FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-059-07-08
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Kelly Downs Selected College Division Academic All-American of the Year in Volleyball; First Elizabethtown Athlete to Earn Prestigious Honor

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College senior middle hitter Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) has been named the 2007 ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-American of the Year in volleyball, as voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and released Wednesday.

Downs is the first Elizabethtown student-athlete to earn the prestigious Academic All-American of the Year honor, which goes to the highest vote-getter among candidates for the Academic All-America team. She is also the first Blue Jay to be named first-team Academic All-America since Mandi (Ewing) Romig '01 was selected to the women's at-large team in 2001 and the ninth overall.

A second-team Academic All-American in 2006, Downs joins Duane Snavely '85 (men's soccer), Gary Yeager '95 (baseball) and Megan Halladay '04 (women's soccer) as two-time Academic All-America selections.

Downs was an honorable mention All-America selection by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), a member of the AVCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region team and the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year as well as a first-team Academic All-District selection.

She finished the season with a school-record 511 kills and led the conference in kills, hitting percentage (.378) and blocks (181). A four-time All-Conference selection, she finished her career as Elizabethtown's all-time leader with 1,532 kills and 585 blocks.

Downs reached double figures in kills in 31 of 39 matches this season and hit better than .500 in a total of 11 matches as the Blue Jays (32-7 overall) won the first conference championship in program history and qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 1986.

Off the court, Downs has a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average as an occupational therapy major with a minor in human services. She has been named to the Dean's List every semester, is a Presidential Scholarship recipient and is a member of the Pi Theta Epsilon occupational therapy honor society.

Downs is treasurer of Best Buddies, a student-directed learning community that mentors local residents with intellectual disabilities, and organized a Halloween dance for Special Olympics members. She is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

To be nominated for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be of at least sophomore academic standing with a 3.2 or higher cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or significant reserve. College Division classification includes all non-NCAA Division I colleges and universities.

2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team
College Division Volleyball
First Team
Kelly Downs, Sr., Elizabethtown College
Mallory Clements, Sr., Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Mandy Gerolstein, Sr., University of South Carolina-Aiken
Amanda Morris, Sr., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jori Simmons, Sr., Carthage College
Melissa DeLuca, Sr., Wingate University
Second Team
Amy Anderson, Sr., Bethel University
Carrie Buchanan, Sr., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Emily Bell, Sr., Wittenberg University
Rachel Chizmadia, Sr., Widener University
Katie Becofsky, Sr., SUNY-New Paltz
Becky Rohrbaugh, Sr., Widener University
Stephanie Wilson, Sr., University of Southern Indiana
Third Team
Laura Winkler, Sr., Kalamazoo College
Kristi Fiorillo, Sr., Clarion University
Margeaux Sinibaldi, Sr., University of Tampa
Jessie Hampson, Sr., Capital University
Paula Harry, Sr., Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Academic All-American of the Year: Kelly Downs, Etown

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-053-07-08
Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Kelly Downs, Stacey Wasserman Earn All-Region Honors in Volleyball

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College senior middle hitter Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) and senior setter Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) have been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All Mid-Atlantic Region team.

In addition, Downs and Wasserman were named honorable mention All-America after leading the Blue Jays to a 32-7 overall record and the first conference championship in program history. They are the first players to earn All-Region or All-America honors in program history.

Downs, the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year, finished the season with a school-record 511 kills and led the conference in kills, hitting percentage (.378) and blocks (181). She finished her career as Elizabethtown's career leader with 1,532 kills and 585 blocks.

Wasserman, a second-team All-Conference selection, broke the school single-season record with 1,386 assists (10.58 per game) and led the Blue Jays with 483 digs and 69 service aces. She is the school career leader in assists (4,576) while ranking second with 1,455 digs and fourth with 274 aces.

Elizabethtown qualified for the NCAA Division III championships for the first time since 1986 and earned its first-ever tournament win with a 3-0 victory over Neumann College in first-round action. The Blue Jays' 32 wins were the most since winning 33 matches in 1988.

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Friday, November 9, 2007

Haverford Sweeps Elizabethtown 3-0 in NCAA Second-Round Match

Click here for the box score

View match pictures here

HAVERFORD, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament with a 3-0 loss to host Haverford College on Friday evening, by scores of 33-31, 31-29 and 30-25.

The Fords (31-2 overall) will play defending champion Juniata College on Saturday night for the right to advance to next weekend's NCAA quarterfinals at Illinois Wesleyan University.

The Blue Jays (32-7 overall) saw their season come to a end, but not before claiming the first conference championship and winning the first NCAA tournament game in program history.

Sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) led the Blue Jays with 14 kills and 20 digs while senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) added 12 kills and six blocks and senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) posted 37 assists and 20 digs.

Laura Nuyen led Haverford with 15 kills and 23 digs, with Rebecca Salvo adding 13 kills and 10 digs and Emily Hinchcliff dishing 49 assists to go with 12 digs.

Game one was a see-saw affair that saw the Fords stave off three game points and rally for a 33-31 victory. Tanner led the Blue Jays with six kills while Downs and senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) added four apiece and Wasserman led with 16 assists and eight digs.

In the second game, Haverford scored the final two points to break a 29-29 tie and come away with a 31-29 win. Downs led the Blue Jays with five kills in game two, with Wasserman adding 13 assists. Senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) and Tanner shared the team lead with four digs in the game.

In game three, the Blue Jays trailed 27-25 but the Fords tallied the final three points of the match on a kill by Nuyen and two Blue Jay hitting errors. Tanner had team highs of four kills and 10 digs in the game, with Wasserman recording eight assists and nine digs.

Downs finished her illustrious four-year career as the Blue Jays' career leader with 1,532 kills and 585 blocks, while Wasserman will graduate as the program leader with 4,576 assists while ranking third with 1,435 digs.

In addition, Whitmarsh ranks second with 1,331 kills and Kassis closes her career in seventh place with 1,046 digs.

Haverford 3, Elizabethtown 0
(33-31, 31-29, 30-25)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Paige Tanner, 14
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 37
Digs: Stacey Wasserman and Paige Tanner, 20
Aces: Kayla Deats and Stacey Wasserman, 1
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 6

Haverford leaders:
Kills: Laura Nuyen, 15
Assists: Emily Hinchcliff, 49
Digs: Laura Nuyen, 23
Aces: Kelsey Cantwell, 4
Blocks: Rachel Salvo and K'Lynn Solt, 4

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, November 8, 2007

Elizabethtown Defeats Neumann 3-0 in NCAA Division III Tournament Opener

Click here for the box score

View match pictures here

HAVERFORD, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team opened play in the NCAA Division III playoffs with a 3-0 win over Neumann College in regional action at Haverford College on Thursday evening. Game scores were 30-20, 30-24 and 30-27.

The Blue Jays (32-6 overall) won their 12th consecutive match overall and advanced to Friday's regional semifinal at 7:00 p.m. against Haverford, which defeated DeSales University 3-0 late Thursday night.

Senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) led Elizabethtown with 13 kills, while sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) added 11 kills and 11 digs as the Blue Jays earned the first NCAA tournament win in program history.

Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) finished with eight kills and seven blocks, in the process setting the Elizabethtown career record for blocks with 579, and senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 36 assists and posted a team-high 12 digs.

In game one, the Blue Jays won 30-20 as Downs led with four kills and four blocks. Wasserman recorded 11 assists while senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) and first-year student Amanda Ritchey (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) posted three digs apiece.

Game two saw the Blue Jays jump to a 23-13 lead before the Knights rallied to within 26-24. However, Neumann (23-11 overall) committed three hitting errors and a ball handling error to give Elizabethtown the final four points and a 30-24 victory.

Whitmarsh and Tanner led Elizabehtown in game two with five kills each, while Wasserman distributed 12 assists and added seven digs. Tanner added six digs and Ritchey five for the Blue Jays.

In game three, the Blue Jays rallied from an early deficit to take a 23-18 lead. The Knights pulled within 23-22, 26-25 and 28-27, but a kill by senior Jenna Schirmer (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) and an ace by sophomore Kayla Deats (Middlebury Center, PA/Wellsboro) clinched the 30-27 win.

