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.