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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – With the 2009 Ivy League season
now halfway gone, the Yale volleyball team (16-2, 6-1 Ivy) enters
the weekend in second place in the Ancient Eight, trailing unbeaten
Penn (16-4, 7-0 Ivy) by one match. That single-match deficit
won’t last long, however, as the Bulldogs begin this
weekend’s action with a trip to the Palestra in Philadelphia
for a showdown with the league-leading Quakers. Yale will then find
itself either in a first-place tie or in the disadvantageous
position of chasing Penn by two matches with six remaining on the
Ivy League slate as the squad wraps up the weekend at Princeton
(6-12, 4-3 Ivy) against the always dangerous Tigers.
Last Time Out
The Bulldogs extended their current winning streak to four matches
with home sweeps over Ivy League opponents Dartmouth and Harvard
this past weekend. Senior Alexis Crusey (3.00 kills/set, 3.50
digs/set) and freshman Kerry Clavadetscher (11.67 assists/set) both
earned Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll nods for their performances in
the pair of straight-set victories.
Road Dogs
The Bulldogs are 4-0 in true road contests this season, and 6-1 in
all matches away from the John J. Lee Amphitheater in 2009. Yale is
in the midst of a 10-match winning streak in Ivy League road
matches, having not lost on an Ancient Eight foe’s home court
since Nov. 10, 2007 at Princeton.
Try, Try Again
Penn has not taken both ends of the annual home-and-home series
with Yale since the 2003 season. The Bulldogs have not been
defeated twice in one season by an Ivy League opponent since
Princeton went undefeated in league play in 2007.
Scouting Penn (Oct. 30 – 7 p.m.)
The Ivy League-leading Penn Quakers are in the midst of a
four-match home stand. Penn is led by a slew of offensive weapons,
including 3.73 kills per set from senior Elizabeth Semmens.
Freshman Lauren Martin (3.45 kills per set) and senior Julia
Swanson (3.00 kills per set) both join Semmens in the league top 10
in kills. Megan Tryon runs the offense with an Ivy League-best
11.40 assists per set, and 2008 All-Ivy Second Team libero Madison
Wojciechowski is second in the Ancient Eight with 5.25 digs per
frame in her junior season.
Earlier This Season
Despite Yale breaking two Penn match-point opportunities in a
fourth-set rally that forced the deciding fifth set, it was the
Quakers who came out on top by set scores of 25-23, 19-25, 25-21,
25-27 and 15-13. The five-set match featured 25 ties and 11 lead
changes. Senior Cat Dailey led all players with 26 kills in the
contest. She also tallied 16 digs to record her sixth double-double
of the season. Dailey was one of five Bulldogs with double-figure
digs, led by junior libero Kelly Ozurovich with 17. Senior Alexis
Crusey had 13 digs in the match, while sophomore Laurel Casey and
freshman Kerry Clavadetscher each notched 11 digs. Penn was led by
21 kills from Lauren Martin. Julia Swanson (17 kills, 17 digs) and
Elizabeth Semmens (11 kills, 12 digs) both posted double-doubles
for the Quakers. Megan Tryon doled out a match-high 60 assists, and
libero Madison Wojciechowski led all players with 31 digs.
Scouting Princeton (Oct. 31 – 4 p.m.)
While the Bulldogs will enter the weekend focused on their
collision course with the unbeaten Quakers, Yale certainly cannot
afford to overlook a perennial Ivy League powerhouse in Princeton.
Though the Tigers are not in their customary position among the Ivy
League elite this season, the squad still boasts six experienced
players who saw action during the Tigers’ 14-0 Ivy League
season in 2007. Leading the way is senior Sheena Donohue, a
two-time All Ivy honoree, with a pair of team highs: 3.66 kills and
4.18 digs per set. Freshman Lydia Rudnick, the reigning Ivy League
Rookie of the Week, has made an impact in her first season with the
Tigers, contributing 3.33 kills per frame. Another freshman, Molly
Bagshaw, has distributed 9.57 assists per frame from the setter
position.