Whitmarsh posted five kills in the third game, with Wasserman finishing with 13 assists and four digs.

Ashley Mathis led Neumann in the match with 14 kills while Kristen Verone added 30 assists and nine digs. Meghan Wilson finished with a match-high 17 digs for the Knights, and Julia Tarloski tallied five service aces to go with eight kills.

Elizabethtown 3, Neumann 0
(30-20, 30-24, 30-27)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Ashley Whitmarsh, 13
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 36
Digs: Stacey Wasserman, 12
Aces: Kayla Deats, 2
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 7

Neumann leaders:
Kills: Ashley Mathis, 14
Assists: Kristen Verone, 30
Digs: Meghan Wilson, 17
Aces: Julia Tarloski, 5
Blocks: Julia Tarloski, 2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-047-07-08
Thursday, November 8, 2007

Kelly Downs Named Academic All-District in Volleyball

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College senior middle hitter Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team in volleyball, as voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and released Thursday.

Downs, a second-team Academic All-American in 2006, is a repeat selection to the District 2 College Division first team and carries a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average as an occupational therapy major with a minor in human services.

Downs became the first Elizabethtown player to earn Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year honors after leading the league in kills per game (3.81), blocks per game (1.30) and hitting percentage (.388) and has set a single-season program record with 491 kills.

She has reached double figures in kills in 30 of 37 matches this season and hit better than .500 in a total of 11 matches as the Blue Jays (31-6 overall) won the first conference championship in program history and qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 1986.

A four-time All-Conference selection, she is the program's career leader with 1,512 kills and is tied for the school record of 572 blocks originally set by Nancy (Dunmyer) Brady '91 from 1987 to 1990.

Off the court, Downs has been named to the Dean's List every semester, is a Presidential Scholarship recipient and is a member of the Pi Theta Epsilon occupational therapy honor society.

Downs is treasurer of Best Buddies, a student-directed learning community that mentors local residents with intellectual disabilities, and organized a Halloween dance for Special Olympics members. She is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

CoSIDA District 2's College Division consists of all non-NCAA Division I colleges and universities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-044-07-08
Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Elizabethtown to Battle Neumann in NCAA Tournament Opener on Thursday

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- For the first time since 1986, the Elizabethtown College volleyball team will compete in the NCAA Division III tournament when the Blue Jays play Neumann College in first-round action on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at Haverford College.

The Blue Jays (31-6 overall) claimed their first-ever Commonwealth Conference championship with a 3-0 victory over Lebanon Valley College on Saturday, while the Knights (23-10 overall) are making their first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament after defeating 10-time defending Pennsylvania Athletic Conference champion Eastern University 3-1 in the PAC final on Saturday.

The winner of Thursday's match will advance to second-round play on Friday at 7:00 p.m. against the winner of the match between DeSales University and host Haverford.

Also competing in the eight-team regional are defending national champion Juniata College, Philadelphia Biblical University, Salisbury University and Christopher Newport University. The winner of Saturday's regional championship match will advance to the NCAA quarterfinals at Illinois Wesleyan University on Nov. 15.

Admission is $7 for general admission, $5 for students (including college students with a valid identification) and senior citizens, $4 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children under 3.

While the teams have not met since 2005, there is a familiarity between the programs. Neumann has participated in the Blue Jay Classic in each of the last three years, and the Knights are coached by former Blue Jay setter Deana (Maguire) Jespersen '96, who ranks seventh in both career assists (1,684) and aces (173) at Elizabethtown.

The Blue Jays are led by the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year in senior middle hitter Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion), who leads the conference with a school single-season record 491 kills (3.81 per game), 168 blocks (1.30 per game) and a .388 hitting percentage. She is Elizabethtown's career leader in kills (1,512) and is tied for the program career record in blocks (572) with Nancy (Dunmyer) Brady '91.

Senior setter Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills), the Commonwealth Conference tournament Most Valuable Player, has set a single-season program record with 1,313 assists, and also leads the Blue Jays with 68 aces and 451 digs. She also holds the Elizabethtown career record for assists (4,503) while ranking third in digs (1,423) and fourth in aces (273).

Senior outside hitter Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy), who joined Downs as a first-team All-Conference selection, has added 378 kills (3.12 per game) and 224 digs this season. She ranks second to Downs in career kills at Elizabethtown with 1,309, and ranks 12th with 833 career digs.

Joining Downs up front is sophomore Kayla Deats (Middlebury Center, PA/Wellsboro), who has 212 kills and 106 blocks, while sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) was named second-team All-Conference as she posted 344 kills and 450 digs from her outside hitter position. Off the bench, senior Jenna Schirmer (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) has posted 147 kills and 34 blocks at outside hitter.

Senior libero Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) has recorded 438 digs this season (4.02 per game) to increase her career total to 1,028, good for seventh on the Blue Jay career list.

In the back, first-year students Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) and Amanda Ritchey (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) have been key parts of the Blue Jay defense, with Gold posting 422 digs (3.46 per game) and Ritchey adding 232 (2.76 per game) off the bench.

Neumann is led by junior Rachael Sokolovich, who has recorded a team-high 362 kills along with 255 digs this season. First-year student Ashley Mathis (338 kills) and junior Julia Tarloski (300 kills, 99 blocks) also pace the Knight attack.

Junior Kristen Verone has handled setter duties for Neumann, and has 1,060 assists and a team-high 57 aces along with 296 digs, while junior Meghan Wilson has posted 533 digs to lead the squad.

NCAA D-III Mid-Atlantic Volleyball Tournament Schedule

Thursday, November 8 (First Round matches)

(Match 1) #8 Philadelphia Biblical vs. #1 Juniata - 1:00 p.m.
(Match 2) #5 Salisbury vs. #4 Christopher Newport - 3:30 p.m.
(Match 3) #6 Neumann vs. #3 Elizabethtown - 6:00 p.m.
(Match 4) #7 DeSales vs. #2 Haverford - 8:30 p.m.

Friday, November 9 (Regional Semifinal matches)

(Match 5) Winner of match 1 vs. Winner of match 2 - 4:30 p.m.
(Match 6) Winner of match 3 vs. Winner of match 4 - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 10 (Regional Championship match)

(Match 7) Winner of match 5 vs. Winner of match 6 - 7:00 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-043-07-08
Sunday, November 4, 2007

Elizabethtown Volleyball, Women's Soccer Teams Earn NCAA Division III Tournament Berths

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball and women's soccer have been selected to compete in the NCAA Division III playoffs, which begin this week.

The volleyball team (31-6 overall) will compete in regional action at Haverford College, and will face Neumann College in their opening-round match at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8.

Elizabethtown earned an automatic bid after winning the Commonwealth Conference postseason championship. It is the Blue Jays' first NCAA bid since 1986 and the second in program history.

The women's soccer team (17-3-1 overall) will face Union College on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 1:30 p.m. in a first-round match at William Smith College.

The Blue Jays received an at-large bid after advancing to the Commonwealth Conference finals. The Blue Jays will be making their second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament and the sixth overall in program history.

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, November 3, 2007

Elizabethtown Claims First-Ever Conference Championship with 3-0 Win over Lebanon Valley

Click here for the box score

View match pictures here

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Top-seeded Elizabethtown College won the Commonwealth Conference volleyball championship with a 3-0 win over Lebanon Valley College at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon, by scores of 30-16, 30-20 and 30-17.

Stacey Wasserman accepts tourney MVP honors

Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) finished with 14 kills and seven blocks and tournament Most Valuable Player Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 37 assists and added nine digs and seven blocks as the Blue Jays (31-6 overall) won their 11th consecutive match and earned the program's first-ever conference championship.

Elizabethtown also earned an automatic bid to next week's NCAA Division III playoffs, marking their first trip to the national tournament since their only other appearance in 1986. A site and time for their opening match will be announced on Monday.

Etown celebrates the final point

Senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) also reached double figures in kills for the Blue Jays with 10, while sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) finished with a team-high 15 digs.

Senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) added 13 digs for the Blue Jays and first-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) chipped in with 12 digs for Elizabethtown, which held the Flying Dutchmen (22-9 overall) to a .079 hitting percentage for the match.

Joelle Snyder led Lebanon Valley with nine kills, and Jill Miller posted a match-high 19 digs for the Dutchmen, who were making their second appearance in the title match in the last three years.

Elizabethtown 3, Lebanon Valley 0
(30-16, 30-20, 30-17)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 14
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 37
Digs: Paige Tanner, 15
Aces: Allie Gold, 3
Blocks: Stacey Wasserman and Kelly Downs, 7

Lebanon Valley leaders:
Kills: Joelle Snyder, 9
Assists: Emily Perkins, 17
Digs: Jill Miller, 19
Aces: Brandi Roth, 1
Blocks: Joelle Snyder, 2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-040-07-08
Thursday, November 1, 2007

Three Elizabethtown College Teams to Play for Commonwealth Conference Championships

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Three Elizabethtown College teams will compete for Commonwealth Conference championships on Saturday, as men's soccer and women's soccer will play at Messiah College and volleyball will host Lebanon Valley College.

Men's soccer (14-5-0 overall) will play at Messiah at 1:00 p.m. in search of their second consecutive Commonwealth title. The Blue Jays, who are making their fifth straight appearance in the championship match, defeated Lycoming College 3-0 in semifinal action on Wednesday.

Volleyball (30-6 overall) hosts Lebanon Valley at 2:00 p.m. looking for its first-ever conference championship in its fourth trip to the finals. The Blue Jays defeated Widener University 3-0 in the semifinals on Wednesday night to advance to the championship for the second straight year.

Women's soccer (17-2-1 overall) plays at Messiah at 6:00 p.m. in a rematch of last year's title match, which the Blue Jays won by a 1-0 score. Elizabethtown earned its sixth trip to the league finals with a 3-1 win over Widener in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Admission to all conference postseason events is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors and $2.00 for students while children under age 6 are admitted free. Each winner of Saturday's events is guaranteed a berth in next week's NCAA Division III playoffs.

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Elizabethtown Moves to Commonwealth Conference Finals With 3-0 Win over Widener

Click here for the box score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- For the second straight year, the Elizabethtown College volleyball team advanced to the Commonwealth Conference finals after defeating Widener University 3-0 (30-18, 30-25, 30-17) in semifinal action at Thompson Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

The Blue Jays (30-6 overall), who reached the 30-win plateau for the first time since 1988, will host Lebanon Valley College in Saturday's championship match after the Dutchmen outlasted Messiah College 3-2 in Wednesday's other semifinal match.

Sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) led the Blue Jays with nine kills and 14 digs, while seniors Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) and Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) along with sophomore Kayla Deats (Middlebury Center, PA/Wellsboro) had seven kills apiece.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) finished with 25 assists and 14 digs while senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) also posted 14 kills for Elizabethtown. Wasserman also recorded five of the Blue Jays' eight service aces while Downs led the squad with four blocks.

Widener (14-17 overall) was led by Kim Brady, who finished with nine kills, while Devan Green and Danielle Wetling had six kills apiece. Becky Rohrbaugh handed out a team-high 24 assists, and Julieanne Gryn posted a team-high 16 digs.

Elizabethtown 3, Widener 0
(30-18, 30-25, 30-17)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Paige Tanner, 9
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 25
Digs: Paige Tanner, Stacey Wasserman and Kayla Kassis, 14
Aces: Stacey Wasserman, 5
Blocks: Kayla Deats, 2

Widener leaders:
Kills: Kim Brady, 9
Assists: Becky Rohrbaugh, 24
Digs: Julieanne Gryn, 16
Aces: Julieanne Gryn, 1
Blocks: Devan Green, 3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-038-07-08
Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Four Elizabethtown Volleyball Players Named All-Conference; Kelly Downs Selected Player of the Year, Randall Kreider Named Coach of the Year

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Four members of the Elizabethtown College volleyball team have been named All-Commonwealth Conference as voted upon by the league's six head coaches and released Wednesday.

Seniors Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) and Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) were first-team selections while senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) and sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) were second-team choices.

In addition, Downs was recognized as Player of the Year while Randall Kreider was honored for the second straight season as Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Jays to a 29-6 regular-season record and the top seed in the conference tournament.

Downs, a four-time All-Conference selection and the first Elizabethtown player to earn Player of the Year honors, leads the Commonwealth Conference in kills per game (3.82), blocks per game (1.28) and hitting percentage (.391) and has set a single-season program record with 470 kills. She has reached double figures in kills in 29 of 35 matches this season and hit better than .500 in a total of 11 matches.

She is the program's career leader with 1,491 kills and ranks second with 561 blocks, just 11 shy of tying the program record of 572 blocks set by Nancy (Dunmyer) Brady '91 set from 1987 to 1990.

Whitmarsh, a second-team All-Conference selection in 2004 and 2006, is second on the team with 361 kills and entered the playoffs with 1,292 kills, four shy of second place on the school career list.

This season, Whitmarsh ranks ninth in the Commonwealth Conference in hitting percentage (.227) and is sixth in kills per game (3.14). She has recorded 10 or more kills in 19 matches this season and reached double figures in digs seven times.

Wasserman ranks second in the conference in assists per game (10.51) and service aces per game (0.52) while ranking ninth in digs per game (3.60). She has distributed 50 or more assists seven times this year and posted 20 or more digs six times.

She has dished out 1,251 assists to set a school single-season record, and her 4,441 career assists are also a school record while her 1,400 career digs rank third all-time.

Tanner is 10th in the Commonwealth Conference in kills per game (2.77) and ninth in digs per game (3.57). She has hit double figures in kills 19 times this year and recorded 10 or more digs in 21 of 35 matches.

Kreider, who has a career record of 129-62 in six seasons as head coach, has led the Blue Jays to a winning record in each of the last five years including four straight conference playoff berths. The Blue Jays' 29 wins this season are the most for an Etown team since winning 33 matches in 1988.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-036-07-08
Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Elizabethtown to Host Widener in Commonwealth Conference Volleyball Semifinal Match

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- After winning the first regular-season conference title in program history, the Elizabethtown College volleyball team begins pursuit of its first-ever conference postseason championship as the Blue Jays host Widener University in a Commonwealth Conference semifinal match on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Thompson Gymnasium.

The Blue Jays (29-6 overall, 5-0 Commonwealth) carry a season-best nine-match winning streak into Wednesday's match against the Pride (16-18 overall, 2-3 Commonwealth), who are the fourth seed in the four-team tournament.

Admission to the match is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors and $2.00 for students while children under age 6 are admitted free.

Elizabethtown owns a pair of 3-0 wins over Widener during the regular season, winning on the road in a conference match on Sept. 18 behind 17 kills from senior Ashley Whitmarsh and capturing a home-court victory at the Blue Jay Classic on Sept. 22 as senior Kelly Downs recorded a team-high 11 kills.

The Blue Jays, who were ranked third in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the latest NCAA Division III regional rankings, are seeking their first 30-win season since compiling a 33-13 record in 1988.

Leading the Blue Jay attack is Downs, who leads the Commonwealth Conference in kills per game (3.82), blocks per game (1.28) and hitting percentage (.391) and has set a single-season program record with 470 kills.

She is the program's career leader with 1,491 kills and ranks second with 561 blocks, just 11 shy of tying the program record of 572 blocks set by Nancy (Dunmyer) Brady '91 set from 1987 to 1990.

Whitmarsh has added 361 kills to increase her career total to 1,292, leaving her four shy of passing Liz (Bishard) Zeigler '98 for second on the school career list behind Downs.

Senior Stacey Wasserman has dished out 1,251 assists to set a school single-season record, and her 4,441 career assists are also a school record while her 1,400 career digs rank third behind Emily Morris '04 (1,895) and Bishard (1,440).

Widener is led by Kim Brady, who has a team-best 385 kills while hitting .243 to also lead the squad. Devan Green has added 313 kills while Becky Rohrbaugh has dished out 1,163 assists.

Defensively, the Pride are led by Julieanne Gryn who has 588 digs while Rachel Chizmadia has added 369 digs.

