2010 Women's Volleyball Championship Preview

The #1 seeded JWU Wildcats will take on #2 seeded Rivier College, Saturday Nov. 6th at 1:00pm at Johnson & Wales.

#1 Johnson & Wales University (23-12, GNAC 11-1) defeated eighth seeded St. Joseph’s of Maine in a 3-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the GNAC tournament on Tuesday evening. The Wildcats were led by the senior trio; Nicki Balchunas, who earned 11 kills and 12 digs while fellow senior Emma Anderson additionally added five kills to lift JWU past the Monks. Senior Catherine Bravo, who was twice named GNAC player of the week this season, tallied five kills, 14 set assists and eight digs for JWU.

Next for the Wildcats was taking on #5 seeded Emmanuel College in the semifinals of the GNAC tournament. Once Again, Bravo paced the Wildcats with a triple-double, with 10 kills, 15 set assists and 12 digs. The senior added three service aces and three blocks as well. Senior Nikki Balchunas added a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs while junior Audrey Warren had 11 kills and seven digs in the huge win for JWU.

#2 Rivier College (23-10, GNAC 11-1) cruised past the seventh seeded Lasell College in three straight sets in the quarterfinals of the GNAC tournament. The Raiders victory was a complete team effort and were led by senior middle hitter, Nicole Rodriguez, who scored a team high five aces, hit for a match high of .368 on offense with nine kills and only two errors on 19 attempts. Also playing well for Rivier was sophomore Kenna Finlayson, who earned a high of 16 kills and tallied seven digs on the match. Junior setter Lauren Saccoccio dished out 32 assists while also added 7 digs for the Raiders to secure their victory.

In Rivier’s semifinal game, the Raiders faced their GNAC rival, #3 seeded Emerson College, who managed to knock them out of the semi-finals in a battle last season. Finlayson played another tremendous game totaling 14 kills and 14 digs, while setter Saccoccio secured another 32 assists and seven digs. Middle Nicole Peacock earned 9 kills and four blocks, while fellow middle, Nicole Rodriguez helped out with nine kills.

Regular Season Face-Off

During the regular season, the Wildcats were able to defeat the Raiders 3-1. Once again the seniors from JWU led the way. Catherine Bravo notched a triple-double with 16 kills, 17 set assists and 10 digs and Nikki Balchunas recorded eight kills and 17 digs to lead JWU. Rivier sophomore Kenna Finalyson added a remarkable 21 kills and eight digs with assistance from teammates Nicole Peacock and Nicole Rodriguez who had 12 kills each.