Eastern Volleyball Falls in NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

     The Eastern Women’s Volleyball team progressed far in the NCAA Tournament. In the first three matches of the tournament, held between Friday, Nov. 11 and Sunday, Nov. 13, the Eagles played Farmingdale State College, Ramapo College and Stevens Institute of Technology. The team won each match with a score of 3-0, earning them a place in the Elite Eight.

     On Thursday, Nov. 17, the Eastern Eagles matched up against the University of Northwestern (Minn.) in Oshkosh, Wis. for the Quarterfinals. EU Volleyball soared in the second and fourth sets.

     Eastern’s Sarah Roberts had six kills and two blocks in the second set, helping her team win the set with a score of 25-23.

     Katie Stenby and Morgan Kline served while Alicia Weigel had three kills in the fourth set, resulting in a winning score of 25-23 for the set.

     During the fifth set, Stenby served her team to three points, and Michelle Paulsen earned four points for Eastern. Roberts had 15 kills and five blocks, while Morgan Shemonski “put a ball down to stop the run” from Northwestern. To top it off, Stephanie Elechko achieved her 587th kill of the season.

     The EU Volleyball team found themselves especially challenged by Northwestern player Lindsey Peterson, the AVCA Division III National Player of the Year. Both the Northwestern Eagles and the Eastern Eagles brought their best game, but unfortunately Eastern lost the tough match with an overall score of 2-3 (16-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 12-15). During the match, Rylie Haas had a total of 26 digs, Elechko 17 kills and 18 digs, Weigel nine kills and 10 digs, Paulsen eight kills and seven blocks and Kline 50 assists and 20 digs. Eastern had a total of 221 attacks.

     EU Volleyball has even more to celebrate this season: Haas, a four-time All-American, remains Eastern’s “career leader in digs,” and both Elechko and Weigel received All-America Recognition and reached 1,000 kills (achieved by Weigel during the Quarterfinals).

     Congratulations to the entire EU Women’s Volleyball team, especially to seniors Elechko, Haas and Weigel. Under the leadership of Head Coach Mark Birtwistle and Assistant Coaches Bridget Carey, Paul Douglas, Maria Horning and Marouane Jafir, these 11 women played a tremendous season.

     Source: goeasterneagles.com