The winner of Wednesday's match will battle the winner of Wednesday's other semifinal contest between third-seeded Messiah College and second-seeded Lebanon Valley College on Saturday for the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, October 27, 2007

Elizabethtown Finishes 4-0 at Messiah Invitational

Box score vs. Moravian
Box score vs. Susquehanna

View match pictures here

GRANTHAM, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team wrapped up its regular season with two wins at the Messiah College Invitational on Saturday, defeating Moravian College 3-1 (30-22, 30-27, 23-30, 30-27) and Susquehanna University 3-1 (30-24, 30-24, 23-30, 30-26) to enter the postseason with a 29-6 record.

Against Moravian (17-12 overall), the Blue Jays were paced by 19 kills and seven blocks from senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion), while sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) added 13 kills and 20 digs and senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) posted 13 kills.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 49 assists and recorded a team-high 22 digs, and senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) posted 19 digs for the Blue Jays.

Against Susquehanna (11-25 overall), Whitmarsh led the Blue Jays with 19 kills while Downs added 17 kills and five blocks and Tanner chipped in with 11 kills and eight digs.

Wasserman handed out 51 assists and recorded 21 digs for Elizabethtown, and first-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) led with 27 digs while first-year student Amanda Ritchey (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) recorded four aces and 11 digs.

Kassis added eight digs against Susquehanna to increase her career total to 1,001, making her the ninth player in program history to surpass 1,000 career digs.

Downs was named to the All-Tournament Team after recording 63 kills and 14 blocks in 15 games during the tournament, helping Elizabethtown to a perfect 4-0 record.

Elizabethtown 3, Moravian 1
(30-22, 30-27, 23-30, 30-27)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 19
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 49
Digs: Stacey Wasserman, 22
Aces: Kayla Deats and Kelly Downs, 2
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 7

Elizabethtown 3, Susquehanna 1
(30-24, 30-24, 23-30, 30-26)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Ashley Whitmarsh, 19
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 51
Digs: Allie Gold, 27
Aces: Amanda Ritchey, 4
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 5

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Friday, October 26, 2007

Elizabethtown Earns Two Wins at Messiah Invitational

Box score vs. Goucher
Box score vs. SUNY-Cortland

View match pictures here

GRANTHAM, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team extended its winning streak to seven matches with a pair of victories at the Messiah College Invitational on Friday evening, defeating Goucher College 3-0 (30-17, 30-24, 30-20) and SUNY Cortland 3-1 (30-26, 23-30, 30-27, 30-27).

In the win over Goucher (17-13 overall), the Blue Jays were led by nine kills from senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lions) and seven kills from sophomore Kayla Deats (Middlebury Center, PA/Wellsboro).

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 24 assists and added 12 digs, while senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) posted 12 digs.

In the win over SUNY Cortland (28-9 overall), the Blue Jays (27-6 overall) placed five players in double figures in kills, led by Downs with 18, 15 by sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro), 12 by Deats and 10 apiece from seniors Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) and Jenna Schirmer (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin).

Wasserman added 57 assists and 11 digs for Elizabethtown, while Tanner posted a team-high 23 digs and Kassis added 21 digs to increase her career total to 974. First-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) added 18 digs for the Blue Jays while Deats posted a team-high four blocks.

Elizabethtown 3, Goucher 0
(30-17, 30-24, 30-20)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 9
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 24
Digs: Kayla Kassis and Stacey Wasserman, 12
Aces: Allie Gold, Kathy Perry, Kayla Deats and Paige Tanner, 1
Blocks: Stacey Wasserman, 2

Elizabethtown 3, SUNY Cortland 1
(30-26, 23-30, 30-27, 30-27)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 18
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 57
Digs: Paige Tanner, 23
Aces: Kayla Deats and Kelly Downs, 3
Blocks: Kayla Deats, 4

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Elizabethtown Finishes Perfect Conference Schedule With 3-0 Win at Lycoming

Click here for the box score

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team finished off a sweep of its Commonwealth Conference schedule with a 3-0 win at Lycoming College on Wednesday night, by scores of 30-17, 30-21 and 30-20.

The Blue Jays (25-6 overall, 5-0 Commonwealth) are the top seed in the conference playoffs and will host Widener University next Wednesday night in semifinal action, with Lebanon Valley College hosting Messiah College in the other semifinal. The winners of Wednesday's matches will meet on Nov. 3 for the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

In the win over Lycoming (5-25 overall, 0-5 Commonwealth), the Blue Jays were led by 12 kills from senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion), while sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) added 10 kills and a team-high nine digs.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 28 assists for Elizabethtown and added seven digs, while senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) posted eight digs.

Elizabethtown 3, Lycoming 0
(30-17, 30-21, 30-20)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 12
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 28
Digs: Paige Tanner, 9
Aces: Allie Gold, 2
Blocks: Kayla Deats, 2

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Friday, October 19, 2007

Elizabethtown Sweeps DeSales and Philadelphia Biblical in Final Regular-Season Home Matches

Box score vs. Philadelphia Biblical
Box score vs. DeSales

View match pictures here

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team posted a pair of victories in non-conference action on Friday night at Thompson Gymnasium to improve to 24-6 on the season.

The Blue Jays, ranked third in the Mid-Atlantic region in this week's NCAA Division III regional rankings, downed Philadelphia Biblical University 3-0 (30-20, 30-26, 30-28) in their opening match and blanked DeSales University 3-0 (30-13, 30-20, 30-26) in their second match.

Against Philadelphia Biblical, senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) finished with a match-high 11 kills while senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) added 10 kills.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 33 assists and posted a team-high 10 digs, and senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) added nine digs for the Blue Jays.

Carly Plank led the Crimson Eagles (23-5 overall) with 10 kills, while Betsy Ranck handed out 29 assists and Kay Lynn Zeiset notched a match-high 15 digs.

Against DeSales, Downs finished with a match-high 13 kills and eight blocks while Whitmarsh added nine kills. Wasserman dished out 26 assists and added 13 digs, and Kassis recorded a match-high 18 digs for Elizabethtown.

The Bulldogs (18-7 overall) were led by 11 kills from Jen Mellon, while Sharon Uliana distributed 24 assists and picked up 14 digs. Kerri Andrews finished with a match-high 22 digs for DeSales, which defeated Philadelphia Biblical 3-2 in Friday's other match.

Prior to the DeSales match, the Blue Jays honored the six senior members of the squad: Downs, Wasserman, Whitmarsh, Kassis, Jenna Schirmer (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) and student assistant coach Megan Monahan (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg).

Elizabethtown 3, Philadelphia Biblical 0
(30-20, 30-23, 30-28)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 11
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 33
Digs: Stacey Wasserman, 10
Aces: Stacey Wasserman, Kayla Deats and Kelly Downs, 2
Blocks: Kayla Deats, 5

Philadelphia Biblical leaders:
Kills: Carly Plank, 10
Assists: Betsy Ranck, 29
Digs: Kay Lynn Zeiset, 15
Aces: Katy Kutzner, 2
Blocks: Becky Williams, 6

Elizabethtown 3, DeSales 0
(30-13, 30-20, 30-26)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 13
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 26
Digs: Kayla Kassis, 18
Aces: Stacey Wasserman and Kayla Deats, 2
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 8

DeSales leaders:
Kills: Jen Mellon, 11
Assists: Sharon Uliana, 24
Digs: Kerri Andrews, 22
Aces: Kerri Andrews and Kylie Fehnel, 1
Blocks: Kylie Fehnel, 3

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Elizabethtown Wins First-Ever Regular-Season Conference Title With 3-0 Victory over Albright

Click here for the box score

View match pictures here
View additional match pictures here

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team clinched its first-ever regular-season conference title with a 3-0 victory over Albright College in Commonwealth Conference action at Thompson Gymnasium on Tuesday night, by scores of 30-17, 30-12 and 30-26.

The Blue Jays (22-6 overall, 4-0 Commonwealth) wrapped up the top seed in the upcoming conference playoffs and earned their first-ever first-place finish after placing second 12 times to national powerhouse Juniata College, which departed the Commonwealth Conference following last season.

Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) led the Blue Jays with 11 kills and three blocks in limited action, as all 16 players on the roster saw playing time and none played more than two of the three games.

Senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) added eight kills and six digs for Elizabethtown, while sophomore Kathy Perry (Hockessin, DE/A.I. DuPont) and first-year student Molly Northway (Cumberland, ME/Greely) recorded six kills apiece.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) played just the first game but still led the team with 13 assists, while first-year student Kara Burkholder (Lititz, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) posted 10 assists off the bench.

Defensively, junior Corin Kidwell (Akron, PA/Ephrata) had a match-high 15 digs while first-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) contributed 11 digs.

The Lions (3-15 overall, 0-4 Commonwealth) were led by Cassie Campbell's eight kills, while Jillian Bonitatibus added five kills and 10 digs. Lauren Higgins dished out 20 assists and Kelly Nicodemus posted a team-high 13 digs for Albright.

Elizabethtown 3, Albright 0
(30-17, 30-12, 30-26)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 11
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 13
Digs: Corin Kidwell, 15
Aces: Kelly Downs and Kayla Deats, 2
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 3

Albright leaders:
Kills: Cassie Campbell, 8
Assists: Lauren Higgins, 20
Digs: Kelly Nicodemus, 13
Aces: Cassie Campbell, Lauren Higgins, Jillian Bonitatibus, Jennifer Lynch, 1
Blocks: Tina Yatron, 3

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, October 13, 2007

Elizabethtown Finishes Third at CNU Invitational

Box score vs. Washington & Lee
Box score vs. Gallaudet

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team finished third at the CNU Invitational on the campus of Christopher Newport University after splitting two matches on Saturday.

The Blue Jays (21-6 overall) lost 3-1 to eventual tournament champion Washington & Lee University (30-23, 30-21, 17-30, 32-30) before defeating Gallaudet University 3-2 (28-30, 30-22, 30-27, 25-30, 15-6) in the third-place match.

Against Washington & Lee, Elizabethtown was led by senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) who posted 13 kills and nine blocks. Senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) added 12 kills and sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) had 10 kills and 19 digs.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) distributed 37 assists and added 22 digs and seven blocks for the Blue Jays, while first-year student Amanda Ritchey (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) had 25 digs and senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) posted 24 digs.

Against Gallaudet, Downs finished with 22 kills and just one error in 49 attacks, while Tanner added 13 kills and 21 digs and Whitmarsh posted 10 kills. Wasserman handed out 53 assists and recorded 28 digs, while first-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) had 21 digs in the victory.

Downs was named to the All-Tournament team after accumulating 70 kills and 26 blocks while hitting .380 in four games, with an average of 4.12 kills per game.

Washington & Lee 3, Elizabethtown 1
(30-23, 30-21, 17-30, 32-30)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 13
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 37
Digs: Amanda Ritchey, 25
Aces: Stacey Wasserman, Kelly Downs and Allie Gold, 3
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 9

Elizabethtown 3, Gallaudet 2
(28-30, 30-22, 30-27, 25-30, 15-6)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 22
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 53
Digs: Stacey Wasserman, 28
Aces: Paige Tanner, 3
Blocks: Kelly Downs and Kayla Deats, 5

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Friday, October 12, 2007

Elizabethtown Picks Up Two Wins at CNU Invitational

Box score vs. Virginia Wesleyan
Box score vs. Nazareth

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team opened pool play at the two-day CNU Invitational Tournament on the campus of Christopher Newport University on Friday night.

The Blue Jays defeated Virginia Wesleyan College 3-1 in their opening match on Friday (30-22, 21-30, 30-18, 30-26) and downed Nazareth College 3-1 (27-30, 30-27, 30-20, 30-25) in their second match of the evening.

Against Virginia Wesleyan, senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) became the first player in program history to reach 4,000 career assists, finishing with 43 assists for the match to increase her career total fo 4,019.

Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) led the Blue Jays with 17 kills while sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) added 13 kills and 13 digs.

Wasserman added 19 digs and five service aces for Elizabethtown, and senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) posted a team-high 20 digs in the win.

Against Nazareth, Downs led the way with 18 kills and nine digs while senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) posted 14 kills and sophomore Kayla Deats (Middlebury Center, PA/Wellsboro) had 13 kills.

Wasserman dished out 51 assists and led the Blue Jays with 18 digs, with first-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) registering 17 digs and Kassis adding 16.

Elizabethtown (20-5 overall) will finish pool play on Saturday against Washington & Lee University before competing in a crossover match with Pool A to conclude action.

Elizabethtown 3, Virginia Wesleyan 1
(30-22, 21-30, 30-18, 30-26)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 17
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 43
Digs: Kayla Kassis, 20
Aces: Stacey Wasserman, 5
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 7

Elizabethtown 3, Nazareth 1
(27-30, 30-27, 30-20, 30-25)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 18
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 51
Digs: Stacey Wasserman, 18
Aces: Stacey Wasserman, 2
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 5

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Elizabethtown Defeats Lebanon Valley 3-2 in Commonwealth Conference Showdown

Click here for the box score

View match pictures here

ANNVILLE, Pa. --- In a matchup of the top two teams in the Commonwealth Conference, Elizabethtown College defeated Lebanon Valley College 3-2 in volleyball action on Wednesday evening. Game scores were 27-30, 30-17, 30-16, 21-30 and 15-13.

The Blue Jays (17-5 overall, 3-0 Commonwealth), who took over sole possession of first place in the conference and clinched a playoff berth with the win, were led by 20 kills from senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) and 16 kills and 26 digs from sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro).

Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) added 15 kills, nine blocks and five aces and senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 49 assists and added 12 digs for the Blue Jays.

Wasserman's 49 assists increased her career total to 3,976 assists, leaving her 24 shy of becoming the first player in program history to dish out 4,000 career assists.

The Flying Dutchmen (16-7 overall, 2-1 Commonwealth) were led by 15 kills from Margaret Prebula and 11 kills each by Whitney Meyers and Michelle Little. Emily Perkins paced Lebanon Valley with 34 assiss while Jill Miller had a team-high 16 digs.

Elizabethtown 3, Lebanon Valley 2
(27-30, 30-17, 30-16, 21-30, 15-13)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Ashley Whitmarsh, 20
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 49
Digs: Paige Tanner, 26
Aces: Kelly Downs, 5
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 9

Lebanon Valley leaders:
Kills: Margaret Prebula, 15
Assists: Emily Perkins, 34
Digs: Jill Miller, 16
Aces: Emily Perkins, Christa Vrabel, Jess Raber, Brandi Roth, 2
Blocks: Joelle Snyder, 4

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, October 6, 2007

Volleyball Sweeps Lancaster Bible and Penn State Harrisburg, Kelly Downs Sets Career Kill Record

Box score vs. Lancaster Bible
Box score vs. Penn State Harrisburg

View match pictures here

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) became Elizabethtown College's career leader in kills as the Blue Jays swept matches against Lancaster Bible College and Penn State Harrisburg on Saturday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.

Downs finished with nine kills against Lancaster Bible and 17 kills against Penn State Harrisburg to increase her career total to 1,296 kills, one more than the 1,295 kills amassed by Liz (Bishard) Zeigler '98 from 1994 to 1997.

The Blue Jays (17-5 overall) had little trouble in either match, defeating Lancaster Bible 3-0 (30-11, 30-17, 30-14) and downing Penn State Harrisburg 3-0 (30-10, 30-1, 30-18).

Against Lancaster Bible (6-16 overall), Downs led the Blue Jays with nine kills while senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) added eight kills. Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 16 assists and junior Corin Kidwell (Akron, PA/Ephrata) had a team-high 10 digs.

In the win over Penn State Harrisburg (7-5 overall), the Blue Jays dominated game two, as the Lions scored their only point on a service error. Elizabethtown scored the final 21 points of the match on service, as sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) served the first 11 points before yielding to Kidwell, who served the final 10 points of the game.

