University of New Hampshire Athletics
Friday, November 20
Durham, N.H.
7 PM
University of New Hampshire
vs
Binghamton University
Photo by: Paige O'Donnell
Volleyball Set to Defend Conference Title, Hosts No. 4 Binghamton in America East Semifinals (Nov. 20; 7 p.m.)
11/19/2015 8:50:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
DURHAM, N.H. - The two-time defending America East champion University of New Hampshire volleyball team looks to retain its title at Lundholm Gymnasium as the top seed, hosting No. 4 Binghamton University for the conference semifinals Friday, Nov. 20 (7 p.m.).
TICKETS: Tickets are available for purchase through the Whittemore Center Arena Box Office by calling 603-862-4000, extension 5, or by visiting the Box Office in person. Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $5 for youth and senior citizens and $2 for students of America East member institutions. Admission is free for UNH students, but tickets must be picked up at the Whittemore Center Box Office throughout the week. Students will need to present a valid UNH Student ID. Students can also pick up a ticket from the Field House Box Office before the games on Friday and Saturday. Fans with a game ticket to the UNH football game vs. Maine can purchase a ticket to the volleyball championship for $5.
THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: The Wildcats enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed and are riding a three-match winning streak. Boasting a 19-8 overall record and 11-1 in America East play, UNH downed Stony Brook University (Nov. 13; 3-1; 25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-18) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Nov. 15; 3-0; 25-15, 25-17, 25-21) on the road en route to clinching home court advantage for the third consecutive season.
Juniors Demi Muses (Orangevale, Calif.) and Keelin Severtson (Delray Beach, Fla.) were instrumental in the two victories. Muses, the America East Player of the Week for Nov. 16, recorded 19 kills, 18 digs and a .357 attack percentage on the week. Against Stony Brook, she was one kill shy of a double-double, chalking up 14 digs and nine kills. Muses followed with unleashing a career-high .600 hitting percentage with 10 kills on 15 swings and one error. Severtson, named the league's Setter of the Year on Monday, Nov. 16, directed the Wildcats to hit .253 while averaging 11.57 assists per set in the two contests. At Stony Brook, she tallied a double-double performance of 41 assists and 11 digs in the four-set triumph. She followed by registering 31 assists while turning in five kills (career-high), five digs, two service aces and two blocks in the straight set win at UMBC. The tandem both garnered conference weekly awards in the final season of play. Muses was tabbed Player of the Week while Severtson was named the Setter of the Week.
Muses and senior outside hitter Tori Forrest (Powder Springs, Ga.) pace New Hampshire in the kills per set column, notching tallies of 2.93 and 2.92, respectively. Severtson orchestrates the offense to a league-high .203 hitting percentage by dishing out a conference-high 9.51 assists per set. Senior defensive specialist Madison Lightfoot (Clarkston, Mich.) patrols the back court, registering 4.15 digs per set.
The Wildcats average 12.57 kps and hold opponents to a .184 clip.UNH leads the conference in aces per set (1.81), which ranks seventh in the nation.
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON: Fourth-seeded Binghamton enters the postseason with an overall record of 9-18 and 6-6 in America East play. The Bearcats have won their last four contests, recently upending the University of Massachusetts Lowell on the road in three sets (Nov. 15; 25-14, 25-22, 25-19). Freshman outside hitter Gabby Alicea and sophomore middle blocker Kristella Morila paced the offense in the win over the River Hawks with termination tallies of 13 and 10, respectively.
Alicea leads Binghamton offensively with 2.60 kills per set and rips 29 service aces. Morila is a presence at the net, racking up a team-high 0.96 blocks per set while chipping in 2.00 kills per set. Senior right side hitter Megan Burgess bolsters the attack with 2.14 kills per set. Sophomore setter Sarah Ngo directs the attack by distributing 9.12 assists per set. Junior libero Bailey Walker commands the backline, tallying 4.86 digs per set. Glenn Kiriyama enters his 17th season at the helm of the Binghamton volleyball program.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BINGHAMTON: The Wildcats lead the career series against Binghamton with a 17-12 record. New Hampshire swept the season series with straight set wins on Oct. 4 in Vestal (25-18, 25-23, 25-22) and Oct. 30 in Durham (25-23, 25-23, 25-10). The Wildcats have tallied six straight victories against the Bearcats, dating back to Oct. 18, 2013. New Hampshire and Binghamton meet for just the second time in postseason play. The Bearcats topped the Wildcats in three sets (21-25, 17-25, 20-25) in the 2009 America East Championships, hosted by UAlbany.
