CHESTERTOWN, MD
– Last season the Shorewomen recorded their first winning season since
1993 with a 16-12 record. With eight players back in the fold and a
group of six newcomers joining the team, the 2012 Washington College
volleyball team will seek to record a winning record in the Centennial
Conference for the first time since 1993 and reach the conference
tournament for the first time under fourth-year head coach Lacey Lister.
At middle hitter, senior Jenny Lee (Wilmington, DE/Mount Pleasant)
returns for her fourth and final season for the squad. Lee, who earned
all-conference honorable mention status in 2010 and 2011, led the team
with 75 service aces and 63 blocks, both career-highs. She was second
on the team in kills with 249 and also added 139 digs. Her 34 assists
also ranked second on the team. Joining her at the middle will be
junior Julia Erbe (Baltimore, MD/Pikesville), who returns to the team after a one-year hiatus and freshan Jess Daunoras (Shamong, NJ/Seneca). Erbe had 104 kills and 18 blocks as a freshman in 2010.
The Shorewomen have two returnees and two newcomers at outside hitter. Junior Emily Hoyle (Santa Rita, Guam/Guam) and moving from the middle is sophomore Sarah Beresik (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach).
Hoyle was fifth on the team with 105 kills and was third on the squad
in blocks with 36 last season. Beresik had 87 kills, while totaling 48
blocks, good for second on the Shorewomen last fall. Joining Hoyle
and Beresik at outside hitter are sophomore Andi Folker (Centreville, MD/Queen Anne's County) and freshman Kristin Lee (Dayton, MD/River Hill).
The setter position is anchored by junior Lauren White (Huntingtown, MD/Huntingtown).
White had another strong campaign as a sophomore as she had a
team-best 737 assists (7.68 assists per set) and also recorded 268 digs
and 40 service aces. She was second in digs and tied for second in
aces. She delivered the team's first triple-double since 2004 when she
had 12 kills, 27 assists and 12 digs versus Catholic on October 22, 2011. Also in the mix at setter is freshman Jesse Sengstacke (Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell).
The defensive specialist positions return four players from a year ago, seniors, Kaitlin Rowan (Damascus, MD/Damascus) and Rita Rivera (Plymouth Meeting, PA/Plymouth-Whitemarsh) and sophomores Kate Liccione (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park) and Cara Koontz (Howard County, MD/Marriotts Ridge).
Liccione had a team-best 332 digs last season, while Rivera added 181,
Rowan 114 and Koontz chipped in with 56 digs. Rivera tied for second
on the team in service aces with 40, while Liccione finished third on
the team in assists with 31. Joining the four returnees as a defensive
specialist is sophomore newcomer Lisa Anderson (Parkville, MD/Loch Raven).
On the sidelines, Lister will be joined by associate head coach Jamie Leventry and assistant coach Jen Potts,
who was a member of Shorewomen Volleyball for four seasons from
2008-11. The Shorewomen will begin the 2011 season against Messiah at
Gettysburg's Battlefield Classic at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 31st.
Later that day at 7:00 p.m., Washington will take on Gallaudet at the
classic. The Shorewomen open their home and Centennial slate on September 20th versus Bryn Mawr at 7:00 p.m.
In
addition to Messiah and Gallaudet, the Shorewomen will play
Rutgers-Camden, Mount St. Joseph, Marymount, DeSales, Elizabethtown,
Lancaster Bible, Ohio Christian, Catholic, Stevenson, Cedar Crest,
Goucher, Shenandoah, Wesley and St. Mary's (MD) in non-conference
action. Washington also has two opponents to be determined at
Muhlenberg's Buttermaker Classic on September 8 as they will determined by how Washington fares against DeSales and Elizabethtown on September 7.
In
conference play the Shorewomen will compete at Johns Hopkins,
Swarthmore, Muhlenberg, Franklin & Marshall and Haverford, while
playing host to Bryn Mawr, Gettysburg, Dickinson, Ursinus and McDaniel.
WC will play seven home matches, nine away contests and 12 at neutral
sites in 2012.