Downs led the Blue Jays with 17 kills on 22 attacks, with her final kill of the match enabling her to break the school career record. She also added six of the Blue Jays' 20 aces in the match, while Wasserman added 19 assists and five aces and Whitmarsh chipped in with nine kills.

In the other match, Lancaster Bible defeated Penn State Harrisburg 3-0, by scores of 30-22, 30-17 and 30-24.

Elizabethtown 3, Lancaster Bible 0
(30-11, 30-17, 30-14)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 9
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 16
Digs: Corin Kidwell, 10
Aces: Kathy Perry and Amanda Ritchey, 4
Blocks: Molly Northway, 3

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Top-Ranked Juniata Picks Up 3-0 Win over Etown

Click here for the box score

HUNTINGDON, Pa. --- Defending NCAA Division III champion and top-ranked Juniata College posted a 3-0 victory over Elizabethtown College in non-conference volleyball action on Wednesday night, by scores of 30-11, 30-21 and 30-16.

Sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) led the Blue Jays (15-5 overall) with nine kills and nine digs while senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 18 assists.

Erin Albert led the Eagles (19-2 overall) with 10 kills while Megan Sollenberger added four aces and 19 digs.

Juniata 3, Elizabethtown 0
(30-11, 30-21, 30-16)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Paige Tanner, 9
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 18
Digs: Paige Tanner, 9
Aces: Kelly Downs and Amanda Ritchey, 1
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 3

Juniata leaders:
Kills: Erin Albert, 10
Assists: Beth Kozak, 31
Digs: Megan Sollenberger, 19
Aces: Megan Sollenberger, 4
Blocks: Erin Albert, 4

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, September 29, 2007

Elizabethtown Finishes Third at Tufts Invitational

Box score vs. Bridgewater (Mass.)
Box score vs. MIT

MEDFORD, Mass. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team finished third out of six teams at the Tufts Volleyball Invitational after splitting a pair of matches on Saturday.

The Blue Jays (15-4 overall) defeated Bridgewater (Mass.) State 3-0 (30-19, 30-19, 30-24) in their opening match on Saturday, before falling to tournament champion MIT by a 3-0 score (30-23, 30-21, 30-25) in their final match of the weekend.

In the win over Bridgewater State, the Blue Jays were led by 11 kills and five aces from senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion), while senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 29 assists.

Sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) led the Blue Jays with 14 digs while senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) added 13 digs.

Against MIT, Elizabethtown received 10 kills from Downs and nine from senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy), while Wasserman dished out 27 assists and Kassis came up with 18 digs.

Elizabethtown 3, Bridgewater (Mass.) State 0
(30-19, 30-19, 30-24)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 11
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 29
Digs: Paige Tanner, 14
Aces: Kelly Downs, 5
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 2

MIT 3, Elizabethtown 0
(30-23, 30-21, 30-25)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 10
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 28
Digs: Kayla Kassis, 18
Aces: Paige Tanner, 2
Blocks: Stacey Wasserman, 4

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Friday, September 28, 2007

Elizabethtown Splits Two Matches at Tufts Invitational

Box score vs. Wellesley
Box score vs. Tufts

MEDFORD, Mass. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team opened play at the two-day Tufts Invitational by splitting its first two matches on Friday.

The Blue Jays (14-3 overall) fell 3-0 to Wellesley College (31-29, 30-27, 30-25) in their opening match before downing host Tufts 3-0 (30-27, 31-29, 30-20) in their second match of the evening.

Against Wellesley, senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) posted a team-high 10 kills while sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) added nine kills and 12 digs.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) handed out 28 assists and added team highs of three aces and 15 digs.

Against Tufts, senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) and Tanner shared the team lead with 13 kills, while Wasserman dished out 31 assists and added 10 digs.

Senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) led the Blue Jays with 19 digs, while Downs had seven kills, three aces and five blocks.

Wellesley 3, Elizabethtown 0
(31-29, 30-27, 30-25)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 10
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 28
Digs: Stacey Wasserman, 15
Aces: Stacey Wasserman, 3
Blocks: Kelly Downs and Kayla Deats, 3

Elizabethtown 3, Tufts 0
(30-27, 31-29, 30-20)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Ashley Whitmarsh and Paige Tanner, 13
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 31
Digs: Kayla Kassis, 19
Aces: Kelly Downs, 3
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 5

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-022-07-08
Thursday, September 27, 2007

Kelly Downs Ranked Among NCAA Division III Volleyball Statistical Leaders

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) is ranked in the latest NCAA Division III volleyball statistics, through games of Sept. 23.

Downs ranks 10th in Division III in hitting percentage (.415) and is 32nd in blocks per game (1.38) for the Blue Jays, who improved to 13-2 overall and 2-0 in the Commonwealth Conference with a 3-2 victory over Messiah College on Wednesday night.

Downs, who leads the Blue Jays in kills (207) and blocks (77) this season, ranks second in program history with 1,228 career kills and is tied for fourth in career blocks with 481. She is 67 kills shy of tying the record of 1,295 career kills set by Liz Bishard from 1994 to 1997.

Elizabethtown returns to action on Friday at the two-day Tufts/MIT Invitational.

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Elizabethtown Stretched to Five Games Before Putting Away Messiah to Move to 2-0 in Conference

Click here for the box score

View match photos here

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) finished with a match-high 21 kills and added eight blocks as the Elizabethtown College volleyball team held on for a 3-2 victory over Messiah College in Commonwealth Conference volleyball action on Wednesday night.

The Blue Jays (13-2 overall, 2-0 Commonwealth) won the first two games by score of 30-21 and 33-31, only to see the Falcons (11-6 overall, 0-1 Commonwealth) win the next two games 30-27 and 30-21 to set up the deciding fifth game, which Elizabethtown won by a 15-12 score.

Sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) added 13 kills and 19 digs for the Blue Jays, while senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) added 14 digs. Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 46 assists and chipped in with 13 digs for Elizabethtown.

The Falcons were led by Leslie Heffner, who recorded 16 kills and 20 digs, while Amy Stabler added 11 kills and 19 digs. Lauren Bourdon handed out 43 assists for Messiah, while Shelby White and Samantha Bradley had seven blocks apiece.

Elizabethtown 3, Messiah 2
(30-20, 33-31, 27-30, 21-30, 15-12)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 21
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 46
Digs: Paige Tanner, 19
Aces: Paige Tanner, 3
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 8

Messiah leaders:
Kills: Leslie Heffner, 16
Assists: Lauren Bourdon, 43
Digs: Leslie Heffner, 20
Aces: Lauren Bourdon, 3
Blocks: Samantha Bradley and Shelby White, 7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-019-07-08
Monday, September 24, 2007

Kelly Downs Honored as Commonwealth Conference Volleyball Player of the Week

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) has been named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week in women's volleyball for the week ending Sept. 23, the conference office announced Monday.

Downs posted 62 kills in five matches as the Blue Jays went 4-1 on the week and finished third at its Blue Jay Classic. She posted 12 kills and three blocks in a 3-0 win at Widener to open conference play on Tuesday night, then earned All-Tournament honors as she racked up 50 kills against eight errors in 101 attacks as the Blue Jays went 3-1 in the Classic.

For the week, Downs reached double figures in kills in all five matches and hit better than .400 three times. For the season, she leads the team in kills (186), blocks (69) and hitting percentage (.415).

The Blue Jays (12-2 overall, 1-0 Commonwealth) return to action on Wednesday with a Commonwealth Conference home match against Messiah College at 7:00 p.m. in Thompson Gymnasium.

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, September 22, 2007

Elizabethtown Defeats Wilkes 3-0 on Day Two of Blue Jay Classic

Box score vs. Wilkes
Box score vs. Widener

View match pictures here

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team finished third at the Blue Jay Classic held in Thompson Gymnasium, after posting 3-0 victories over Wilkes University (30-8, 30-11, 30-25) in pool play and Widener University (30-20, 30-18, 30-19) in the third-place match on Saturday.

Against Wilkes, the Blue Jays received a team-high 11 kills from senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion), while senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) added eight kills.

Elizabethtown, which substituted liberally throughout the match, received a team-high 11 assists from senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) while junior Corin Kidwell (Akron, PA/Ephrata) led the Blue Jays with 11 digs.