WELCOME TO LUNDHOLM: UNH is a perfect 10-0 when it hosts the conference tournament, earning five tournament championships in its history. The road to the America East title has gone through the Durham the past two years. New Hampshire joins UAlbany as the only team to host the tournament in three-straight seasons. The Great Danes did it twice from 2004-06 and from 2008-2012.
DEFEND DURHAM: New Hampshire boasts a 28-9 record in the confines of Lundholm Gymnasium, dating back to the start of the 2013 season. Additionally, the Wildcats are 32-9 when hosting America East teams since 2011.
AMERICA EAST DOMINANCE: Through the league slate, the Wildcats have prevailed in 11 contests while only conceding one. UNH has yet to face a fifth set in conference play while sweeping 9 of 12 America East matches. New Hampshire leads the America East in hitting percentage (.251), opponent hitting percentage (.115) and service aces (86). Severtson leads all conference players in assists per set (11.26) and aces (27). In kills per set, the Wildcats are the only team in the league with three players who rank top-10 -Muses (3.06; fifth), Abby Brinkman (3.03; sixth) and Forrest (2.97; seventh).
POCKET ROCKETS: Severtson has enjoyed a breakout year from the service line, hitting a league-best 0.54 aces per set to rank third in the nation. On 16 occasions, the junior setter has hammered two or more aces. UNH's 1.81 aces per set is the highest average by the team since the 2007 season and ranks seventh in the nation.
ROLLING DOUBLES: Forrest racked up 10 double-doubles to lead the team in 2014 and has surpassed that mark with a career-high 11 this season to pace the 'Cats once again. Muses (eight) and Severtson (five) have also tallied double-double performances this season.
CHART TOPPERS: UNH is among the upper echelon of America East in several statistical categories this season. The Wildcats lead the league in opponent hitting percentage (.169) and service aces per set (1.81). Individually, Severtson paces the conference in assists per set (9.51) and service aces (51). Additionally, Severtson's 0.54 aces per set ranks third in the nation. Muses is sixth in the conference in kills per set with 2.93. Lightfoot's 4.15 digs per set is good for third in America East. Croci is second among league players in hitting percentage with a .288 clip.
HONORS AND AWARDS:
Tori Forrest
Fairfield Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 4-5)
America East Player of the Week (Sept. 8, Sept. 21, Oct. 26)
Big Orange All-Tournament Team (Sept. 19-20)
Madison Lightfoot
America East Defensive Specialist of the Week (Sept. 8, Oct. 5, Oct. 19)
Holly Young Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 11-12)
Demi Muses
Rambler Classic All-Tournament Team (Aug. 29-30)
America East Player of the Week (Oct. 5; Nov. 16)
Keelin Severtson
Big Orange All-Tournament Team (Sept. 19-20)
America East Setter of the Week (Sept. 21; Oct. 12; Nov. 16)
LIGHTFOOT BECOMES ALL-TIME DIGS LEADER: With the Wildcats' victory over Buffalo on Sept. 20, Lightfoot became the program's all-time digs leader. The senior co-captain surpassed Jen Williams '05 on the career leaderboard, who recorded 1,398 digs in her career. Lightfoot now boasts 1,596 digs and counting in her illustrious career. Lightfoot owns two of the top 10 single-season school records for digs, which includes tying the single-season digs mark of 560 just a year ago.
