LOUDONVILLE, NY - The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship begins tomorrow, November 17, 2001, at Siena College in Loudonville, NY.
The championship tournament begins Saturday at 2:00 p.m. when top-seeded St. Peter's College (21-5, 9-0 MAAC) takes on fourth-seed Manhattan College (13-16, 6-3 MAAC). Second-seed Fairfield University (17-10, 8-1 MAAC) opposes third-seeded host Siena College (17-10, 7-2 MAAC) at 4:00 pm. The championship game is scheduled for 1:00 pm on Sunday, November 18. The winner of the MAAC Championship will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship.
St. Peter's earned the top seed and the MAAC Regular Season crown this fall, completing the MAAC season a perfect 9-0. The Peahens have won 14 straight contests coming into this weekend's tournament. St. Peter's is led by senior Valentina Zaharieva (Varna Bulgaria). Zaharieva won MAAC Player of the Week honors four times this season. Zaharieva leads the MAAC in hitting percentage with .395 percent, kills average with 4.95 kills per game and in blocks with 1.07 blocks per game. Freshman Ludmila Kechina (Daugavpils, Latvia) earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors three times this season, racking up a .342 hitting percentage, 3.9 kills per game, 29 service aces and 2.286 digs per game on the season.
The Stags enter the tournament as the second seed with an 8-1 record in the MAAC. Fairfield's only conference loss came to St. Peter's, their first loss in 50 MAAC games. Senior Conny Paul (Wurzburg, Germany) leads the five time defending MAAC Champions into this weekend's tournament with 371 kills, hitting .345 percent, and averaging 2.06 digs per game. The two-time MAAC Player of the Week ranks second in the conference in blocks with 1.00 blocks per game.
Siena College enters the tournament as the third seed with an 7-2 record in the MAAC. Siena's only conference losses came to Fairfield and St. Peter's. The Saints are led by the duo of senior Sarah Watkins (Canastota, NY) and junior Jennifer Corkum (Newtown, CT). Watkins completed her regular season career with 243 kills, .280 hitting percentage, 9.74 assists per game, and 58 blocks. She received MAAC Player of the Week honors for the week of October 22, 2001. Corkum finishes the regular season hitting .234 on 307 kills for 3.1 kills per game. She also helped the Saints defense with 92 total blocks, including 25 solo blocks.
Manhattan is the fourth seed in the tournament with a 6-3 record in the MAAC. All of the Jaspers conference losses came to the other three teams in this year's MAAC Tournament. Junior Lauren Belcher (Huntington Beach, CA) hit .326 percent, with 113 kills against MAAC opponents this year.
Last year, Fairfield defeated Manhattan, 3-0 to capture its fifth consecutive MAAC Championship. The Stags defeated Siena, 3-0 in the semifinals, while Manhattan knocked off St. Peter's, 3-2. Fairfield's Joanne Saunders (Saratoga, CA) was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.