Women's Volleyball Season Preview

Introduction
The College Saint Rose volleyball team has the necessary tools to make some noise on the national scene this season. The Golden Knights boast a squad featuring four returning starters and the libero from a 2006 club that set a school record with 26 wins. Three All-Conference performers and one third-team All-American make Saint Rose one of the favorites to win the Northeast-10 Conference regular-season title for the second straight year.

Head coach Brian Goodale will look to lead the Golden Knights back to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in as many years in his ninth season at the helm. Goodale is just seven victories shy of reaching the 150-win plateau for his career (143-103) and has surfaced as one of the top small college coaches in the region.

2006 Review
Saint Rose made its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in the 28-year history of the program last season. In the process, the Golden Knights posted their best single-season winning percentage in school annals with a 26-6 (.813) mark. Goodale has now led Saint Rose to four consecutive 20-win campaigns and was by honored by his colleagues in the NE-10 with the Coach of the Year Award.

The Golden Knights captured the NE-10 regular season title for the first time in school history on the strength of a perfect 14-0 mark in league play. Saint Rose also enjoyed its deepest run ever in the NE-10 Tournament, advancing all the way to the NE-10 Championship match before falling to Bentley.

The most notorious losses from a year ago include setter Shannon Campbell and outside hitter Jessica Carrington. Campbell, the NE-10 Setter of the Year, left an indelible impression on the program after becoming the only player in school history to record 1,000 assists in four straight seasons. Meanwhile, Carrington left her mark as a solid all-around player ranking second all-time in digs (1,385) and fourth in kills (955).

Returnees (9)
The Golden Knights return a slew of hitters from a squad that recorded the nation’s sixth-best hitting percentage (.287) a year ago. Also, senior middle hitter Michaela Jorgensen (Candor, NY/Candor), who was sidelined last season with an injury, provides the club with another outstanding weapon up front. Jorgensen was a third-team All-Conference pick as a junior after finishing 21st in the country and leading the league with a .367 hitting percentage.

Third-team All-American Stephanie Brink (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) has emerged as arguably the top outside hitter in the Northeast. Brink, who is the reigning Northeast Regional Player of the Year and NE-10 Player of the Year, owns three of the top-five single-season hitting marks in school history. With 459 kills last year, Brink moved into second place on the school’s all-time list with 1,091 kills, leaving her just six shy of breaking the College’s record.

Senior middle hitter Sally Munter (Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) and sophomore right side hitter Jaclyn Griffin (Glen Mills, PA/Penncrest) are expected to have prominent roles on the front line as well. Munter was named a third-team All-Conference pick a year ago after leading the league with a .368 hitting percentage, which was also the ninth-best percentage in the nation and the second-best single-season mark in school history. Furthermore, she was second in the NE-10 with 132 total blocks. Meanwhile, Griffin had a stellar rookie campaign after finishing third on the squad with 269 kills and also ranked third with a .317 hitting percentage.

Opponents will also have to deal with yet another threat at the net in sophomore middle hitter Alyssa Broccoli (Middletown, NY/Pine Bush). Broccoli saw action in 107 games as a freshman and finished third on the squad with 85 total blocks. Her 162 kills ranked fifth on the club as well. Sophomore outside hitter Caitlin Lauback (Owego, NY/Owego Free Academy) is also in the mix after playing in 19 matches as a rookie. She recorded 18 kills and 26 digs last season.

The back line is led by sophomore libero Mary German (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) who made an immediate impact in her rookie season. German finished the year ranked fifth in the league in digs (591), which established a single-season record at the College. Her 5.42 digs per-game was also a single-season record and she was second on the squad with 60 aces having played in 109 games.

Also returning to a strong unit in the back is sophomore defensive specialist Ashlee DeVito (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield) and junior defensive specialist Danielle Gaudio (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont). DeVito finished third on the team with 297 digs and wound up leading the squad with 76 aces, which represents the fifth highest single-season total in program history and was sixth in the nation. Gaudio played 105 games for the second consecutive season, finishing fourth on the club with 297 digs for an average of 2.1 digs per-game. She also added 27 aces.

Newcomers (5)
A junior transfer and four freshmen headline a recruiting class that is expected to have an immediate impact on this year’s club. Junior setter Jessica Weaver (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville), who transferred from Fulton-Montgomery Community College, is a solid all-around athlete who could be the key to this year’s success. Weaver will be counted upon to run the offense and fill the void left by Campbell. An All-State pick as a senior in high school, Weaver brings two years of collegiate playing experience and is a good fit with the supporting cast of hitters around her.

The arrival of outside hitter Rachel Baxter (Stratford, CT/Bunnell) brings a winning attitude as she helped lead Bunnell to three consecutive class “LL” Connecticut State Championships, including a perfect 25-0 campaign a year ago. A two-year selection on the Southwest Conference All-Academic Team, Baxter is a powerful hitter with good experience and is a solid defensive player at the net.

Middle hitter Kelly Ryan (Circleville, NY/Pine Bush) gives Saint Rose more height at the net with her 6-3 frame. Ryan was a section IX first-team All-Star as a senior at Pine Bush, who made an appearance in the state tournament during her playing career. She is very quick for her size and should play everyday from the get-go. Ryan has a ton of potential and could emerge as one of the elite middle hitters in the league somewhere down the road.

Setter Staci Chadwick (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) will provide added depth as the back-up to Weaver. She was selected as a class “AA” second-team All-Star last season at Minisink Valley. Her inner drive and work ethic give her the capability to become a standout setter in years to come.

Also on the scene is defensive specialist Kendra Bianchi (Mantague, NJ/Port Jervis). Bianchi gives the Golden Knights an added quickness in the back row. Her ability to pass and bring a positive attitude to the floor makes her a big asset with this group.

Schedule
Saint Rose opens the 2007 schedule with a non-conference match at Dominican on Wednesday, August 29 before heading to the Raider Classic at Shippensburg University with four matches scheduled for Friday, August 31 and Saturday, September 1. The Golden Knights first big test of the season will come that weekend when Saint Rose meets Kutztown University, who made an appearance in the regional semifinal a year ago. The Golden Knights open their defense of the NE-10 regular-season crown on Wednesday, September 5 at Le Moyne as league play gets under way. Bentley will host the NE-10 Tournament on Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10 with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament at stake. Six teams that participated in the 2006 NCAA Tournament will go head-to-head with Saint Rose, including Dowling who ended the Golden Knights season in the regional semifinal. The Golden Knights face the daunting task of traveling to Bentley, who claimed the league tournament title a year ago and received votes in the CSTV/AVCA Preseason Poll. However, Saint Rose plays host to NYIT, C.W. Post and conference foe Bryant who strung together a collective .608 (62-40) winning percentage in 2006.

Summation
With half of the 26-match schedule taking place in the friendly confines of Nolan Gymnasium, the Golden Knights will have to take care of business on the road to have another chance at a league title. Saint Rose owns a 35-3 record at home over the past three seasons, including an 11-0 mark in 2006. That said, you have to like the fact that the difficult non-conference slate is spread out nicely and the club has shown it can be consistent on the road. A second straight regular-season league title will likely come down to stability in the setting game and improved blocking and passing. The defense, which came up with the second highest dig total under Goodale’s tutelage last season, is strong yet again in 2007. The Golden Knights have enough weapons that opposing defenses will not be able to focus on Brink and that all-around team effort will likely propel Saint Rose to its third straight NCAA Tournament berth.