Volleyball

Recent Headlines

Bears Defeat Plattsburgh in SUNYAC Pool Play

10.23.09

CORTLAND, NY- For the second time this season, the women's volleyball team defeated Plattsburgh in SUNYAC Pool Play which was hosted by Cortland.

The Bears won 3-2 (27-29, 18-25, 25-11, 25-18, 16-14) in their second match of the day. Courtney Falconer had 44 assists to go along with 15 digs and six aces.  Erica Romaniello had 29 digs.  Hannah Lockwood had nine aces and eight kills.   Sam Strader had 11 kills and 10 digs.  Allison Pepe had 11 kills and four blocks and Aly Nerney had nine kills.

Potsdam lost the first match to Oneonta 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-13).  Romaniello had 13 digs, Pepe had eight kills, and Lockwood had 12 assists.

The Bears continue play tomorrow with a 10 am match against Cortland followed by a noon match with New Paltz

Strader Named to Union Interleague Challenge All-Tournament Team

10.12.09

SCHENECTADY, NY- For the second time this month, Sam Strader (Watertown/South Jefferson) has been named to an All-Tournament team this time at the Union Interleague Challenge held last weekend.

Strader had a total of 39 kills and 40 digs in the tournament. On Friday, the Bears lost to Union 3-1 and to Ithaca 3-0. On Saturday, Potsdam lost to Skidmore 3-0 and defeated Lasell 3-1.

Strader Named to Tufts Invitational All-Tournament Team

10.5.09

MEDFORD, MA- Sam Strader (Watertown/South Jefferson) was named to the All-Tournament team for her play at the Tufts Invitational which was held this past weekend.

Strader had a total of 17 digs and 18 kills in the tournament.  The Bears fell to Keene and MIT 3-0 on Friday and to Tufts and Wellesley 3-0 on Saturday.

The Bears will play cross-town rival Clarkon on Tuesday at 7 pm.

Women Win on Second Day of Victory Promotions Invitational

9.12.09

CANTON, NY- The women's volleyball team rebounded from yesterday's losses to sweep their matches at the Victory Promotions Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The team played on the St. Lawrence court.

The Bears defeated Morrisville 3-2 (24-26, 21-25, 25-14, 25-17, 15-5) and came back after being down 0-2.  Allison Pepe (Amsterdam/Amsterdam) had 15 kills and Sam Strader (Watertown/South Jefferson) had 13 kills in the victory. Erica Romaniello (Selden/Newfield) had 23 digs and Courtney Falconer (Bay Shore/Bay Shore) had 40 assists.

In the second match, the Bears defeated Hamilton 3-0 (25-7, 25-22, 25-18).  Strader had seven kills to go along with five aces.  Val Bova (Central Square/Paul V. Moore) had six kills to go along with four aces. Falconer picked up 23 assists and Romaniello had 10 digs.

Pepe was named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Bears record is now 3-6.  They will compete in the RIT Tournament next weekend (9/18 and 9/19) with Friday's matches starting at 4 pm.

 Link to Day 2 results:

http://armkreuz.potsdam.edu/sports/volley/NCI2009.html


Volleyball 2009 Outlook

9.2.09

POTSDAM, NY- Veteran volleyball coach Steve Pike, now entering his ninth year as the head coach at SUNY Potsdam, returns seven players from last year's 21-16 team as the Lady Bears open their 2009 season.The team made their first back-to-back SUNYAC playoff appearance last year for the first time since 1993. Last season the team also reached the ECAC finals for the first time ever and finished second.

Three starters return including senior mid hitter Aly Nerney (Niskayuna/Niskayuna), junior outside hitter Allison Pepe (Amsterdam/Amsterdam), and setter Courtney Falconer (Bay Shore/Bay Shore).

Falconer was named the SUNYAC Rookie of the Year for 2008.  She finished the season with 932 assists and averaged 8.25 per game.

Senior Lisa Weninger (Warman, SK/Warman) led the team in blocks with 66 and averaged 0.63 a game. Also returning is fellow senior Val Bova (Central Square/Paul V. Moore), junior Erica Romaniello (Selden/Newfield) and sophomore Sam Strader (Watertown/South Jefferson). Romaniello will take over the Libero postion while Strader will be looked upon to contribute offensively.

Freshmen Hannah Lockwood (Victor/Victor), Kayla Howard (Marcellus/Marcellus), Anne Fildes (Red Hook/Red Hook), Jillian Dye (Middletown/Minisink Valley), Samantha Willert (East Aurora/East Aurora) and sophomore Allison Metot (Bernhards Bay/Paul V. Moore) will also be looking to make contributions to the team this year. Lockwood won a state championship at Victor.  "Fildes, Willert, and Howard all come from good high school programs and they will be looked upon to help right away," Pike added. "Metot will be a key factor offensively as the season progresses."

The schedule this year is tough with matches against four teams that were in the top 25 last season at some point. Despite their youth, the team's goals haven't changed. "We want to maintain the tradition to make the SUNYAC playoffs and qualify for a postseason tournament," Pike said.

The Lady Bears open the 2009 season this Friday September 4 against Nazareth College at the Cortland Invitational.  The first game will be at 4 p.m. with a second game against Daemen College beginning at 6 p.m. Potsdam will play


Bears Take 2nd in ECAC Championship

(New York, NY)- The third seeded Bears volleyball team upset second seeded St. John Fisher College to advance to the championship match of the 2008 ECAC Tournament and take on top seeded NYU. Potsdam won 25-16, 18-25, 25-19, 25-19 advancing them to the finals for the first time in school history.

In the championship match, the Bears were denied by the Violets by the scores of 18-25, 18-25, 13-25. Pickering had 11 kills, Falconer had 25 assists, and Plummer had 12 digs. It was the first time Potsdam had played in an ECAC championship game.

The Lady Bears finish the season with a final record of 21-16.