WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TO FACE RIVIER IN GNAC SEMIFINALS
BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College women’s volleyball team is set to travel to Nashua, N.H. for Thursday’s Great Northeast Athletic Conference Semifinal match up against No. 1 Rivier University set for 7:00 PM. The Saints advance to the GNAC Semis for the third consecutive season while the Raiders are making their 13th straight trip to the Semifinals.
BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College women's volleyball team is set to travel to Nashua, N.H. for Thursday's Great Northeast Athletic Conference Semifinal match up against No. 1 Rivier University set for 7:00 PM. The Saints advance to the GNAC Semis for the third consecutive season while the Raiders are making their 13th straight trip to the Semifinals.
HOW THEY GOT THERE
Emmanuel earned the Semifinal berth with a 3-0 victory over No. 5 Anna Maria College on Tuesday evening as senior Danielle Rose (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) and junior Cassie Chruscielski (Duluth, Minn.) led the way with seven kills each. Senior setter Shannon Dudley (Morro Bay, Calif.) dished out 31 assists and recorded 11 digs in the win.
Rivier made quick work of No. 8 Mount Ida College with a 3-0 win to advance behind a 12-kill outing by junior middle hitter Lauren Silverman (Chelmsford, Mass.). Senior setter Emily O'Reilly (San Francisco, Calif.) registered a match-high 25 assists while sophomore Libero Bethany Trevino (Westminster, Colo.) collected 11 digs.
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Thursday marks the 11th meeting between the two programs in GNAC tournament action with Rivier owning a 6-4 record in the 10 meetings to date. The squads have faced off twice in the GNAC quarterfinals, splitting those matches with Emmanuel taking the meeting in 2000, 3-0, and Rivier owning a 3-0 win in 2007. In four GNAC semifinals meetings, Rivier is 3-1 against Emmanuel with wins in 2011, 2008 & 2002 with the Saints taking the meeting in 2004. The other four meetings have come in GNAC Championship games with the Saints claiming the crown in 2005 & 2006 while the Raiders earned wins in 2003 & 2007.
The Raiders are 30-9 all-time in GNAC tournament play with Championships in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013 & 2014 while Emmanuel is 24-13 with Championships in 2004, 2005 & 2006.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
In their regular season meeting, the Raiders cruised to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-22) win just a week ago powered by 13 kills from Silverman and 10 kills by junior Molly McCormack (Ballston Lake, N.Y.). It was Emmanuel's only loss in their last seven matches and the Saints will look to rebound in the playoff meeting.
For the Saints to compete, they'll need a strong effort from their two key middle hitters in junior Katelyn Atkinson (Brookline, N.H.) and senior Brittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I.). Atkinson ranks fourth and Tutalo seventh in the GNAC in blocks per set but the duo needs to also be an active part of the Saints offense for them to have a chance at taking down the Raiders at the net. When the pair gets going in the middle, it has opened up more opportunities on the outside for hitters like Chruscielski and freshman Angelica Czercowy (Hebron, Conn.) and Mary Shelow (Miami, Fla.).
Rivier's success starts with their senior floor general in O'Reilly. The setter recently set the program record in assists, surpassing the 4,300 mark last week and it's no wonder why when you look at the arsenal of hitters she has at her disposal. Four players on the 2015 roster average over 2.00 kills per set including Silverman's 3.32 kills per set which ranks second in the GNAC. She also has 108 total blocks which is also second in the conference.
THE DETAILS
The match is scheduled for a 7:00 PM start at Muldoon Gymnasium on the Rivier University campus. The winner of the semifinal match will take on the winner of the No. 2 Johnson & Wales University vs. No. 3 Saint Joseph's College (ME) match up at the site of the highest remaining seed on Saturday, November 7.