Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ
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Stevens posted a 26-9 overall record and a perfect 8-0 league ledger on the season, advancing to its sixth-straight NCAA tournament appearance with a 3-1 win over fourth-seeded St. John Fisher College in the Empire 8 tournament semifinals and a 3-0 sweep of third-seeded Ithaca College in the finals.
The Ducks now have not lost to a conference opponent in 63 matches – a streak which dates back to 2004 when the program competed in the Skyline Conference. Under eighth-year head coach J.J. O’Connell, who recently received his third consecutive Empire 8 Coach of the Year honor, the Ducks have captured six straight conference titles (three Empire 8 and three Skyline) and will be making their sixth straight appearance in the New York Regional.
Led by Empire 8 Player of the Year Sarah Byrne and Rookie of the Year Maggie Kowalska, Stevens rebounded from a rough 4-5 start to post a 22-4 mark over its final 26 matches. Along with All-Empire 8 Honorable Mention selections Brittany Fuller and Sara Budar, the Ducks finished the regular season ranked first in the conference in kills (12.01) and assists (11.11) per set and second in hitting percentage. Byrne’s 3.79 kills per set average this season ranks second on the program’s single-season charts, while Budar’s 1,249 assists this season also rank second. Fuller’s 105 total blocks and Kowalska’s 102 total blocks rank fourth and sixth, respectively. Fuller needs just eight blocks to set the school’s all-time single-season mark set by former Duck Jessica Gardner in 2007. With 10 more blocks Fuller can also tie Gardner’s single-season block assists mark. Also, making an assault on the Stevens record books is junior libero Julia Reilly, whose 534 digs on the season have propelled her into second place all-time on the career digs list with 1,519.
Stevens is 8-5 overall in NCAA Tournament play. The Ducks have advanced to the Elite Eight by winning the New York Regional on two occasions under O’Connell, once in 2006 and again in 2007. Last season, they defeated Sage Colleges, 3-0, in the opening round of the tournament before falling to SUNY Fredonia, 3-2, in the second round.