Against Widener, the Blue Jays (12-2) were paced by 11 kills and eight blocks from Downs, 33 assists and five aces by Wasserman and 11 digs apiece by first-year students Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) and Amanda Ritchey (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim).

Downs was named to the Blue Jay Classic All-Tournament Team after she hit .416 with 50 kills and just eight errors on 101 attacks in four matches.

In the championship match, Franklin & Marshall defeated St. Mary's (Md.) in five games by scores of 30-27, 17-30, 30-28, 21-30 and 15-9. The Diplomats' Margot Phelan was named tournament MVP.

Elizabethtown 3, Wilkes 0
(30-8, 30-11, 30-25)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 11
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 11
Digs: Corin Kidwell, 11
Aces: Paige Tanner, 3
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 3

Elizabethtown 3, Widener 0
(30-20, 30-18, 30-19)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 11
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 33
Digs: Allie Gold and Amanda Ritchey, 11
Aces: Stacey Wasserman, 5
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 8

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Friday, September 21, 2007

Elizabethtown Splits Two Matches on Opening Day of Blue Jay Classic

Box score vs. Swarthmore
Box score vs. St. Mary's

View match photos vs. St. Mary's here

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team went 1-1 on the opening day of the Blue Jay Classic at Thompson Gymnasium on Friday afternoon, defeating Swarthmore College 3-0 (30-21, 30-23 and 30-23) before falling 3-1 in game two to St. Mary's College of Maryland (29-31, 31-29, 25-30, 26-30).

Against Swarthmore, the Blue Jays were led by senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion), who posted a match-high 15 kills to go with six blocks, while sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) added 11 kills and 10 digs.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) added 38 assists and nine digs while first-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) posted 15 digs for the Blue Jays.

Against St. Mary's, the Blue Jays (10-2 overall) received 15 kills and 12 digs from Tanner, 13 kills from Downs and 11 kills and 14 digs by senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy).

Wasserman finished with 42 assists, four aces and 21 digs while senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) recorded 15 digs and Gold added 12.

The Blue Jays will continue pool play on Saturday morning against Wilkes University before entering the crossover round for their final match of the tournament in the afternoon.

Elizabethtown 3, Swarthmore 0
(30-21, 30-23, 30-23)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 15
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 38
Digs: Allie Gold, 15
Aces: Allie Gold, 3
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 6

St. Mary's (Md.) 3, Elizabethtown 1
(31-29, 29-31, 30-25, 30-26)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Paige Tanner, 15
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 42
Digs: Stacey Wasserman, 21
Aces: Stacey Wasserman, 4
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 3

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, September 18, 2007

Elizabethtown Opens Commonwealth Conference Schedule With 3-0 Win at Widener

Click here for the box score

CHESTER, Pa. --- Senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) tallied 17 kills to lead Elizabethtown College to a 3-0 victory at Widener University in Commonwealth Conference volleyball action on Tuesday night, by scores of 30-25, 30-21 and 30-27.

Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) and sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) added 12 kills apiece as the Blue Jays (9-1 overall, 1-0 Commonwealth) posted a .284 hitting percentage while the Pride (6-8 overall, 0-1 Commonwealth) managed a .105 hitting percentage.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) tallied 42 assists and 15 digs, while senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) also recorded 15 digs for Elizabethtown.

Devan Green led Widener with 12 kills while Becky Rohrbaugh dished out 31 assists and Julieanne Gryn posted a match-high 29 digs.

Elizabethtown 3, Widener 0
(30-25, 30-21, 30-27)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Ashley Whitmarsh, 17
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 42
Digs: Kayla Kassis and Stacey Wasserman, 15
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 3

Widener leaders:
Kills: Devan Green, 12
Assists: Becky Rohrbaugh, 31
Digs: Julieanne Gryn, 29
Blocks: Devan Green, 2

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

2007 Blue Jay Classic Tournament Schedule

Pool A:
St. Mary's (Md.) College: 3-0
Elizabethtown College: 2-1
Swarthmore College: 1-2
Wilkes University: 0-3

Pool B:
Franklin & Marshall College: 3-0
Widener University: 2-1
Neumann College: 1-2
Lycoming College: 0-3

Program:
Download the tournament program here

Most Valuable Player: Margot Phelan (F&M)
All-Tournament Team: Claire Kodan (St. Mary's), Sarah Gregorini (St. Mary's), Valerie Pusateri (F&M), Kelly Downs (Elizabethtown), Becky Rohrbaugh (Widener)

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Friday, September 14, 2007

Elizabethtown Back on Winning Track with 3-1 Victory over Millersville

Click here for the box score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) finished with a team-high 16 kills and added 21 digs as Elizabethtown College downed Millersville University 3-1 in non-conference volleyball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Friday night. Game scores were 30-15, 31-29, 27-30 and 30-21.

Senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) added 14 kills and 23 digs while senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) notched 13 kills as the Blue Jays (8-1 overall) rebounded after a tough 3-2 loss to 16th-ranked Haverford College on Wednesday night.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) recorded 53 assists for the third time in the Blue Jays' last four matches and added 18 assists, while first-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) set a season high with 28 digs.

Leading the Marauders (8-7 overall) was Caitlin Rinker, who posted 13 kills and 17 digs, while Patty Pichardo added 12 kills. Meredith Sinback dished out 30 assists and Kathy Howard had a match-high 30 digs.

Elizabethtown 3, Millersville 1
(30-15, 31-29, 27-30, 30-21)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Paige Tanner, 16
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 53
Digs: Allie Gold, 28
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 4

Millersville leaders:
Kills: Caitlin Rinker, 13
Assists: Meredith Sinback, 30
Digs: Kathy Howard, 30
Blocks: Rachel Beneski, 3

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Elizabethtown Nearly Upsets 16th-Ranked Haverford

Click here for the box score

HAVERFORD, Pa. --- In a matchup of undefeated squads, 16th-ranked Haverford College held on for a 3-2 victory over Elizabethtown College in non-conference volleyball action on Wednesday night. Game scores were 30-19, 26-30, 30-26, 34-36 and 15-11.

The Blue Jays (7-1 overall) survived three match points in a marathon fourth game to force a fifth and deciding game, and held an 11-10 lead before the Fords (10-0 overall) scored the final five points to pull out the victory.

Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) paced Elizabethtown with 20 kills and nine digs, while senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) added 16 kills and 24 digs for the Blue Jays.

Sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) also recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 17 digs, and senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) finished with 53 assists and 21 digs for Elizabethtown. First-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) added 17 digs for the Blue Jays.

Rebecca Salvo led Haverford with 27 kills and 24 digs, Rachel Salvo added 23 kills and 11 digs and Laura Nuyen posted 16 kills and 24 digs. Emily Hinchcliff contributed 62 assists and 19 digs for the Fords.

Haverford 3, Elizabethtown 2
(30-19, 26-30, 30-26, 34-36, 15-11)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 20
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 53
Digs: Ashley Whitmarsh, 24
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 9

Haverford leaders:
Kills: Rebecca Salvo, 27
Assists: Emily Hinchcliff, 62
Digs: Rebecca Salvo and Laura Nuyen, 24
Blocks: K'Lynn Solt, 5

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-014-07-08
Monday, September 10, 2007

Stacey Wasserman Named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week in Volleyball

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College senior setter Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) has been honored by the Commonwealth Conference as the Player of the Week in volleyball for the week ending Sept. 9, the conference office announced Monday.

Wasserman was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Gettysburg Battlefield Classic after leading the Blue Jays to four victories at the tournament, part of a 5-0 week for Elizabethtown.

She averaged 9.89 assists, 2.72 digs and 0.89 blocks as the Blue Jays posted wins over Division II Shippensburg and 2006 NCAA participant Richard Stockton during the week. Against Stockton, Wasserman became the eighth player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs, while her 53 assists against Johns Hopkins were five shy of her career single-match high set last season.

