ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, November 3, 2007

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

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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