Earlier This Season
Senior Cat Dailey slammed a match-best 14 kills and freshman Kerry
Clavadetscher dished out 42 assists to lead the Bulldogs to a sweep
of Princeton on Oct. 9. The Bulldogs claimed the match by scores of
25-21, 25-22 and 25-21. Senior Alexis Crusey and sophomore Bridget
Hearst joined Dailey with double-figure kills, posting 10 and 11
finishers, respectively. Sheena Donohue had a team-high 12 kills
for Princeton. C.C. Lobben led the Tigers with 12 digs, and Molly
Bagshaw distributed 26 assists.
The Chase for the Crown
In the race for the 2009 Ivy League Title, Penn currently leads
the pack at 7-0. A Yale win against the Quakers on Friday night
ensures that both teams control their own destiny the rest of the
way to split the Ancient Eight Crown, while a Penn victory would
put the Quakers in the driver’s seat with a two-match lead in
the standings. Princeton is currently hanging tough at 4-3, while
the remainder of the league boasts records of .500 or lower. Brown
will play at Princeton on Friday and Penn on Saturday, and Cornell
and Columbia will trek to Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend.
On Crusey Control
One of the most dominant players in the Ivy League for the past
three seasons, senior outside hitter Alexis Crusey is currently
averaging 2.94 kills and 3.39 digs per frame, ranking at ninth in
the Ancient Eight in both categories. The three-time first team
All-Ivy honoree ranks fifth in Yale history with 1,192 kills and
ninth in digs with 1,120 entering this weekend. Prior to the Ivy
League season, Crusey grabbed All-Tournament Team honors at both
the Yale Invitational and the American Volleyball Classic and took
home Most Valuable Player laurels at the Yale Classic. Her
performance at the Yale Classic also merited Ivy League Player of
the Week honors.
The Wizard
Junior libero Kelly Ozurovich reached a milestone in the Oct. 2
sweep of Brown, as she tallied her 1,000th career dig. Ozurovich,
an All-Ivy honoree in both of her previous seasons at Yale,
currently leads the Ivy League and ranks 11th in all of Division I
with 5.47 digs per set this season. A two-time Ivy League Weekly
Honor Roll selection this season, Ozurovich currently sits at 10th
all-time in Yale history with 1,112 digs.
Cat Power
Senior outside hitter Cat Dailey, the reigning Ivy League Player
of the Year, has picked up where she left off in 2008, as she
currently leads the Ancient Eight in kills with 4.18 per set,
including a 4.21 kills per set average against Ivy League
competition. Dailey is also in the Ivy League top 10 in hitting
percentage (.291) and service aces (0.33 per set). She was named
Ivy League Player of the Week in the first week of action this
season after hitting at a sizzling .487 clip, notching 39 kills on
78 attempts with just one error (4.88 kills per set) en route to
being named the Most Valuable Player of the Yale Invitational.
The Ministry of Defense
As potent as the Yale offense has been thus far in 2009, the
Bulldogs’ defense has certainly done its part in guiding the
squad to its 16-2 record. Yale currently leads all Ivy League teams
in blocks (2.29 per set) and opponent hitting percentage (.130),
while rating second in digs with 18.24 per frame.
An Instant Impact
After playing an integral part in the Bulldogs’ 2-0 road
weekend at Cornell and Columbia on Oct. 16 and 17, Kerry
Clavadetscher was recognized by the Ivy League as its Rookie of the
Week. The freshman setter, who averaged 12.86 assists per set in
seven frames of action last weekend, has now earned the distinction
in two of the past three weeks. For the season, Clavadetscher has
been the second-most prolific setter in the Ivy League with an
average of 10.65 assists per frame. The Seattle, Wash. native has
also contributed 2.19 digs per set, 23 blocks, 22 kills and six
aces in 48 sets of action.
