Volleyball

August 27, 2007

WATERBURY, Conn.-The Post University volleyball team opens the 2007 season on Wednesday evening with a non-conference match against Southern New Hampshire University. Head Coach Mike Brienza will be making his collegiate debut on Wednesday, after guiding Jonathan Law High School to 207 wins the past 12 years.

Last season, the Eagles qualified for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championships winning their last five matches and six of their last seven to end the regular season. Post finished the year with a 12-17 overall record and an 8-8 conference mark.

The 2007 season, will be different not only because of a new coach and new systems for the Eagles, but for the first time the conference will be going to a divisional format, with the addition of Chestnut Hill College to the Conference earlier this summer. The CACC will be split into two divisions North and South. Teams from each division will square off in home-and-home series, while crossing over to play team in the other division just once.

The Eagles were picked to finish second in the North Division behind Bloomfield, and ahead of Dominican, Nyack, Caldwell, and Felician. The top-four teams from each division qualify for the CACC Championships.

Junior Kerri Smith returns to the lineup this season, after leading the team in digs with 352 and finishing second on the team in kills with 280 a year ago. She appeared in all 99 games for the Eagles and enters the season 67 digs shy of 1,000 for her career and 55 kills shy of 700 for her career.

Senior Vicky Ducharme was fourth on the team in kills last season, and finished second in the CACC with 64 service aces. Like Smith, she is also closing in on the 1,000-dig plateau, as she enters the season needing 74 digs to reach that mark.

In addition, seniors Tricia D'Angelo and Desere Obregon return to the fold after going through injury plagued seasons last year. Both are healthy and will prove to be a lift in the lineup.

Also sophomore Nicole Gizzi appeared in all but one game last season, while recording 119 kills and 27 total blocks in her first collegiate season.

Junior Michelle Stotz finished second on the team in digs with 329, in just her first season of collegiate volleyball in 2006. She had 10 or more digs in 19 matches, including a career-high 27 against Molloy.

In addition, senior Telisha Moultrie, who finished her collegiate basketball eligibility last season, will begin her first season with the volleyball program this fall.

Last season, Southern New Hampshire was 13-12 overall and 7-7 in Northeast-10 play. Jamie Rood had 268 kills, and Brianna Doucet registered 405 digs to lead the team.

In addition to winning over 200 matches in 12 seasons at Jonathan Law, Brienza won over 400 matches at the club level. He was named Coach of the Year, by the Connecticut Post and New Haven Register, twice, most recently in 2003.

Following the opening match of the season, the Eagles will travel to UMass.-Lowell on Saturday, Sept. 1 for a tri-match with the host Riverhawks and Concordia College, before returning to the Drubner Center to face Queens College on Wednesday, Sept. 5.