The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Albertus Magnus
Head coach: Vanessa Rosario 2018 record: 1217 (39 GNAC) Outlook: The Falcons, picked to finish 12th in the GNAC, picked up wins against two of the teams ranked ahead of them. With no seniors on the 2018 roster, Albertus would love to prove some of the voters wrong by climbing up the GNAC standings.
Season opener: Friday at Elms
Bridgeport
Head coach: Gary Mullin
2018 record: 1413 (86 ECC) Players to watch: Emily Burford, SR, MB (led team with 237 kills); Amanda Keller, SO, MB (team leader with 82 blocks and .343 hitting percentage); Morgan Knight, SR, OH (226 kills) Outlook: Former high school teammates Keller and Knight are among six Colorado natives on the Bridgeport roster. They team with Burford to give the Purple Knights their top three hitters from a season ago.
Season opener: Sept. 9 vs. GoldeyBeacom
Fairfield
Head coach: Todd Kress
2018 record: 146 (117 MAAC) Players to watch: Manuela Nicolini, SR, S; Mayda Garcia, SR, OH (325 kills, 244 digs); Luci Albertson, JR, MB (176 kills, 78 blocks, .300 hitting percentage) Outlook: The return of Nicolini, the 2017 MAAC setter of the year who missed last season due to injury, and some experienced hitters led to the Stags finishing second in the MAAC preseason poll and picking up four firstplace votes.
Season opener: Friday vs. Temple at UMBC Invitational
New Haven
Head coach: Christa Cooper 2018 record: 266 (131 Northeast10)
Players to watch: Mallory Nowicki, SR, OH (356 kills, 59 blocks); Ruby Fera, SO, OH (Northeast10 Rookie of the Year last season, finished with 239 kills, 201 digs and 32 blocks); Camille Garden, JR, MB (258 kills, 128 blocks). Outlook: Four returning players with more than 200 kills a season ago gives Cooper a pretty good nucleus to build around in her first season at the helm of the program.
Season opener: Sept. 6 vs. Bemidji State at Ferris State Invitational
Quinnipiac
Head coach: Kyle Robinson 2018 record: 921 (711 MAAC) Players to watch: Maria Pansari, SR, S (1126 assists, 28 aces, 193 digs); Maggie Baker, SO, OH (177 kills); Kaleigh Oates, SR, MB (124 kills); Alejandra Rodriguez, SR, L (377 digs); Morgan Sherwin, JR, OH (352 kills) Outlook: Former Oklahoma assistant coach Kyle Robinson takes over a program that lost only one senior from the 2018 squad. Robinson is a fourtime Northeast Conference coach of the year during his time at LIU Brooklyn and the Bobcats were picked to finish fourth in the preseason MAAC poll, a sign that opposing coaches are impressed by Quinnipiac’s group of returnees.
Season opener: Friday vs. William & Mary at Morgan State Invitational
Sacred Heart
Head coach: Rob Machan
2018 record: 1710 (95 NEC) Players to watch: Sarah Ciszek, SO, S (2018 NEC Rookie of the Year and Setter of the Year, 932 aces, 254 digs, 166 kills); Gianna Scioletti, SR, MB (151 kills, 74 blocks); Emma Smallcomb, SO, S (394 digs, 115 assists in 2018); Liisel Nelis, SR, OH (second in NEC with 379 kills in 2018, had 257 digs); Makayla Dole, SR, OH (2nd team AllNEC pick in 2017 appeared in only two matches in injuryshortened 2018 season). Outlook: NEC preseason favorites feature the multifaceted Ciszek, who had the best hitting percentage among Pioneers with at least one kill per set while leading the team in assists and finishing third in digs. There are plenty of hitters to join Ciszek on the court for Sacred Heart.
Season opener: Friday at Georgetown
Southern Connecticut State
Head coach: Lisa Barbaro
2018 record: 2114 (104 Northeast10)
Players to watch: Jen Dawson, SR, OH (34 aces, 203 digs), Jillian Chambers, SR, OH (165 kills), Kirstin Colwell, JR, MB (130 kills), Anna Venard, SR, DS (329 digs); Tea Carter, SR, S (NE10 Elite 24 award winner for having highest GPA of competitors at conference tournament).
Outlook: The Owls lost 1,144 kills from last season’s NE10 championship team with the graduation of Alyssa Gage, Leanna Jadus and Gabriela Vazquez. The good news is plenty of players were worked into the rotation a season ago so that should help Southern Connecticut be a factor in the conference race once again. Season opener: Sept. 6 vs. Dominican
Wesleyan
Head coach: Ben Somera
2018 record: 206 (91 NESCAC) Players to watch: Nicole Hilton, SR, OH/MB (219 kills, .306 hitting percentage, 70 blocks); Stasie Litinsky, SR, OH (258 kills); Kaira MuraokaRobertson, SR, S/DS (770 assists, 227 digs); Phia Bellizzi, JR, DS (573 digs, 26 aces). Outlook: It has been 17 seasons since Wesleyan won at least 20 matches in three straight years. A decorated senior class will be looking to hit that milestone as well as secure a second straight NCAA appearance. Memories of a fiveset loss in 2018 Division III quarterfinals will provide motivation for the returning players. Season opener: Sept. 6 vs. Rhode Island College
Western Connecticut State
Head coach: Don Ferguson 2018 record: 1710 (53 Little East)
Players to watch: Nyilah Horton, JR, MB (39 blocks); Nicolina Chenard, JR, Utility (170 kills, 84 digs); Alyssa Dam, SR, OH; Ali Brochu, JR, OH (86 kills). Outlook: Graduation of top hitter Kamari King, blocker Mikayla Aubry and setter Jenna Skerritt leaves some holes to fill but enough returning players saw the court last season to give the Colonials a solid foundation to build around.
Season opener: Friday vs. Emmanuel
Yale
Head coach: Erin Appleman 2018 record: 195 (131 Ivy) Players to watch: Frances Arnautou, SR, S (871 assists, 22 aces, 220 digs, 67 blocks), Ellis DeJardin, SO, OH (231 kills, 208 digs), Samantha Bray, SO, MB (166 kills, .268 hitting percentage, 69 blocks), Kathryn Attar, JR, OH (171 kills, 194 digs)
Outlook: Yale has finished either first or second in the Ivy League standings in 14 of the last 15 seasons and this could be another championship contender with Arnautou, the 2018 Ivy League player of the year, back to set up a talented group of hitters. Season opener: Sept. 6 vs. Oklahoma at Bloomington, Ind.