GNAC Tournament Preview - No. 3 Anna Maria vs. No. 6 St. Joseph's

PAXTON, Mass.—The Anna Maria College volleyball team will host its first-ever home playoff match on Tuesday, as they secured the No. 3 seed in the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament in just their third playoff appearance in the history of the program.

QUARTERFINAL

The AMCATS will entertain the sixth-seeded Monks of Saint Joseph's College (Maine) at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 1^st at 7:00 p.m. The winner will advance to play the victor of the No. 2 JRivier/No. 7. Emmanuel game on Thursday in the semifinals.

LIVE COVERAGE

The Anna Maria College athletic department will provide LIVE VIDEO and LIVE STATISTICS coverage of the match.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

The AMCATS are in the midst of their best season yet, as they finished the regular season with a 20-10 overall record. It marks the first 20-win season in the history of AMCAT volleyball.

Anna Maria finished with a program-best 8-3 record in GNAC play to secure a home-round quarterfinal game for the first time in program history. It marks the third-straight season that Anna Maria has qualified for the GNAC tournament—last season they traveled to Emmanuel as the No. 5 seed, and in 2014 they finished in the No. 7 slot and traveled to Rivier. The AMCATS did not advance past the quarterfinal round in either season.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

The AMCATS have won their last seven matches, including crucial GNAC matches against Suffolk and the Monks. Their eight GNAC wins are the most-ever by an AMCAT volleyball team. They only suffered GNAC losses to No. 1 Johnson & Wales, No. 2 Rivier, and a close 3-2 loss to No. 7 Emmanuel on September 24^th.

The Monks recorded a 6-5 record in GNAC play and claimed the sixth-slot following a head-to-head loss with Lasell, allowing Lasell to secure the No. 5 seed with the same record. Saint Joseph's defeated Emmanuel 3-2 in their final regular-season game of the year and enters the quarterfinal game on a one-match winning streak. The Monks have won five out of their last eight matches, dating back to a non-conference 3-2 victory over Southern Maine on October 13^th.

SCOUTING THE AMCATS

Anna Maria has two of the best outside hitters in the league, as freshman Amari King (Lawrence, Mass.) and junior Rebecca Foti (Bedford, N.H.) hold the top two spots in total kills and kills per set, respectively. King has a league-leading 485 kills (4.66 per set), while Foti is right behind her with 428 total kills (4.12 per set).

Assisting on Foti and King's kills is freshman setter Tierney Clancy (Meriden, Conn.), who ranks third in the GNAC in assists per set (9.13.). She also third in the league in assists with 931. Clancy also leads the team in service aces with 59.

The AMCAT backcourt averages 13.44 digs per set, led by sophomore Carolina Garcia (Springfield, Mass.) with a team-best 451 (4.34 digs per set).

SCOUTING THE MONKS  

The Monks boast the best defense in the conference, as they average an impressive 19.83 digs per set in addition to 1.64 blocks per set. Libero Jenelle Thompson averages a league-leading 6.99 digs per set, while Shadia Gosselin and Victoria Huntley both average over three digs per set at 3.52 and 3.15, respectively.

Offensively, Huntley averages 2.67 kills per set, followed by Gosselin with 2.10. As a team, the Monks hit at .103. Sarah Dyer dishes out 7.57 assists per set, while Gosselin is the team's service ace leader with 40.

BRACKETOLOGY

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

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

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