GNAC Volleyball Preview: No. 4 Anna Maria at No. 5 Emmanuel

PAXTON, Mass.—The Anna Maria College volleyball team have sealed a spot in their second-straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) postseason tournament, claiming the No. 5 seed with a 7-4 conference record. The AMCATS will travel to take on No. 4 Emmanuel on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

The winner of the match will advance to the GNAC semifinals on Thursday and will take on the winner of the of the No. 1 Rivier/No. 8 Mount Ida game.

BRACKETOLOGY

Tuesday, November 3 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: #8 Mount Ida at #1 Rivier - 7:00 PM
Game 2: #5 Anna Maria at #4 Emmanuel - 7:00 PM
Game 3: #6 Simmons at #3 Saint Joseph's Maine - 7:00 PM
Game 4: #7 Lasell at #2 Johnson & Wales - 7:00 PM 

Thursday, November 5 - Semifinals
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner

Saturday, November 7 - Championship
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner

LIVE COVERAGE

The Emmanuel College Sports Information department will provide live statistics and live video coverage for Tuesday's match.

MAKING HISTORY

The 2015 seeding marks the highest finish for the AMCATS in program history. Last season, Anna Maria squeaked into the tournament in the eighth-seed, but this year, the team notched a program-best seven GANC wins to seal the fifth place slot.

THE MATCHUP – NO. 5 ANNA MARIA AT NO. 4 EMMANUEL

Anna Maria travels to Boston on Tuesday for the league quarterfinal round. Earlier this season, the AMCATS suffered a 3-0 loss to Emmanuel on the Saint's home court. Emmanuel's Brittany Tutalo tallied 12 kills in a .588 hitting percentage in the win, while Sarah Schemerhorn recorded 10 digs.

The AMCATS will enter the quarterfinal with their sights set on a better hitting percentage, as the team tallied 21 kills while making 26 hitting errors for a negative efficiency. Sophomore Rebecaa Foti (Bedford, N.H.) finished with a team-best seven kills.

The Saints have been victorious in all five meetings with the AMCATS dating back to the 1999 season. The last four matches have been straight-set victories in conference play.

SCOUTING THE AMCATS

Anna Maria enters Tuesday's quarterfinal on a two-game winning streak following GNAC wins against Norwich and Mount Ida. As a team, the AMCATS are averaging 910.65 kills and 14.45 kills per set against conference opponents.

Freshman Amari King (Lawrence, Mass.) has been a welcome addition to the AMCATS' offense, as she leads the team in hitting with 2.49 kills per set (274 total) on a .175 hitting efficiency. She also adds 2.43 digs per set.

Foit chips in with 2.14 kills per set (227 total), followed by senior Jessica Goulet (Lawrence, Mass.) with 2.13 kills per set (238 total) on a team-leading .288 hitting percentage.

Goulet has been dominant at the net for Anna Maria in her senior season, totaling 42 solo blocks and 48 assisted blocks for a combined 90 blocks (0.80 blocks per set).

Senior setter Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass.) has been the team's workhorse, dishing out 882 assists on the season (7.88 per set). Earlier this season, Parker became the first player in program history to surpass the 2,000-assist threshold.

In the back row, freshman libero Carolina Garcia (Springfield, Mass.) leads the team with 3.77 digs per set (377 total). Parker has chipped in with 2.64 digs per set (296 total), followed by King's 267 digs.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS

The Saints finished the conference schedule with an 8-3 record to seal the fourth-seed. Emmanuel was on a five-match winning streak until last Saturday, when the team suffered a 3-0 loss to Rivier. As a team, the Saints average 10.22 kills and 15.89 digs per set against GNAC opposition.

Junior Cassie Chruscielski averages a team-leading 1.97 kills per set, but has been missing from action in the team's last few outings with a collarbone injury. Mary Shelow adds 1.89 kills per set and has a team-leading 149 kills.

Shannon Dudley has dished out 333 assists on a 7.74 assists-per-set average, but also suffered a mid-season injury and has appeared in just 13 matches.

The Saints backrow has been led by Sarah Schemerhorn and Casey Sheehan. Schermerhorn averages 2.63 digs per set and has 234 total digs, while Sheehan adds 2.94 digs per set for 241 total digs.

At the net, Brittany Tutalo has a team-leading 68 blocks.