Skyhawks look to punch their ticket to first-ever NE-10 Championship Round

Junior libero Erin Kelly, a NE-10 Second Team selection, has been a vital part to the Skyhawks defense which is ranked second in the NE-10 in digs per set.

EASTON, Mass. (November 10, 2011) – Second seeded Stonehill College, ranked fourth overall in the most recent NCAA Division II East Regional Rankings, has advanced to the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) semifinal round for the sixth time in program history and will play third-seeded Adelphi University, ranked fifth overall in the latest NCAA Division II East Regional Rankings, on Friday, November 11 at Merkert Gymnasium at 5 p.m. The Skyhawks, the highest remaining seed in the NE-10 Tournament, will also host match two of the NE-10 semifinals on Friday night between the College of Saint Rose and UMass Lowell at 7:30 p.m.

Admission for Friday's match is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for senior citizens and children and $1.00 for students. Thanks to a generous donation from the Spirit Committee, the first 100 Stonehill students will receive free admission with their Hill Cards.

Friday's semifinal winners will advance to the NE-10 Championship on Saturday in Merkert Gymnasium at 5 p.m.

Fans who are unable to attend the NE-10 Tournament semifinal round can view live stats of the match via Stonehill College's athletics website, www.stonehillskyhawks.com, or watch a video feed ($6.99) of the match via www.stonehillskyhawks.tv. Both semifinal round matches will have live stats and will also be broadcasted on www.stonehillskyhawks.tv.

Stonehill (27-5, 14-1 NE-10) advanced to the NE-10 semifinal round defeating seventh-seeded Southern Connecticut State, 3-1, in Merkert Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Maxey (Hutto, Texas/Hutto) led a quartet of Skyhawks in double-figures in kills with 14 to go along with 19 digs for her 17^th double-double this season. NE-10 Rookie of the Year Emily Iverson (Elmhurst, Ill./York) piloted the offense with a match-high 48 assists and 14 digs.

Stonehill, who is undefeated on the Merkert Gymnasium hardwood in its last 15-straight home matches including a 12-0 mark this season, has also tied the program record for most wins in a season which was set in 1996 (27-8).

The Skyhawks rank among the best in many categories in the NE-10 including first in hitting percentage (.221), tied for first in kills per set (12.72), second in assists per set (11.74), second in digs per set (16.46) and second in service aces per set (2.03). 

Adelphi (20-7, 12-3 NE-10) advanced to the NE-10 semifinal round with a 3-0 sweep over sixth-seeded Pace University on Tuesday. Junior outside hitter Chelsea Overholt (Centrevilla, Va./Flint Hill School) led the Panthers offense with 11 kills while junior middle blocker Samantha Rico (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Ward Melville) added nine kills and Kaitlyn DeStefano (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) and Emily Dorko (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) chipped in eight kills apiece.

The Panthers rank fourth in kills per set (12.28), eighth in hitting percentage (.175), fourth in assists per set (11.43), fourth in digs per set (15.47) and fifth in blocks per set (1.77) in the NE-10 Conference.

SKYHAWK STANDOUTS

NE-10 Rookie of the Year Emily Iverson has Stonehill ranked second in the NE-10 in assists per set at 11.74.

Iverson and Maxey were recently named to the NE-10 All-Conference First Team while junior libero Erin Kelly (Tinley, Park, Ill./Marist) was selected to the second team and sophomore right-side hitter Kirsten Arvidson (Andover, Mass./Andover) was selected to the third team.

Iverson, who was also named to the NE-10 All-Rookie Team, compiled 11 NE-10 weekly awards throughout the regular season including seven-straight Rookie of the Week awards from September 13 through October 18 and four Setter of the Week Awards en route to winning Rookie of the Year accolades, All-Conference First Team and All-Rookie Team honors.

Maxey, who collects her first All-Conference postseason honor, has led Stonehill all season offensively averaging 3.25 kills per set. Maxey currently ranks second in the NE-10 in total kills (354), third in kills per set, fifth in hitting percentage (.272) and ninth in digs per set (3.61). Maxey, an All-Rookie Team selection in 2010, has compiled 17 double-doubles this season, 21 matches with double-digit kills and 22 matches with 10 or more digs. Maxey also earned three NE-10 Player of the Week awards during the regular season.

#4 SAINT ROSE vs. #8 UMASS LOWELL

UMass Lowell advanced to the NE-10 semifinal round with a 3-1 upset over first-seeded New Haven earlier this week on Tuesday. Freshman outside hitter Ella Merrill (Bermuda Dunes, Calif./Palm Desert) and senior middle hitter Lea Freeman (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) – a NE-10 Third Team selection – spearheaded the victory for the River Hawks combining for 27 kills becoming just the second team to defeat the Chargers since they joined the NE-10 Conference in 2008, both postseason losses.

Saint Rose claimed a 3-1 victory over fifth-seeded American International College on Tuesday to advance to the NE-10 semifinal round. Senior outside hitter Aubrey Bobo (Oneida, N.Y./Oneida) led all players in kills with 15 total to guide the Golden Knights offensively while freshman libero Katy Daniels (South Hadley, Mass./Frontier Regional) added a match-high 27 digs in the win.

During the regular season, Stonehill posted a 3-0 record against the remaining teams in the NE-10 Tournament with a 3-1 triumph over the College of Saint Rose on October 11, a 3-0 sweep against Adelphi on October 21 and a 3-1 decision versus UMass Lowell on November 1.

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