Post by newburyvball on Apr 3, 2006 7:46:57 GMT -5
#8 RIVIER COLLEGE WINS 2006 NECVA CHAMPIONSHIP, 3-2, OVER #12 EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY
RAIDERS RECEIVE CONFERENCE’S AUTOMATIC BID TO MOLTEN FINAL 4
BEVERLY, MA…Senior middle hitter Andrew Chace (East Providence, RI), the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Conference Tournament, registered 31 kills and nine blocks, and hit .448, as Rivier College, ranked No. 8 in Division III, and the No. 2 seed in the event, guided the Raiders to a 3-2 (24-30, 30-20, 30-18, 24-30, 15-8) victory over #12 ranked Eastern Mennonite University, in the championship match of the 2006 NECVA Tournament, played at Endicott College’s Post Center. In the 12-year history of the NECVA Tournament, Rivier becomes the first New England Division representative to win the conference championship.
With its 22nd consecutive victory, Rivier (31-3) earns the conference’s automatic bid to the 2006 Molten Men's Division III Invitational Championship. The Molten Final Four will be held at Stevens Institute of Technology’s Canavan Arena on Friday-Saturday, April 7-8, in Hoboken, NJ. The win for Rivier was its second over EMU this season in five games. It was the Raiders’ second appearance in the finals, after finishing second in 2004.
Eastern Mennonite University, the eighth seed in the NECVA Tournament, wraps up its 2006 season with a 19-8 record. It was the Royals’ second runner-up finish in the NECVA Tournament, also doing so in 2003.
Four players finished in double figures in kills for Rivier, led by Chace, who had 31 kills (31-9-49), nine blocks (three solo), nine digs, and three aces. Senior setter Nhut Chau (Lawrence, MA) paced the offense with 69 assists as the Raiders’ hit .271 as a team (85-39-170), and he added 13 digs.
Junior outside hitter Zack Stedman (Riverside, RI) finished with 16 kills (16-8-36, .222), 15 digs, and three blocks. Senior outside hitter Mike Buccarelli (East Moriches, NY) collected 16 kills (16-9-37, .189) and 13 digs. Senior opposite Greg Stanton (Haverhill, MA) tallied 10 kills and four blocks.
In addition to Chace being named the tournament MVP, he was named to the All-Tournament Team, along with Buccarelli and Stanton. Rivier posted 13.5 team blocks.
EMU received a solid performance from All-Tournament team selection and sophomore Brandon Ratliff (Phoenix, AZ), who finished with 22 kills and a .347 hitting percentage for the Royals (22-5-49), adding seven blocks.
Senior middle blocker Ed Lunney (Wisconsin Dells, WI) rejected 14 blocks, to lead an EMU defense which tallied 18.5 total rejections. Sophomore outside hitter Ethan Fry (Guatemala City, Guatemala) had 10 kills (10-5-35, .143) and three blocks, and senior opposite Josh Kerr (Harleysville, PA) added nine kills, five blocks and a .308 attack percentage (9-1-26).
Aldo for the Royals, sophomore setter Ben Yoder (Ledarach, PA) dished 43 assists and had four blocks. Junior libero Ryan Detweiler) had 10 digs.
EMU took game one behind eight kills from Ratliff. EMU maintained a two-point, 21-19 lead, before winners by Ratliff made it 24-20. A combined block by Kerr/Lunney followed by a Ratliff backrow kill increased the EMU lead to 27-22, before back-to-back winners by Ratliff sealed the game, 30-24.
EMU took a 13-10 lead in game two after combined blocks by Ratliff/Lunney and Lunney/Yoder. But, after a Royals’ service error, Rivier took control with an 11-2 run. Three consecutive kills by Chace made it 16-14, as Rivier took the lead, and after a pair of EMU errors, a solo rejection by Chace had the match 19-15. An ace by Chace, Stedman kill, and back-to-back winners by senior middle hitter Kurt Monaco (Schenectady, NY) increased the advantage to 24-16. A Stanton/Chace block, followed by two EMU errors, made it a 10-point, 29-19 margin, before Chace finished it with a winner.
