United States Coast Guard Academy
New London, CT
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The U.S. Coast Guard Academy (29-5) won its second New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship on Sunday with a 3-1 win over top-seeded Springfield College. The Bears are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2006 when the team advanced to the Elite 8. The Bears made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1995-97 and went to the ECAC Tournament eight times in nine years from 2000-09, winning the championship in 2005 and again last season.
The Bears, who have won 18 of their last 19 matches, beat their first-round opponent, Roger Williams University 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-22) at home on October 16. Coast Guard has not won 30 matches since totaling a school-record 36 in 1995.
Coast Guard, which is a perfect 4-0 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, is a very young team. The Bears start one senior, five sophomores and a freshman.
Freshman Kelsey DePorto leads the team with 303 kills and 134 blocks, while sophomores Lauren Bloch, the Most Outstanding Player in the NEWMAC Tournament, and Catherine Walker have 264 and 262 kills respectively. Junior Nicole Johnson has 212 kills for the Bears.
Senior Jessica Anderson, the Bears’ all-time leader with 1,619 digs, leads the team with 526 digs this season. Sophomore Karen Matic leads the team with 1,132 assists and 47 aces, and is second with 390 digs.
Sophomore Keriann Mason, a NEWMAC First Team selection last season who missed the first 21 matches this season following off-season surgery, was a big boost to the Bears’ run to the NEWMAC Championship.