The Blue Jays (7-0 overall) return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at Haverford College at 7:00 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-011-07-08
Sunday, September 9, 2007

Ashley Whitmarsh and Stacey Wasserman Reach
Career Milestones as Etown Volleyball Starts 7-0

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Two Elizabethtown College volleyball players reached career milestones during action at the Battlefield Classic on the campus of Gettysburg College over the weekend.

Senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) became the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 kills in the Blue Jays' 3-0 win over Salisbury University on Saturday afternoon, while senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) was the eighth Blue Jay to reach 1,000 career digs in a 3-1 victory over Richard Stockton College on Friday.

Whitmarsh, who reached the 1,000-kill milestone in the opening game against Salisbury, finished the weekend with 1,010 kills to join classmate Kelly Downs as active members of the 1,000-kill club. Downs currently has 1,112 kills to rank third on the Blue Jay career list behind Liz Bishard (1,295 kills from 1994-97) and Emily Morris (1,188 kills from 2000-2003).

Wasserman, who is already Elizabethtown's career leader in assists with 3,441, surpassed the 1,000-dig mark in the opening game against Richard Stockton. She subsequently passed Meghan Gowens (1,008 digs) for seventh place on the Elizabethtown career list and ended the weekend with 1,037 digs.

The Blue Jays, who won all four of their matches at the Battlefield Classic, will carry a perfect 7-0 record into Wednesday night's non-conference match at Haverford College.

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, September 8, 2007

Elizabethtown Remains Undefeated at 7-0
After Finishing Off Perfect Weekend at Gettysburg

Box score vs. Johns Hopkins
Box score vs. Salisbury

GETTYSBURG, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team pushed its record to 7-0 on the season after winning all four matches at the two-day Battlefield Classic at Gettysburg College.

After winning against Richard Stockton College and Hood College on Friday, the Blue Jays won 3-1 over Johns Hopkins University (30-22, 28-30, 30-24, 30-20) and 3-0 over Salisbury University (30-22, 30-23, 30-19) on Saturday.

Elizabethtown and host Gettysburg were the only teams in the field of 18 colleges to post 4-0 records during the tournament. Blue Jay seniors Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) and Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) were named to the 12-player All-Tournament Team for their performances.

Downs posted 49 kills in 14 games during the tournament while adding 18 blocks, and Wasserman recorded 132 assists in 13 games to go with 39 digs, including the 1000th of her career.

Against Johns Hopkins, senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) led the Blue Jays with 19 kills and added nine digs, while Downs added 18 kills, five blocks and four aces. Senior Jenna Schirmer (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) chipped in with 12 kills and sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) contributed 10 kills and 17 digs.

Wasserman finished with 53 assists and led the Blue Jays with 18 digs, while first-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) posted 16 digs and senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) added 11 digs.

Against Salisbury, Downs recorded 14 kills while Whitmarsh added 13 kills and 18 digs. Wasserman dished out 31 assists and posted 10 digs, and Gold added 17 digs. Tanner turned in a standout performance in game two when she tallied six service aces for the Blue Jays.

Elizabethtown 3, Johns Hopkins 1
(30-22, 28-30, 30-24, 30-20)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Ashley Whitmarsh, 19
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 53
Digs: Stacey Wasserman, 18
Blocks: Kelly Downs and Kayla Deats, 5

Elizabethtown 3, Salisbury 0
(30-22, 30-23, 30-19)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 14
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 31
Digs: Ashley Whitmarsh, 18
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 5

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Elizabethtown Downs Shippensburg 3-2
In Five-Game Thriller

Click here for the box score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- In their 2007 home opener on Tuesday night, the Elizabethtown College volleyball team battled Division II Shippensburg University to five games before the host Blue Jays came away with a 3-2 victory (30-20, 25-30, 30-23, 28-30 and 15-12) to remain undefeated at 3-0 on the season.

Senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) led the Blue Jays with 21 kills, including the clincher on match point in the fifth and deciding game, while sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) notched 11 kills and 16 digs and senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) added 10 kills and 11 digs.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) finished with a match-high 46 assists for Elizabethtown while senior Kayla Kassis (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) paced all players with 20 digs and freshman Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) added 17 digs for the Blue Jays.

Brittany Roche led Shippensburg (7-2 overall) with 16 kills while Colleen Toomey added 15 kills and Cindel Young 14 kills for the Lady Raiders, who saw a six-match winning streak come to an end.

Elizabethtown 3, Shippensburg 2
(30-20, 25-30, 30-23, 28-30, 15-12)
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 21
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 46
Digs: Kayla Kassis, 20
Blocks: Kelly Downs and Paige Tanner, 3

Shippensburg leaders:
Kills: Brittany Roche, 16
Assists: Missy Ramp, 32
Digs: Kelsi Hoffman, 12
Blocks: Kali Antolik, 3

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, September 1, 2007

Elizabethtown Sweeps McDaniel and York to Win
Mizuno Classic for Second Straight Year

Box score vs. McDaniel
Box score vs. York

WESTMINSTER, Md. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team swept its way to a pair of victories at the Mizuno Classic on the campus of McDaniel College on Saturday afternoon, defeating the host Green Terror 3-0 (30-7, 30-28, 30-15) and downing York College 3-0 (33-31, 30-20, 30-28).

In the match against McDaniel, sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) and senior Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) shared for the team lead with 11 kills, while senior Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) and sophomore Kayla Deats (Middlebury Center, PA/Wellsboro) added seven kills apiece.

Senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) dished out 32 assists while Tanner led the defense with 14 digs. Downs added five blocks while Wasserman posted four blocks for the Blue Jays.

Against York, Elizabethtown (2-0 overall) was paced by Downs, who posted 14 kills without an error in 25 attacks and added seven blocks, while Whitmarsh added 13 kills. Wasserman passed out 40 assists and recorded nine digs, while Tanner notched 21 digs.

Elizabethtown Coll. def. McDaniel College 30-7, 30-28, 30-15
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Paige Tanner and Ashley Whitmarsh, 11
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 32
Digs: Paige Tanner, 14
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 5

Elizabethtown Coll. def. York College 33-31, 30-20, 30-28
Elizabethtown leaders:
Kills: Kelly Downs, 14
Assists: Stacey Wasserman, 40
Digs: Paige Tanner, 21
Blocks: Kelly Downs, 7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-006-07-08
Thursday, August 22, 2007

Elizabethtown College Volleyball Team Picked First in Commonwealth Conference Preseason Coaches Poll

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team has been picked to finish first in the Commonwealth Conference by the league’s six head coaches, the conference office announced Thursday.

The Blue Jays claimed four of the six first-place votes in the poll for a total of 30 points, finishing ahead of Lebanon Valley College, which gained the other two first-place votes and accumulated 28 points.

Messiah College took third with 22 points, followed by Lycoming College (19 points), Widener University (15 points) and Albright College (12 points).

Last season, Elizabethtown advanced to the Commonwealth Conference championship for the first time since 1995 and finished with a 26-7 overall record. The Blue Jays lost in the conference title match to eventual NCAA Division III champion Juniata College, which departed the Commonwealth Conference for the newly-formed Landmark Conference after winning 26 consecutive conference championships.

Head coach Randall Kreider begins his sixth season on the Elizabethtown bench with 100 career victories, and is the reigning conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Blue Jays to the postseason in each of the last three seasons.

The Blue Jays open their 2007 season on Saturday, Sept. 1 in a four-team tournament at McDaniel College.

2008 Elizabethtown College Volleyball
Schedule and Results

Overall: 0-0; Commonwealth Conference: 0-0

Home games in ALL CAPS
Home match programs available as Adobe PDF downloads
*Commonwealth Conference match
% Mizuno Classic, hosted by York College
@ Gettysburg College Battlefield Classic
^ Elizabethtown College Blue Jay Classic (with St. Mary's, Carnegie Mellon, Widener, Neumann, Lycoming, Wilkes, McDaniel)
# Capital University Mid-Month Madness
+ Elizabethtown College Halloween Classic (with Eastern, Gallaudet, SUNY Cortland, Washington & Jefferson)
~ Commonwealth Conference playoffs
(WWEC) WWEC 88.3 FM to broadcast matches on air and online at http://www.etown.edu/clubs_orgs/wwec