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Volleyball |
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 Velott Named NJAC Player of the WeekVelott Named NJAC Player of the Week for Second Time Velott Earns Third NJAC Player of the Week Honor Velott, Warner, Hausman & Astarita Named NJAC All-Conference Velott & Warner Sweep NJAC Weekly Honors The 2009 Stockton volleyball team was young, talented and played like champions again. Stockton finished 27-12 and won its second consecutive NJAC title and third in the last four years. With no seniors on the roster, the Ospreys also went undefeated at home (13-0) for the second year in a row and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as the conference champions. Everyone on the team contributed to its success as head coach Allison Walker regularly used upwards of 10 players per match. Led by sophomore Christine Velott and freshman Stephanie Warner, the Ospreys garnered postseason accolades along with their victories. Velott and Warner were named to the NJAC All-Conference First Team. Sophomore Laura Hausman was selected to the NJAC Second Team and junior libero Christine Astarita received an NJAC Honorable Mention nod. During the season, Velott was chosen the NJAC Player of the Week a league-best four times while Warner collected NJAC Rookie of the Week honors once. Velott led the balanced Stockton team in kills and finished second in the NJAC in the same category. Warner paced the team and ranked second in the league in hitting percentage while also topping the Ospreys in aces. Hausman led Stockton in assists and was second in aces while splitting time at setter with Jackie Aldrich. Astarita led the team and finished second in the league in digs while Tabitha Nejman paced the Ospreys and ranked fourth in the NJAC in blocks.  The young Stockton team started the season slowly with a 1-2 record before winning five consecutive matches. Tough competition at the Salisbury Invitational resulted in three losses in a row but the Ospreys responded by ripping off nine straight victories, including five against NJAC opponents. A small setback of just three wins in the next eight matches was quickly erased as the Ospreys dropped just one set in posting another five-match winning streak.A defeat against Montclair State halted the run, as well as Stockton’s streak of 20 straight wins versus NJAC foes, but the Ospreys were undaunted. They promptly won their next four outings, culminating in the NJAC championship win over Montclair State that also avenged their loss 10 days earlier. The season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to 24th-ranked Haverford, but the future looks bright for a team that had no seniors in 2009 and has owned the NJAC with a 30-2 league record over the past four years.
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Send questions or comments to Sports Information Director at chris.rollman@stockton.edu or Director of Athletics & Recreation at lonnie.folks@stockton.edu |
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© Copyright 2010 The Richard Stockton College of NJ, PO Box 195, Pomona, NJ 08240 609-652-1776 |