1,000/1,000: Forrest continues to ascend the UNH all-time kills chart, ranking fifth with 1,220. The two-time co-captain became the eighth Wildcat to reach 1,000 kills, reaching the milestone in a four-set win (25-12, 25-18, 13-25, 25-16) against Marshall University on Sept. 4. The senior outside also eclipsed the 1,000-dig plateau against UAlbany on Nov. 1, becoming the 10th member to hit quadruple digits. Forrest is just the third player in program history to register 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
FIVE-TIME CHAMPS: The Wildcats secured the America East title on their home court for the second straight year after defeating the University at Albany in four sets on Nov. 22, 2014. UNH has won the conference crown five times; all under the tutelage of head coach Jill Hirschinger. Additionally, all five of the program's titles have been won at Lundholm Gymnasium.
HIRSCHINGER BY THE NUMBERS: In 36 years as a head coach, Hirschinger is one of just 12 active coaches that have recorded 700 wins or more. She recorded win No. 700 on Sept. 20, 2014 against the University of Rhode Island in a five-set battle. Already the program's winningest coach, Hirschinger earned her 300th career victory at UNH when the team captured a four-set triumph over Binghamton University on Nov. 2, 2014.
A WIN FRIDAY WOULD: The winner of Friday's semifinals meets either No. 2 UAlbany or No. 3 Stony Brook on Saturday, Nov. 21 (7 p.m.) in the title game at Lundholm Gymnasium. The NCAA Championship bracket is announced Sunday, Nov. 29 (9:00 p.m.) on ESPNU.
Check outUNHWildcats.com or follow the Wildcats via social media on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UNHWildcats), Twitter (@UNHWildcats), YouTube (www.youtube.com/UNHAthletics), Instagram (@UNHWildcats) and Snapchat (@UNHWildcats) for the latest news and information on all 20 varsity sports. For additional information on the UNH volleyball team, like the squad on Facebook or follow the 'Cats on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @UNHVOLLEYBALL. Text UNH to 90561 to sign up for Sports alerts. Message & Data Rates May Apply. 1 message/text. Consent to receive a text message is not a condition of purchasing goods or services. Text HELP to 90561 for info. STOP to cancel. T&Cs & Privacy Policy is available HERE.
TICKETS: Tickets are available for purchase through the Whittemore Center Arena Box Office by calling 603-862-4000, extension 5, or by visiting the Box Office in person. Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $5 for youth and senior citizens and $2 for students of America East member institutions. Admission is free for UNH students, but tickets must be picked up at the Whittemore Center Box Office throughout the week. Students will need to present a valid UNH Student ID. Students can also pick up a ticket from the Field House Box Office before the games on Friday and Saturday. Fans with a game ticket to the UNH football game vs. Maine can purchase a ticket to the volleyball championship for $5.
THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: The Wildcats enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed and are riding a three-match winning streak. Boasting a 19-8 overall record and 11-1 in America East play, UNH downed Stony Brook University (Nov. 13; 3-1; 25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-18) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Nov. 15; 3-0; 25-15, 25-17, 25-21) on the road en route to clinching home court advantage for the third consecutive season.
Juniors Demi Muses (Orangevale, Calif.) and Keelin Severtson (Delray Beach, Fla.) were instrumental in the two victories. Muses, the America East Player of the Week for Nov. 16, recorded 19 kills, 18 digs and a .357 attack percentage on the week. Against Stony Brook, she was one kill shy of a double-double, chalking up 14 digs and nine kills. Muses followed with unleashing a career-high .600 hitting percentage with 10 kills on 15 swings and one error. Severtson, named the league's Setter of the Year on Monday, Nov. 16, directed the Wildcats to hit .253 while averaging 11.57 assists per set in the two contests. At Stony Brook, she tallied a double-double performance of 41 assists and 11 digs in the four-set triumph. She followed by registering 31 assists while turning in five kills (career-high), five digs, two service aces and two blocks in the straight set win at UMBC. The tandem both garnered conference weekly awards in the final season of play. Muses was tabbed Player of the Week while Severtson was named the Setter of the Week.
