WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PLAY-OFF RUN ENDS IN GNAC SEMIFINALS

BOSTON, Mass. – The No. 4 seeded Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University upset the top-seeded Saints of Emmanuel College, 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 25-21) in the semifinal round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball Tournament on Thursday night in Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center.  Senior outside hitter Alyssa Drapeau (Biddeford, Maine) slammed down 17 kills to lead the visitors to the upset win and a trip to the GNAC Finals.

Johnson & Wales improves to 17-15 on the season with the victory and will now advance to take on the No. 2 seeded Raiders of Rivier University on Saturday afternoon in Nashua, N.H.  Rivier defeated No. 3 Simmons College, 3-1, in the other GNAC semifinal contest.  The Saints, who were making the program's sixth appearance in the GNAC Semifinals in the past seven years, end their season at 24-12.

The heated battle was played in front of a crowd of over 200 spectators on the EC campus.  JWU got out in front early in the first set, building a quick 5-1 lead on an ace by Paula Cadavid (Pawtucket, R.I.).  The advantage was extended to as many as six points at 17-11, following an ace from Ann Marie Nowicki (Lancaster, N.Y.) and an Emmanuel attack error.  The Saints battled back with kills from Bittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I.), Sarah Colby (West Barnstable, Mass.) and Danielle Rose (Wilkes Barre, Pa.) in the final points and EC was able to come to within one point at 24-23.  However, an Emmanuel attack error ended it and JWU pulled out the 25-23 set one win.

The Saints rebounded in the second, as consecutive kills by Kaitlyn Atkinson (Brookline, N.H.) gave the hosts a 6-5 edge and Emmanuel held onto its lead throughout the set.  A kill by Rose forged set-point at 24-18 and Tultalo and Rose then combined for a block to end the game decisively at 25-18.

The third set saw eight ties in the early going, with the final one at 21-all, following two hitting errors by the Saints' front line.  Cadavid then found the floor three times over the final four points of the game to give the Wildcats a 25-22 set three win and a 2-1 lead in the match.

After an early lead by JWU in the fourth, the Saints managed to knot the score at 16-all.  A pair of kills from Drapeau helped the Wildcats pull out in front again at 21-18.  The Saints were able to snag three more points before it was over, but a Cadavid kill ended the set at 25-21 and gave JWU the 3-1 match win.

JWU's defense at the net was dominant throughout the match, as the Wildcats combined for 25 blocks, led by Marissa Bunnewith (Millbury, Mass.) with her match-high 10 blocks (9 BA,1 BS).  Drapeau picked up six block assists, to go along with her solid line of 17 kills and 16 digs.  Junior setter Kellen Tensen (New Canann, Conn.) dished out a match-high 42 assists in the win.  Cadavid led the Wildcats with 20 digs, nine kills and a match-high service six aces.

Emmanuel got a double-double of 11 kills and 12 digs from Cassie Chruscielski (Duluth, Minn.). Colby and Atkinson finished the night with nine kills apiece and combined for four blocks at the net.  Junior setter Shannon Dudley (Morro Bay, Calif.) handed out 35 helpers, while senior libero Cara Callahan (Medway, Mass.) led the Saints' backrow with 23 digs in the effort.  Tutalo finished with seven kills and six blocks for the Saints.

JWU now leads the all-time series with the Saints, 14-13.  With Emmanuel's 24 wins on the year, the 2014 Saints squad represents just the fourth team in program history to win 24 or more matches in a single season.