Game Notes

THE WEEK AHEAD
The Southern Connecticut State University volleyball team will continue its Northeast-10 Conference season this week as they travel to take on American International College on Tuesday, prior to hosting Southern New Hampshire on Friday, and taking on Franklin Pierce in Rindge, N.H. on Saturday.

THE BOTTOM LYON
Junior outside hitter Megan Lyons recorded a pair of double-doubles last week as the Owls split a pair of games to open their Northeast-10 Conference schedule.

EARLY SUCCESS
Sarah Beres continued her noteworthy freshman season as she recorded 12 kills and eight assists last week for SCSU.

OWLS NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Head Coach Lisa Barbaro announced that seniors Broghan Miller and Robin Priest, along with sophomore Kimberly Lachowicz will serve as captains for the 2010 season.

IN THE NORTHEAST-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls were picked ninth in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason poll. SCSU finished in eighth place in each of the past two seasons.

RETURNING PLAYERS
Six players return to the court in quest of continuing the Owls success. SCSU has won 50 matches over the last two seasons.

WELCOMING THE NEXT GENERATION
Joining the squad in 2010 are Danielle Dean, Lauren McVey, Clayon Wilson, Sarah Beres, Megan Hiss, Kaitlin Bonk, Jessica Susara, Clare Donnelly and Alexis Ellington.

ANOTHER BANNER YEAR IN 2009
The Owls improved on their overall win total for the sixth straight year under head coach Lisa Barbaro by virtue of a 26 win campaign in 2009, two more than the previous season. The Owls finished 9-6 in the Northeast-10, their best season since joining the conference in 2000.

20-20
For the second year in a row, the Owls amassed 20-plus wins. In 2008, Southern recorded its best record in 25 years with a 24-15 mark. The Owls concluded 2009 with a 26-10 mark.

FINISHING STRONG
The Owls concluded regular season play ranked within the top-five in four statistical categories amongst Northeast-10 opponents. They finished as one of the top defensive teams in the NE-10, allowing a conference best .123 opponent hitting percentage, finishing third in blocks with 2.05 per set and fourth in digs with 15.90 per game. Southern also finished fourth overall in service aces, averaging 2.13 per set.

IMPRESSIVE INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS
Not only did the Owls finish strong as a team in regular season play, they were equally impressive individually. Four members of the squad ranked within the top-10 in their respective categories. Leading the way was Jenna Tammel. She finished second overall in service aces with 65 and placed ninth in points with 3.55 per set. Sarah Houseknecht finished the regular season ranked third in blocks with 1.13 per game, Marcia Hollingsworth placed fifth in hitting percentage connecting on close to 30% of her attacks and Vanessa Sullivan finished ninth in digs with 440.

A GOOD START
Southern won 13 straight matches to begin the season 13-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference. In that span, the team amassed 492 kills with a .251 hitting percentage and had outscored their opponents 1,012 to 748. Of those 13 matches, eight were won by virtue of a 3-0 sweep.

POST-SEASON HONORS FOR THE OWLS
Senior Jenna Tammel collected a pair of post-season honors from the Northeast-10 Conference, as she was named Second-Team All-Conference and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. In addition, freshman Vanessa Sullivan was selected for the All-Rookie Team.

“SHOCK THE WORLD”
On Sept. 9, the Owls upset the preseason NE-10 favorite Bentley 3-2. Despite losing the first set 25-22, Southern rebounded to take the next two and eventually pull away in game five as they won 15-12. Jenna Tammel and Broghan Miller had 14 and 11 kills respectively and Kimberly Lachowicz led the offensive attack with a season-high 38 assists.

“SHOCK THE WORLD”, PART TWO
The Owls made sure that their debut in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament would be a memorable one, as they downed top-seeded New Haven in five games, 3-2. The Chargers had not lost to a league opponent since joining the conference in 2009. In the process, the Owls won their first-ever NE-10 Tournament match and reached the semifinals of the event.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS REWARDED
Seniors Jenna Tammel and Marcia Hollingsworth both earned multiple honors for their prowess in the classroom and on the court. Both earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America and were named to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic Team.

ON DECK
The Owls will return to action when they host Concordia College on Monday, October 4.