Bay Path Splits in Volleyball Action
10.25.2008
Author: Christa Parulis-Kaye, Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations, New England Collegiate Conference
HOLYOKE, Mass. The Wildcats of Bay Path concluded their 2008 season defeating Castleton and falling to Daniel Webster in NCAA Division III women’s Volleyball Action. The Wildcats hosted NECC rival Daniel Webster and former NAC opponent Castleton Stat College today at the Holyoke Community College Gymnasium in a tri-match format.
In game one, Bay Path took the Spartans of Castleton State to a lengthy five set match (3-2) ultimately defeating them 8-25, 25-18, 25-13, 21-25 and 15-9. In the second match, the Eagles of Daniel Webster easily shut-down the Spartans 3-0 (25-8, 25-3, 25-19). In the final match, a New England collegiate Conference game, Daniel Webster clinched the #1 seed for the 2008 NECC Women’s Volleyball Tournament defeating Bay Path 3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-10.)
The Wildcats’ freshman opposite Nadine Harkless (Westfield, Mass.) led all players with 22 kills smashing a .390 attack percentage. She chipped in nine digs, two assists, two service aces for a match-high 24 points. Fellow freshman middle hitter Meghan Golden (Wilbraham, Mass.) hit .231 with six kills. Defensively, freshman Libero Chelsie Bonilla (East Hartford, Conn.) added a season high 23 digs for the Wildcats. Sophomore Davi Chuong (Easthampton, Mass.) also notched double figures with 12 digs. Junior setter Stefany Bushey (Chicopee, Mass.) had 32 assists and eight digs.
The Spartans’ junior middle blocker Jamie Lemieux (Argyle, N.Y.) was the only in the match to notch a double-double with ten kills and 10 digs. She had a .308 hitting percentage and chipped in the match high five aces. Senior setter/outside hitter Gina Nassivera tallied her team high points with 19 totaling 10 assists, four kills and five digs
In the second bout of the day, the Eagles’ junior middle blocker Kristina Rieger (Concord, N.H.) swung her way to an amazing 17 kills for a .400 attack percentage. She also chipped in the game high 10 digs and added four aces. Fellow middle blocker and freshman Emily Travis (Somerset, Mass.) had nine kills. Freshman outside hitter SarahMaura Dwyer (Wayne, N.J.) hit .444 with five kills and four digs. Freshman setter Caitlyn DePierro (Billerica, Mass.) had 23 assist and seven digs.
Lemieux along with two other Spartans led with three kills, while she tallied her team-high six digs. Junior outside hitter Hillary Greenfield (Milford, N.H.) tallied a .400 attack percentage.
In the lone conference match-up of the day, the only double figures came on the Eagles’ team from DePierro with 16 assists. Rieger led all hitters with eight kills and chipped in six digs. Senior and freshman outside and opposite hitters’ Jessica Booth (Westminster, Mass.) and Liz Baldwin (Pawtucket, R.I.) both tallied a .400 attack percentage with a combined eight kills.
Bonilla led the way defensively again for the Wildcats grabbing a match high eight digs. Freshman middle hitter Kenaya King (New Haven, Conn.) led her team with six kills. King was also the only player on the day to block successfully in both matches.
Bay Path def. Castleton State 8-25,25-18,25-13,21-25,15-9
Castleton State (6-12) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Jamie Lemieux 10-5-0; Jennifer Hill 5-1-0; Gina Nassivera 4-15-0; Heather Spain 3-0-0; Hillary Greenfield 1-1-0; Lauren Thomas 0-2-0; Totals 23-24-0.0.
(Assists) - Gina Nassivera 10. (Dig leaders) - Jamie Lemieux 10; Heather Spain 7
Bay Path (4-13) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Nadine Harkless 22-2-0; Meghan Golden 6-0-0; Vanessa Chaplin 5-3-0; Kenaya King 5-4-1; Davi Chuong 3-6-0; Stefany Bushey 2-4-0; Chelsie Bonilla 0-1-0; Totals 43-20-1.0.
(Assists) - Stefany Bushey 32. (Dig leaders) - Chelsie Bonilla 23; Davi Chuong 12; Nadine Harkless 9; Stefany Bushey 8
Daniel Webster will have the bye as the #1 seed in tournament and will host the semi-finals and championship game on Saturday, October 1 beginning at 11:00 a.m. with the NECC title match at 3:00 p.m.
The Eagles finished regular season play 14-7 and 6-1 in the NECC. The Wildcats concluded their 2008 campaign with a 4-14 overall record and 1-6 in conference. The Spartans are 6-13 overall.
