2001 Corsair Women's Volleyball Season Preview
UMass Dartmouth heads into 2001 volleyball season with 5 of 6 starters from last year's 25-10 team(Dartmouth, MA) -- UMass Dartmouth volleyball coach Kristy Tripp heads into her second season with 5 starters from last year's 25-10 squad which produced the third highest number of victories in the 29-year history of the program.Leading the returning veterans will be senior middle hitter Carla Ferreira (Marion, MA), who earned All-Tournament honors at the 2001 season-opening Johnson and Wales Invitational last weekend. Ferreira was the Corsairs' leading hitter during last season, connecting on 335 kills in 849 attempts for a .238 percentage, tops on the team. Her 2.58 kills per game along with 84 solo blocks and 9 assists for 93 total, an average of .72 per game, also led the Corsairs. Also returning for another season will be junior setter Doris Nasrallah (Fall River, MA). In her first season with the Corsairs, Nasrallah saved some of her best volleyball for the Corsairs' 4-match sweep of the UMass Dartmouth Invitational Tournament where she was named to the All-Tournament team. With Ferreira and Nasrallah in place, Tripp will be counting heavily on the experience of three starters from last season, junior outside hitter Jen Hart (Westboro, MA), senior middle hitter Julie Calderone (Coventry, RI) and senior setter Allison Parker (Tewksbury, MA). Junior outside hitter Julie Zomar (Marlboro, MA), who saw some playing time last season will also be expected to step into a key role on this year's team. While the core of last year's team remains in place, the Corsairs must find a replacement for graduated senior Amy Wilson, a Second Team All-Little East Conference All-Star and last season's top server, Molly Dixon. "We lost some very talented players from last year but I think the strength of this year's team is our experience," said Tripp. "We lost two key players, but we have several players who played very important roles on our team back for another season. I am counting on them to provide the leadership for the new players this season." In her first season with the Corsairs, Tripp's team got off to a slow start, posting a 3-2 mark through the first three weeks of the season. But starting with a win over Endicott College in late September, the Corsairs put together an amazing streak of 17 victories in the Corsairs' next 19 matches on the way to a 25-10 overall record. During the month-long stretch, which included a pair of 7-game winning streaks, the Corsairs captured their own UMass Dartmouth Invitational Tournament. The Corsairs finished the 2000 season with a 5-2 record in the Little East Conference and a fourth seed in the LEC Tournament. UMass Dartmouth swept Rhode Island College in the LEC quarterfinal round before having its season ended with a loss to #1 seed Western Connecticut State University in the LEC semi-finals. "We are optimistic heading into the 2001 season, hoping to build on the hard work and success of last season," Tripp said. "We made some great progress last year and with many of the players back for this season, we hope we can continue to move forward." UMass Dartmouth opens Little East Conference competition on Sept. 14 and Sept. 15 at Rhode Island College. The Corsairs will face LEC rivals Eastern Connecticut, UMass Boston and the host team from Rhode Island College. A second round of LEC competition will take place on Saturday, October 20 at UMass Boston where the Corsairs will face the host Beacons plus Western Connecticut and Keene State. The LEC regular season standings will determine seedings for the LEC championships schedule for November 3-4. The LEC Tournament champion earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III volleyball tournament. Among the other highlights on the Corsairs' schedule for 2001 are appearances at the Rhode Island College Invitational (Sept. 28-29), and the Bridgewater State Invitational (Oct. 26-27). The Corsairs will host the annual UMass Dartmouth Invitational at the Tripp Athletic Center on Saturday, October 13. UMass Dartmouth Volleyball 2001 Schedule
Jim Mullins Administrative Assistant UMass Dartmouth Athletic Department 285 Old Westport Road Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300 Phone: (508) 910-6930 Fax: (508) 999-8867 Email: jmullins@umassd. |
Last Updated On: 9/1/06
