Ravens face C.W. Post in first round of the ECAC Tournament

RINDGE, N.H. (November 14, 2005) – The Eastern College Athletic Conference announced this afternoon that third-seed Franklin Pierce will face second seeded C.W. Post in the 2005 ECAC Volleyball Tournament held at Philadelphia University this Sunday.

Third seeded Franklin Pierce (14-13) received its first ECAC Tournament berth since the 1993 season. The Ravens enter the ECAC tournament after claiming its first Northeast-10 Conference Tournament bid since joining the conference in 2000. The Ravens advanced to the semifinal match up, where the team dropped a 3-0 decision to top seeded Bentley College.

This season, the Franklin Pierce attack has been led by freshman middle-hitter Nicole Buchholz (Ashburn, Va./Stone Ridge) and junior Christina Collett (Tombstone, Ariz./Tombstone). Buchholz is registering 3.33 kills per game as well as 1.07 blocks per game. Buchholz is also hitting a team best .256 pct. Collett has contributed 2.70 kills per game, while also averaging one dig.

Senior captain Tara Vece (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) and classmate Jessica Ward (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) and have also been key contributors to Ravens success. Vece has tallied 528 digs this season, averaging 5.50 per game, while Ward is averaging 2.11 kills per game as well as 1.63 digs.

Freshmen Karissa Hookstadt (Camarillo, Calif./Camarillo) and Emily Schultz (Salem, Wis./Central Westosha) have also contributed heavily during their first season at the collegiate level. Hookstadt is averaging 8.62 assists per game, while Schultz is posting 1.71 kills per game.

C.W. Post has been led by senior outside-hitter Lauren Dunn (Bellmore, N.Y./Mepham) who is averaging 4.25 kills per game, while also chipping in with 1. 88 digs per game. Sophomore setter Aisha Sealy (Maraval, Port of Spain/St. Joseph) has also been solid for the Pioneers, contributing 12.10 assists per game.

The winner of the Franklin Pierce/C.W. Post match is scheduled to face the winner of top-seeded and Bridgeport (17-12) and fourth-seeded Philadelphia University (28-5) for the ECAC Tournament Championship at 4 p.m.

2005 ECAC Tournament
Sunday, November 20

Semifinals
Game 1 - 11 a.m.
#3 Franklin Pierce vs. #2 C.W. Post

Game 2 - 1:30 p.m.
#4 Philadelphia University vs. #1 Bridgeport

Finals - 4 p.m.
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2