After Rivier jumped ahead early in game three, EMU pulled within 14-13 on a Kerr/Lunney block. Rivier extended its lead to 16-14, but a kill by Kerr and Fry/Lunney block made it 17-15, before Rivier began forcing the Royals into an errors. That allowed the Raiders to manufacture an 8-1 run and gain a 24-15 cushion, capped by a Chace solo rejection. The Royals had four attack errors during the spurt. Stedman added a kill for 27-17 before Monaco landed game point, 30-18.
EMU need game four to stay in the match, and were successful, showing the same defensive tenacity that helped the Royals stun top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in the NECVA Quarterfinals. Leading 16-13, a kill by Chace, Chace/Stedman block, and Stedman kill, evened the contest at 16-16. EMU stayed mistake free, and gained a 20-17 lead, and continued to hold a 21-19 edge on a Fry winner. Stedman’s kill made it 21-20, but that was as close as Rivier would get the remainder of the game. Three straight Rivier errors, followed by a Ratliff kill made it 25-20. Stanton cut the lead to 25-22 with a kill and block, but Ratliff added two winners for a 27-23 lead, as EMU scored six of the final eight points to take the game, 30-24, and force a fifth and decisive frame for the title.
However, there was no question from the start of game five who was going to take the NECVA title. Rivier exploded to a 7-0 lead, highlighted by three consecutive kills by Buccarelli, all while senior defensive specialist Javier Laureano (Haverhill, MA) was serving. A kill by Chace, followed by an EMU passing error and Chace solo rejection, made it 10-1, giving the Raiders a commanding advantage, as a sizeable crowd which made the trip from Nashua, NH, looked on. A kill and ace by Chace made it 12-2, Rivier. A kill and ace by Fry and a Ratliff kill made it 14-7, before a combined block by Stanton/Chace sealed the crown for the Raiders and set off a celebration by the seventh different school to win an NECVA championship in conference history.
RAIDERS RECEIVE CONFERENCE’S AUTOMATIC BID TO MOLTEN FINAL 4
BEVERLY, MA…Senior middle hitter Andrew Chace (East Providence, RI), the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Conference Tournament, registered 31 kills and nine blocks, and hit .448, as Rivier College, ranked No. 8 in Division III, and the No. 2 seed in the event, guided the Raiders to a 3-2 (24-30, 30-20, 30-18, 24-30, 15-8) victory over #12 ranked Eastern Mennonite University, in the championship match of the 2006 NECVA Tournament, played at Endicott College’s Post Center. In the 12-year history of the NECVA Tournament, Rivier becomes the first New England Division representative to win the conference championship.
With its 22nd consecutive victory, Rivier (31-3) earns the conference’s automatic bid to the 2006 Molten Men's Division III Invitational Championship. The Molten Final Four will be held at Stevens Institute of Technology’s Canavan Arena on Friday-Saturday, April 7-8, in Hoboken, NJ. The win for Rivier was its second over EMU this season in five games. It was the Raiders’ second appearance in the finals, after finishing second in 2004.
Eastern Mennonite University, the eighth seed in the NECVA Tournament, wraps up its 2006 season with a 19-8 record. It was the Royals’ second runner-up finish in the NECVA Tournament, also doing so in 2003.
Four players finished in double figures in kills for Rivier, led by Chace, who had 31 kills (31-9-49), nine blocks (three solo), nine digs, and three aces. Senior setter Nhut Chau (Lawrence, MA) paced the offense with 69 assists as the Raiders’ hit .271 as a team (85-39-170), and he added 13 digs.
Junior outside hitter Zack Stedman (Riverside, RI) finished with 16 kills (16-8-36, .222), 15 digs, and three blocks. Senior outside hitter Mike Buccarelli (East Moriches, NY) collected 16 kills (16-9-37, .189) and 13 digs. Senior opposite Greg Stanton (Haverhill, MA) tallied 10 kills and four blocks.
