CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The Gallaudet University
volleyball team won back-to-back matches on Saturday at DeSales
University to win the program's first-ever Eastern College Athletic
Conference (ECAC) championship. Second-seed Gallaudet (27-14) took
down top-seed and host DeSales (23-9) with a 3-1 victory in the
2009 ECAC Division III South Region Volleyball Championship match.
Senior outside hitter Justine Jeter
(Noblesville, Ind.) was named the Most Outstanding Player as she
tallied 50 kills and 30 digs in the two victories on Saturday for
Gallaudet. The Bison defeated third-seed Widener University
(22-16), earlier in the day, in the semifinal round with a 3-2 win.
GU was down 1-2 heading into the fourth set but rallied to win the
match; 25-19, 20-25, 27-29, 25-22, 15-9.
"It was a tough nine sets within four hours for us," said
Gallaudet coach Lynn Ray Boren, in his fifth
season at the helm. "I am very proud of this team and their
attitude that they wanted to come up here today and win our
first-ever ECAC title in our first appearance."
Gallaudet jumped out early on DeSales as the Bison staked itself
to a quick 2-0 lead and one set victory away from the championship.
The Bulldogs didn't lay down for the Bison as DeSales took the
third set 23-25. GU went back to work and dug deep in the fourth
set and pulled out the win; 27-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20. It was the
first home loss (11-1) this season for DeSales.
"We were glad to play Widener first in the semifinals before we
went up against DeSales in the championship match," said Boren.
"Both of those teams play a similar style so we were prepared."
Senior libero Shana Lehmann (Frederick, Md.) made
more history for the program on Saturday as she broke the Capital
Athletic Conference career digs mark of 3,021 held by York (Pa.)
College's Jill Crouse-Wolf (1996-99). Lehmann entered Saturday only
needing one dig to break the mark that she tied in the ECAC South
Region first round against Pittsburgh-Bradford. Lehmann broke the
record with her first of 41 digs against Widener. She added 30 digs
in the championship match to give her 3,092 for her career and set
the new CAC record. Lehmann also broke another 10-year record held
by Crouse-Wolf for digs per set with a 5.79 average which blows
away the old mark of 5.64. The two new CAC records give Gallaudet
the clean sweep in the CAC Record Book for Individual Career
Records as the Bison hold all 15 listed records. This is the last
season for the Bison in the CAC, one of the founding members, as
they will join the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) next
year.
The third senior for the Bison is outside hitter Amanda
Krieger (Carmel, Ind.) who ended her career with a solid
day where she knocked home 38 kills and made 37 digs to go with six
service aces. Sophomore setter Paige Johnson
(North Richland Hills, Texas) passed out 53 assists against Widener
and added 49 against DeSales for 102 on the day to go with 19 digs
and five service aces.
Jeter ends her career with 1,320 kills, 946 digs, 191 blocks and
167 service aces while Krieger caps her career with 1,112 kills,
1,117 digs and 239 service aces.
The 27 wins for Gallaudet are the most since 2006 when the Buff
and Blue won an even 30. For the seniors they accumulated a 99-54
record in the past four seasons. Lehmann, who sat out last year
after two matches due to injury, also played for GU in 2005 when
the Bison recorded a 23-12 record.
"What a good note for our three seniors to go out on," said
Boren. "The returning players next year will be pushed in the
offseason. It will be a challenge. I hope they learned from this
year's senior class about determination. The young players will
have to show the same dedication this senior class showed during
their careers here."
