Preview: No. 7 Anna Maria at No. 2 Rivier - GNAC Quarterfinals
OVERVIEW
The seventh-seeded Anna Maria College volleyball team will travel to No. 2 Rivier for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) quarterfinal on Tuesday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The AMCATS are in the midst of the program's best season ever. In the program's 24th season, the 2014 squad has set a new record for wins in a season (13) and has set a new program record for conference wins in a season with four.
The team has also qualified for postseason play for the first time in program history and earlier this season, Rebecca Foti (Bedford, Mass.) earned the program's first-ever GNAC Rookie of the Week honor.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The AMCATS and Raiders met once this season, on October 22nd at the Fuller Activities Center. The Raiders won the match by a score of 3-0 led by Dana Mott's 11 kills. Lauren Silverman added 10 kills for the Raiders, while Bethany Trevino recorded 11 digs. Game scores were 25-20, 25-14, and 25-18.
Anna Maria was paced by Foti with seven kills. Junior Brianna LaRegina (Troy, N.Y.) added six kills, while classmate Brittany Jackson (Larchmont, N.Y.) chipped in with 11 digs.
The AMCATS had a response for each Raider rally in the first set, as the Raiders never led by more than six points throughout the entire frame. Anna Maria fought off two game-point attempts on back-to-back attack errors by the Raiders before Donohue set down the set-winning point at 25-20.
In the third set, the Raiders took an early 10-4 lead until Jessica Goulet (Lawrence, Mass.) served six-straight points, including three service aces, to bring the AMCATS within one at 10-9. The two teams traded points and the Raiders would not lead by more than two points until Mott again rattled off a three-serve streak to open up a 17-14 gap on the way to the 25-18 win.
SCOUTING THE AMCATS
Anna Maria has four players with over 100 kills this season, led by Foti with 179. Classmate Telliah Bursie (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) trails with 176, while Goulet has 172 and senior Jacqueline Clinton (Walpole, Mass.) has totaled 154 kills. As a team, the AMCATS average 9.04 kills per set.
Setter Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass.) has dished out 616 assists in her junior year. Earlier this season, she became the first AMCAT in program history to reach the 1,000 career assists mark.
On the serve, the team averages 2.42 service aces per set, led by Foti and sophomore Demi Carrero (Mamaroneck, N.Y.), who both have a team-beading 39 service aces.
Defensively, Anna Maria is paced at the net by Bursie and Goulet, who have totaled 63 and 61 blocks, respectively. Goulet holds a slight edge in solo blocks with 33, while Bursie has tallied 31 solo blocks. Jackson, the team's libero, holds a team-best 357 digs. Clinton has added 288 digs, while Parker has 249.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
The 2013 GNAC Champions, the Raiders enter today's match as the No. 2 seed after Emmanuel sealed the top-slot with a 3-1 win against Rivier on October 11th.
The Raiders have lost just six times this season en route to a 25-6 overall record and a 10-1 record in GNAC play.
Offensively, the team is led by Dana Mott with 275 kills and a GNAC third-best 2.75 kills per set. Molly McCormack had added 273 kills this season, while Lauran Silverman and Jackie Pisecco had avved 229 and 171 kills, respectively.
Junior setter Emily O'Reilly had dished out 990 assists this season and averages 9.34 assists per set.
Defensively, the Raiders are paced by libero Bethany Trevino with 454 digs. McCormack has totaled 285 digs, while O'Reilly has added 216. At the net, the Raiders have received a team-best 79 blocks from Silberman. Mott has chipped in with 38, while Pisecco has added 26.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
The winner of Tuesday's GNAC quarterfinal will advance to the semifinals on Thursday and will take on the winner of the No. 6 Norwich/No. 3 Simmons match. The two semifinal winners will meet in the league's championship match on Saturday at the home of the highest remaining seed.
