NYU Athletics

Westfield State College (20-12) has qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and for the second time in school history. The Owls won the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) postseason tournament for the second straight year and have won or shared the last four MASCAC regular-season championships.

Last year, Westfield State dropped a 3-1 decision to #2 seed UMass-Boston in the New England Regional at Tufts University.

Westfield features three 2010 First Team All-Conference selections, led by MASCAC Player of the Year Alex Shaw. A junior outside hitter from East Falmouth, MA, Shaw was also a First Team All-Conference pick in 2009. This season, she has recorded 281 kills with a .270 hitting percentage, has five solo blocks and 53 block assists.

Senior outside hitter Rachel Ryan and junior setter Kerin DeGirolamo are the other All-Conference First Team selections. Ryan has team highs of 321 kills, 53 service aces and 238 digs. DeGirolamo, also a First Team pick in 2009, has recorded 941 assists (9.7 per game) and 207 digs.

Sophomore libero Alyssa Stankowski - the 2010 MASCAC Tournament MVP and the 2009 MASCAC Rookie of the Year - has returned from an early season injury and is averaging 3.57 digs per game. Freshman outside hitter Julia Warner has compiled 207 kills and 214 digs.

Westfield is also receiving key contributions from sophomore middle hitter Kelsey Leonard, who has team highs of 31 solo blocks and 60 block assists along with 171 kills and a team-best .302 attack percentage. Rounding out the Owls’ nine-player rotation are senior middle hitter Maura McLaughlin (108 kills, 28 blocks, 42 block assists), sophomore defensive specialist Brittany Dussault (178 digs, 42 service aces) and freshman defensive specialist/libero Kayleigh Shea (team-high 257 digs, 2.45 per game).