The Hits Kept on Coming
Sophomore Bridget Hearst turned in a remarkable performance in
Yale’s four-set win at Columbia on Oct. 17. Hearst tallied a
match-best 27 kills on 35 swings with just four errors for a
stellar .657 hitting percentage. Her 27 kills marked the most by a
Yale player since Shannon Farrell ’07 totaled 31 kills in
five sets against Cornell in the 2004 Ivy League Playoff. Hearst
was recognized for her performance as a member of the Ivy League
Weekly Honor Roll.
Homecoming Queen
Playing in her home state of New Jersey, senior Laurel Johnson hit
a commanding .424 (29-4-59) as the Bulldogs swept a trio of matches
on Sept. 18-19 to win the Seton Hall Invitational. The Cherry Hill,
N.J. native earned All-Tournament and Ivy League Player of the Week
honors on the back of averaging 3.22 kills per set and amassing a
tournament-best 1.22 blocks per set.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Yale’s straight-set win over Binghamton on Sept. 26 marked
the Bulldogs’ third victory this season against an opponent
that was selected to win its conference in the preseason
coaches’ poll. The Bearcats, representing the America East
Conference, join Fairfield from the Metro Atlantic Athletic
Conference and the Patriot League preseason favorite, American
University, on the Bulldogs’ hit list.
This Is Our House
Yale is 10-1 in home matches this season. The Bulldogs went 9-1 in
the Elm City last season, including a 6-1 home record against Ivy
League competition. Only Penn has defeated Yale at the John J. Lee
Amphitheater in each of the last two seasons.
Getting Back on Track
Including the sweep at Cornell on Oct. 16, Yale has won seven
straight matches following a loss. The Bulldogs were last defeated
in consecutive matches in September of 2008 at the Penn State
Classic against the eventual-National Champion Lady Lions and Saint
Louis, a team that finished last season ranked at No. 21 in the
nation. Yale’s last three wins following a defeat have been
3-0 sweeps.
Starting Strong
Yale’s 12-1 start to the 2009 campaign was the best in
program history. The 2005 Bulldogs, who previously owned the best
start in Yale history, started 11-1 en route to a 20-4 (11-3 Ivy)
finish. Yale’s 10-1 tally in non-conference contests this
season signifies the best non-league mark for a Yale squad since
2001, when the non-conference schedule was shortened in favor of a
14-match Ivy League slate.
High School Heroines
PrepVolleyball.com, the Internet’s first and only website
dedicated to covering club and high school volleyball on a national
level, selected the Yale Class of 2013 as a High Honorable Mention
in its annual rankings of the nation’s top recruiting
classes, as determined by a panel of over 100 collegiate coaches.
The Yale class of 2013 consists of Anya Cekauskas, Kerry
Clavadetscher, Julia Cortopassi and Haley Wessels. Two of the four
Ivy League recruiting classes to ever receive High Honorable
Mention status have been Yale squads. The Bulldogs’ Class of
2010 (current seniors Alexis Crusey, Laurel Johnson, Julia
Mailander and Lydia Mailander) also earned the distinction in
2006.
Trend Setters
Yale is the only Ivy League volleyball program to notch a win in
the NCAA Championships. The 2004 Bulldogs, the first Ancient Eight
squad to host an NCAA Championship match, knocked off Albany in
five sets to tally the first postseason win in conference history.
The 2008 Yale team then defeated Ohio in the University Park (Pa.)
Subregional to become the first Ivy League team to win an NCAA
Championship match away from its home court.
State Troopers
Including the sweeps of Fairfield, Central Connecticut State and
Quinnipiac this season, the Bulldogs are 96-29 all-time against
opponents from the state of Connecticut. Yale’s most frequent
opponent from the Nutmeg State has been the University of Hartford,
against which the Bulldogs are 21-3. The University of Connecticut
has had the most success against the Bulldogs among in-state rivals
with a 12-4 advantage in the series. Head Coach Erin Appleman is
11-2 versus the Constitution State, with both losses coming at the
hands of the Huskies.
