digs, while junior Amethyst Holder chipped in eight kills and 12 digs. Reilly collected 12 digs, helping to shore up the Ducks’ defense.

Junior outside hitter Melinda DiGiovanna (West Hempstead, N.Y.) led the Haws with six kills, while freshman setter Marissa King (Canandaigua, N.Y.) dished out 10 assists. Fellow freshman Carrie Hack (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) added 15 digs in the loss.

Union 3, Polytechnic 0 (26-24, 25-23, 29-27)
Union opened the match with a tightly contested 26-24 first set victory before scoring another close win in set two, 25-23. The Dutchwomen then edged out the Blue Jays, 29-27, in the third and final set to move to 9-7 overall on the year, while Polytechnic fell to 10-10 with the loss.

New Paltz 3, Polytechnic 0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-19)
Hoping to rebound from a loss to Stevens to start the day, the Hawks took the first set, 25-14, before besting the Blue Jays, 25-17, in set two to take a 2-0 match lead. New Paltz then notched a 25-19 victory in the third and final set to move to 18-5 on the year, while Polytechnic fell to 10-11 with the loss.

DiGiovanna finished with 10 kills, nine digs, and two blocks to lead the Hawks, while King added 13 assists, five digs, and a pair of kills. Senior middle hitter Dana Kindelmann (Nesconset, N.Y.) added seven kills and six blocks to help the Hawks’ to their 13th victory in 14 matches.

Williams 3, Clarkson 1 (18-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-20)
After dropping the first set, 25-18, the Ephs rallied, taking a 25-16 victory in set two. Williams continued to roll in the third set, winning 25-17, before closing out the match with a 25-20 triumph in the fourth and final set. With the win, Williams moved to 2-1 in Invitational play and 8-7 overall on the season.

Senior Kate Anderson (Berlin, Mass.) notched 23 kills and 11 digs to pave the way for the Williams attack, while fellow senior Nicole Ballon-Landa (La Jolla, Calif.) added 12 kills. Senior setter Emily Avis (Palo Alto, Calif.) dished out a match-best 54 assists in the win, adding nine digs.

Clarkson’s Sara Artus (St. Regis Falls, N.Y.) led the Golden Knights with 18 kills, while fellow junior Megan Mahon (Irvine, Calif.) tallied 14 kills. Freshman setter Lani Durio (Austin, Texas) had 41 assists in the loss.

Williams 3, Baruch 0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-15)
Williams captured the first set, 25-17 before earning a 25-22 win in the second. The Ephs then closed out the match with a 25-15 third set victory, moving to 9-7 overall on the season and 3-1 in Invitational action.

Anderson again led Williams with 12 kills, seven digs, and three blocks, while Ballon-Landa finished with seven kills and three blocks. Avis chipped in with 28 assists and five digs.

Sophomore outside hitter Carissa Oliveira (Vista, Calif.) led the Bearcats with seven kills, while fellow sophomore Melinda Santiago (East Patchogue, N.Y.) added 19 assists and six digs. Junior libero Posey Wilson (Fayetteville, Ark.) collected 11 digs in the loss.

MIT 3, Union 1 (25-17, 28-26, 23-25, 25-15)
MIT took the first set 25-17 before staking themselves a 2-0 match lead following a closely-contested 28-26 set two win. Hoping to stay alive, Union would trim the margin to one with a 25-23 third set triumph, but MIT regained control in the fourth, capturing a 25-15 victory to close out the match.

The Engineers’ Sharon Hao (San Jose, Calif.) handed out 29 assists while directing the MIT attack, while senior outside hitter Jenny Li (Ellicott City, Md.) led the team with 13 kills. Sophomore libero Katie Spielbauer (Lakeview, Mich.) collected six digs in defense.

MIT 3, Montclair State 0 (25-9, 25-22, 25-19)
The Engineers jumped out to an early lead thanks to a 25-9 first set victory. MIT then went up 2-0 with a 25-22 set two win before taking down the Red Hawks 25-19 in the third set to complete the sweep.

Spielbauer had 11 digs, while sophomore setter Alyssa Rothman (Plainview, N.Y.) dished out 21 assists. Freshman middle hitter Kristine Bunker (Falmouth, Mass.) and freshman outside hitter Tatiana Berger (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) each finished with nine kills.

Freshman Kaitlyn Irwin (Cranford, N.J.) finished with14 digs for MSU, while fellow freshmen Marta Topor (Bogota, N.J.) and Megan Cockcroft(Rutherford, N.J.) combined for four kills and nine digs.

Stevens 3, Clarkson 2 (25-14, 24-26, 22-25, 25-19, 15-9)
Stevens captured the first set, 25-14, before dropping set two, 24-26. The Golden Knights would then go up 2-1 with a 25-22 set three win before the Ducks rallied for a 25-19 fourth set victory to force a tiebreak. Stevens closed out the match with a 15-9 triumph, hitting a match-best .375.

Majcher finished with 20 kills, 13 digs, and nine service aces, while Kowalska added 16 kills. Holder finished with 10 kills and 14 digs, while Budar dished out a match-high 46 assists, adding 10 digs. Reilly collected 27 digs in defense, while senior Brittany Conroy (Colonie, N.Y.) finished with eight digs and a service ace.

Baruch 3, MSU 1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-21)
After dropping the first set, 25-18, Baruch rallied taking set two 25-20 before scoring a 25-22 win in the third set. The Bearcats would continue to apply pressure from there, notching a 25-21 fourth set victory to seal the match.

Oliveira finished with 16 kills and eight digs to lead Baruch, while Wilson had 40 digs. Sophomore middle Lauren Hayden (Parker, Colo.) had 10 kills and 10 digs in the win.

Topor finished with 10 kills and 12 digs for the Red Hawks in the loss, while Cockcroft had eight kills and nine digs. Irwin added 29 digs.