Women's Volleyball

'Wick Volleyball Selected 6th in Poll

ROCHESTER, NY - Hartwick volleyball has been picked to finish sixth in the standings this year in the nine-team Empire 8 this year as the league announced its 2009 Coaches' Poll. Hartwick received 27 points, four points in front of seventh-place Elmira.

Nazareth, which finished 7-1 in the regular season last year before falling in the E8 finals to Stevens, has been chosen to win the title this year. Stevens was picked second, followed by St. John Fisher in third, RIT in fourth, and Ithaca in fifth.

Last season, the Hawks ended conference play with a 2-6 record to finish seventh in the standings. 'Wick was a few favorable bounces away from a .500 record, however, as they dropped two heartbreaking five-set matches to Elmira and RIT.

Head coach Lou Lansing, entering her 16th season at the helm this fall, is very optimistic for the 2009 campaign. Last season, she returned just two players from her 2007 squad that participated in the ECAC Tournament and won 18 matches. Despite the roster overhaul, the Hawks managed to win 12 matches.

This season, 'Wick is still a young team with just two upperclassmen, but four of six starters are back, including seniors Darcy Dolge and Cassie Dresser. Dolge, after serving as an outside hitter in her first two seasons, earned a spot as the team's starting setter, where she registered 728 assists, enough to score 9th on Hartwick's all-time single-season list. Dresser, also a forward with Hartwick's women's hoop team, brought athleticism and energy to the front line in her first year with the Hawks. She accumulated 125 kills, 73 digs, 51 blocks, and 39 aces and will be looked upon for added leadership and production in 2009.

A pair of sophomores make up the other two returning starters in Courtney Desmond and Lauren Mausert. Desmond distinguished herself as a blocker, middle attacker, and even setter in a year filled with adversity and big lineup changes in 2008. She registered a team-best 226 kills, and a team-high 106 blocks over the course of the season. Topping off her achievements at the end of the year, the 6-1 middle blocker received honorable mention from the Empire 8 coaches, becoming the only freshman recognized in the entire league. Mausert, despite being her first season in the Blue and White, played like a seasoned veteran a season ago. She will be one of Lansing's top defensive players after finishing third on the team last season in both digs (148) and blocks (55).

In addition to the four proficient returnees, Lansing has eight newcomers that will figure into the mix and fight for a starting spot.

This season's two conference weekends in which all conference matches will take place will be hosted by Hartwick College Sept. 25-27 and by Nazareth Oct. 23-25. The championship tournament featuring the top four teams in regular season play will be hosted by the top seed on Nov. 7. 2009

Empire 8 Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Nazareth (5 first-place votes) 65 pts.
2. Stevens (4) 59
3. St. John Fisher 45
4. RIT 43
5. Ithaca 42
6. Hartwick 27
7. Elmira 24
8. Utica 15
9. Alfred 8