2009 NCAA Division II Softball Tournament
 

November 6, 2001
PSAC Volleyball Championship Field Set;
Lock Haven Will Host 2001 Championship Matches

   
  (Lock Haven, Pa.) - The pairings for the 2001 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) women’s volleyball championships are set, and will be contested at Lock Haven University’s Thomas Field House on Friday-Saturday, November 9-10.  Host school Lock Haven (25-11, 8-2 PSAC West), the top seed from the Western Division, will play the Eastern Division’s second seed, Millersville (12-14, 7-3 PSAC East) in semifinal action on Friday at 7:30 p.m.  The earlier semifinal match will be between the East’s first seed East Stroudsburg University (18-9, 9-1 PSAC East) and the West’s second seed Edinboro University (17-12, 7-3 PSAC West) at 5 p.m.   The championship match will be played on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
                All four teams in the conference playoffs have tasted victory at least once, the Edinboro Fighting Scots leading the way with eight previous PSAC titles.  Edinboro’s most recent championship came in 1998.  East Stroudsburg has four conference crowns, capturing the first-ever tournament title in 1979 before stringing together three straight from 1985-87.  Two-time defending conference champion Lock Haven has three PSAC crowns overall.  Millersville has captured the title once, in 1995.

Below are capsules on each participating team:

East Stroudsburg University (#1 East Seed): The Warriors of East Stroudsburg make their 16th overall and second straight appearance in the PSAC tournament, and will look to recapture the conference crown last home to ESU in 1987.   Under the direction of second-year Head Coach John Wyatt Greenlee, the Warriors have built an 18-9 overall mark and earned the top seed in the Eastern Division by posting a 9-1 record.  ESU’s overall winning percentage of .667 is the best for the program since the 1996 season, when the Warriors went 32-2 (.941).
                Junior outside hitter April Mellot (Dover/Spring Grove), last year’s Eastern Division Player of the Year, leads the team and is among PSAC leaders in kills (336/3.82 per game) and digs (369/4.19 per game).  Sophomore setter Heidi Johnston (Mercersburg/James Buchanan) averages 10.34 assists per game, and has also added 262 digs over the course of the season.  Junior outside hitter Andrea Myers (Mount Wolf/Northeastern) leads the Warriors and is second in the PSAC with 52 service aces, and is also second on the team with 249 kills (3.11 per game).  Senior outside hitter Jessica Nourse (Hanover/Williamsburg) adds 233 kills (2.51 per game), 41 service aces, and 25 blocks.  East Stroudsburg blocking leader Sarah Brown (Pine Grove/Pine Grove), a sophomore middle hitter, has diverted opponent attacks on 59 occasions, including 27 solo stuffs.

 

Edinboro University (#2 West Seed): The Edinboro University Fighting Scots make their 14th consecutive playoff appearance, and have a conference-best eight titles overall. Guided by eighth-year Head Coach Lynn Theehs, the Fighting Scots have tallied a 17-12 overall mark and the second seed in the West with a 7-3 mark in divisional competition. 
                Edinboro benefits from a balanced attack, leading the conference in kills (15.49 per game), assists (14.42 per game) and digs (20.67 per game).  The Fighting Scots offense is led by a pair of sophomores, outside hitter Amy Medicus (Austintown, Ohio/Austintown Finch) and middle hitter Ashley Walton (Mt. Wolf/Northeastern).  Medicus is among PSAC leaders with 3.87 kills per game (402 total), and is also second on the team with 417 digs.  Walton, the 2000 PSAC West Rookie of the Year, reports a team-best hitting percentage of .356 with 362 kills (3.48 per game), and is also among conference leaders with 87 blocks (26 solos). 
                Rookie setter Renee Kam (Eden, N.Y./Eden) is the conference leader in assists per game with 13.43 for a season total of 1,397 assists.  Kam also leads the Fighting Scots with 40 service aces.  Junior outside hitter Stephanie Burner (Pittsburgh/Upper St. Clair) notches a PSAC-leading 4.74 digs per game (507 digs).

Lock Haven University (#1 West Seed):  The Lady Eagles of Lock Haven, the two-time defending PSAC champions, make their seventh consecutive tournament appearance.  LHU owns three titles overall – all coming within the previous five seasons.  Piloted by 11th-year Head Coach Tom Justice, Lock Haven has posted its seventh straight 20-plus wins season with a 25-11 overall mark and an 8-2 record in the PSAC West to secure the top seed in the division. 
                Senior outside hitters Kelli Crouch (Lancaster/Conestoga Valley) and Lauren Nuzum (Manchester/Northeastern) lead LHU in kills, with 458 (3.52 per game) and 428 (3.29 per game), respectively.  Crouch set a new Haven single-season digs record, pacing the Lady Eagles with 442 on the season.  Senior setter Shana Fessette (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown Central), last year’s PSAC Championship MVP, has recorded her best season yet with 1,567 assists (12.05 per game), and also adds 47 service aces. 
               Leading LHU blockers are sophomore middles Kara Warnke (Aurora, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit), with 132 (32 solos) and Beth Hackenberg (Maumee, Ohio/Springfield) with 109 (41 solos).  Warnke owns a .285 hitting percentage, a team-high, and also ranks among conference leaders.  Hackenberg paces the Lady Eagle team with 59 service aces.

               

Millersville University (#2 East Seed): The Millersville Marauders make their ninth PSAC tournament appearance in the last 10 seasons after a rare absence last year.  Led by fourth-year Head Coach Scott Pennewill, the ‘Ville has recorded a 12-14 overall mark and earned the number two seed in the Eastern Division with a 7-3 conference record.                  Millersville is led by senior right-side hitter Annie Beck (York/Dallastown), who is among PSAC leaders in kills (349/4.01 per game) and leads the team in digs (239/2.75 per game).  Beck, twice the PSAC East Player of the Week, has also contributed 28 service aces, 30 blocks, and owns a .228 hitting percentage.  Junior setter Beth Robinson (McSherrystown/Delone Catholic) paces the offense and is fourth in the PSAC with 11.52 assists per game (864 assists).  She is also the ‘Ville’s service ace leader with 44 on the season. 
                Other threats include a pair of rookie outside hitters in Becky Ressler (Lancaster/Manheim Township) and Katie Koenig (Lititz/Warwick).  Ressler has 214 kills, 33 service aces, and 183 digs.  Koenig leads the team in blocking with 59 total, and is tied for second-best on the team with Ressler with 214 kills.         

PSAC Volleyball
Tournament Schedule:

Friday, November 9 - Semifinals
(E1) East Stroudsburg vs. 
(W2) Edinboro - 5 p.m.

(W1) Lock Haven vs. 
(E2) Millersville - 7:30 p.m.

 Saturday, November 10 - Championship Match
Semifinal Winners – 5:30 p.m.

   
 

 

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