Beaten By the Best
The Bulldogs’ record-setting 2008 season ended in the NCAA
Championship Second Round at the hands of No. 1 Penn State. The
match, which was held on the Lady Lions’ home court, was the
34th consecutive sweep for the eventual national champions, who
dropped only two sets all season en route to a 38-0 finish. In
total, five of Yale’s six losses in 2008 came at the hands of
teams that advanced to the NCAA Championship tournament.
On the Court and in the Classroom
The American Volleyball Coaches Association has announced that the
Bulldogs are among the recipients of the AVCA Team Academic Award.
The award has been presented annually since 1993 to collegiate and
high school volleyball teams that have displayed excellence in the
classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30
cumulative team grade-point average.
Dig, Set, Tweet!
The Yale volleyball team has a new home in cyberspace this season,
courtesy of Twitter, at http://www.twitter.com/YaleVolleyball.
The Bulldogs’ Twitter page will feature news, information and
live updates during most road matches.
2009 Schedule Notes
The 2009 schedule consists of 13 home matches and 12 road
matches…The Bulldogs’ non-conference slate includes
four opponents to whom they have never lost (Binghamton,
Quinnipiac, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech), and an opponent they have
never beaten (American)…Colorado and New Jersey Institute of
Technology are both first-time opponents for Yale…Under
Coach Appleman (2003-present), Yale has only played five of its
2009 non-conference opponents (Binghamton, Central Connecticut
State, Georgetown, Hofstra, Quinnipiac). The Bulldogs are a
combined 7-0 in those matches…Hofstra (Sept. 18) is the only
repeat opponent from the 2008 non-conference schedule…Yale
will only play two matches at the American Volleyball Classic
(American and Virginia Tech). The fourth team at the event, NJIT,
will challenge the Bulldogs the following weekend at the Seton Hall
Tournament… Last season, Yale and Brown played a
home-and-home series to open Ivy League play. This year, the series
is split as the first and last matches of the Ancient Eight
schedule…The Bulldogs will play three in-state opponents
(Central Connecticut State, Fairfield, Quinnipiac), the most Nutmeg
State foes they have challenged since 2005. Yale did not face any
Connecticut squads in 2007 or 2008.
Team Up to Fight Cancer
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the volleyball team has
combined efforts with the field hockey and women’s soccer
teams this October for the first-ever “Team Up to Fight
Cancer” initiative. The teams sold t-shirts and collected
donations at home athletic events throughout the weekend of Oct. 2
to benefit the Yale Cancer Center, with the net proceeds being
designated for breast cancer research.
Beach Blanket Broadcast
The Bulldogs relocated their morning practice on Friday, Aug. 28
from the familiar confines of the John J. Lee Amphitheater to
scenic Hammonasset Beach in Madison, Conn. The defending Ivy League
Champions hit the sand at Meig’s Point with the crew of the
Fox 61 Morning News as a part of the “Zip Trip”
segment, which highlights Connecticut-based attractions. Coach
Appleman and members of the Yale team fielded questions from anchor
Jeff Valin, while host Logan Byrnes took a few practice swings with
the team.
On the Road Again
The Bulldogs will be back on the road next weekend, as they trek
to Harvard and Dartmouth for a pair of Ivy League contests. The
Crimson host Yale on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., and the Bulldogs
will challenge Big Green on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. Both
contests are slated to feature live stats (courtesy of the home
teams) and will have live Twitter updates throughout at http://www.twitter.com/YaleVolleyball.
Information
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Penn
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Princeton
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Media Links
Penn
Live Stats
Penn
Streaming Video
Yale Volleyball on
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report filed by Drew M. Kingsley, Yale Sports Publicity