In addition to Chace being named the tournament MVP, he was named to the All-Tournament Team, along with Buccarelli and Stanton. Rivier posted 13.5 team blocks.
EMU received a solid performance from All-Tournament team selection and sophomore Brandon Ratliff (Phoenix, AZ), who finished with 22 kills and a .347 hitting percentage for the Royals (22-5-49), adding seven blocks.
Senior middle blocker Ed Lunney (Wisconsin Dells, WI) rejected 14 blocks, to lead an EMU defense which tallied 18.5 total rejections. Sophomore outside hitter Ethan Fry (Guatemala City, Guatemala) had 10 kills (10-5-35, .143) and three blocks, and senior opposite Josh Kerr (Harleysville, PA) added nine kills, five blocks and a .308 attack percentage (9-1-26).
Aldo for the Royals, sophomore setter Ben Yoder (Ledarach, PA) dished 43 assists and had four blocks. Junior libero Ryan Detweiler) had 10 digs.
EMU took game one behind eight kills from Ratliff. EMU maintained a two-point, 21-19 lead, before winners by Ratliff made it 24-20. A combined block by Kerr/Lunney followed by a Ratliff backrow kill increased the EMU lead to 27-22, before back-to-back winners by Ratliff sealed the game, 30-24.
EMU took a 13-10 lead in game two after combined blocks by Ratliff/Lunney and Lunney/Yoder. But, after a Royals’ service error, Rivier took control with an 11-2 run. Three consecutive kills by Chace made it 16-14, as Rivier took the lead, and after a pair of EMU errors, a solo rejection by Chace had the match 19-15. An ace by Chace, Stedman kill, and back-to-back winners by senior middle hitter Kurt Monaco (Schenectady, NY) increased the advantage to 24-16. A Stanton/Chace block, followed by two EMU errors, made it a 10-point, 29-19 margin, before Chace finished it with a winner.
After Rivier jumped ahead early in game three, EMU pulled within 14-13 on a Kerr/Lunney block. Rivier extended its lead to 16-14, but a kill by Kerr and Fry/Lunney block made it 17-15, before Rivier began forcing the Royals into an errors. That allowed the Raiders to manufacture an 8-1 run and gain a 24-15 cushion, capped by a Chace solo rejection. The Royals had four attack errors during the spurt. Stedman added a kill for 27-17 before Monaco landed game point, 30-18.
EMU need game four to stay in the match, and were successful, showing the same defensive tenacity that helped the Royals stun top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in the NECVA Quarterfinals. Leading 16-13, a kill by Chace, Chace/Stedman block, and Stedman kill, evened the contest at 16-16. EMU stayed mistake free, and gained a 20-17 lead, and continued to hold a 21-19 edge on a Fry winner. Stedman’s kill made it 21-20, but that was as close as Rivier would get the remainder of the game. Three straight Rivier errors, followed by a Ratliff kill made it 25-20. Stanton cut the lead to 25-22 with a kill and block, but Ratliff added two winners for a 27-23 lead, as EMU scored six of the final eight points to take the game, 30-24, and force a fifth and decisive frame for the title.
However, there was no question from the start of game five who was going to take the NECVA title. Rivier exploded to a 7-0 lead, highlighted by three consecutive kills by Buccarelli, all while senior defensive specialist Javier Laureano (Haverhill, MA) was serving. A kill by Chace, followed by an EMU passing error and Chace solo rejection, made it 10-1, giving the Raiders a commanding advantage, as a sizeable crowd which made the trip from Nashua, NH, looked on. A kill and ace by Chace made it 12-2, Rivier. A kill and ace by Fry and a Ratliff kill made it 14-7, before a combined block by Stanton/Chace sealed the crown for the Raiders and set off a celebration by the seventh different school to win an NECVA championship in conference history.