Muses and senior outside hitter Tori Forrest (Powder Springs, Ga.) pace New Hampshire in the kills per set column, notching tallies of 2.93 and 2.92, respectively. Severtson orchestrates the offense to a league-high .203 hitting percentage by dishing out a conference-high 9.51 assists per set. Senior defensive specialist Madison Lightfoot (Clarkston, Mich.) patrols the back court, registering 4.15 digs per set.
The Wildcats average 12.57 kps and hold opponents to a .184 clip.UNH leads the conference in aces per set (1.81), which ranks seventh in the nation.
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON: Fourth-seeded Binghamton enters the postseason with an overall record of 9-18 and 6-6 in America East play. The Bearcats have won their last four contests, recently upending the University of Massachusetts Lowell on the road in three sets (Nov. 15; 25-14, 25-22, 25-19). Freshman outside hitter Gabby Alicea and sophomore middle blocker Kristella Morila paced the offense in the win over the River Hawks with termination tallies of 13 and 10, respectively.
Alicea leads Binghamton offensively with 2.60 kills per set and rips 29 service aces. Morila is a presence at the net, racking up a team-high 0.96 blocks per set while chipping in 2.00 kills per set. Senior right side hitter Megan Burgess bolsters the attack with 2.14 kills per set. Sophomore setter Sarah Ngo directs the attack by distributing 9.12 assists per set. Junior libero Bailey Walker commands the backline, tallying 4.86 digs per set. Glenn Kiriyama enters his 17th season at the helm of the Binghamton volleyball program.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BINGHAMTON: The Wildcats lead the career series against Binghamton with a 17-12 record. New Hampshire swept the season series with straight set wins on Oct. 4 in Vestal (25-18, 25-23, 25-22) and Oct. 30 in Durham (25-23, 25-23, 25-10). The Wildcats have tallied six straight victories against the Bearcats, dating back to Oct. 18, 2013. New Hampshire and Binghamton meet for just the second time in postseason play. The Bearcats topped the Wildcats in three sets (21-25, 17-25, 20-25) in the 2009 America East Championships, hosted by UAlbany.
WELCOME TO LUNDHOLM: UNH is a perfect 10-0 when it hosts the conference tournament, earning five tournament championships in its history. The road to the America East title has gone through the Durham the past two years. New Hampshire joins UAlbany as the only team to host the tournament in three-straight seasons. The Great Danes did it twice from 2004-06 and from 2008-2012.
DEFEND DURHAM: New Hampshire boasts a 28-9 record in the confines of Lundholm Gymnasium, dating back to the start of the 2013 season. Additionally, the Wildcats are 32-9 when hosting America East teams since 2011.
AMERICA EAST DOMINANCE: Through the league slate, the Wildcats have prevailed in 11 contests while only conceding one. UNH has yet to face a fifth set in conference play while sweeping 9 of 12 America East matches. New Hampshire leads the America East in hitting percentage (.251), opponent hitting percentage (.115) and service aces (86). Severtson leads all conference players in assists per set (11.26) and aces (27). In kills per set, the Wildcats are the only team in the league with three players who rank top-10 -Muses (3.06; fifth), Abby Brinkman (3.03; sixth) and Forrest (2.97; seventh).
POCKET ROCKETS: Severtson has enjoyed a breakout year from the service line, hitting a league-best 0.54 aces per set to rank third in the nation. On 16 occasions, the junior setter has hammered two or more aces. UNH's 1.81 aces per set is the highest average by the team since the 2007 season and ranks seventh in the nation.
ROLLING DOUBLES: Forrest racked up 10 double-doubles to lead the team in 2014 and has surpassed that mark with a career-high 11 this season to pace the 'Cats once again. Muses (eight) and Severtson (five) have also tallied double-double performances this season.
CHART TOPPERS: UNH is among the upper echelon of America East in several statistical categories this season. The Wildcats lead the league in opponent hitting percentage (.169) and service aces per set (1.81). Individually, Severtson paces the conference in assists per set (9.51) and service aces (51). Additionally, Severtson's 0.54 aces per set ranks third in the nation. Muses is sixth in the conference in kills per set with 2.93. Lightfoot's 4.15 digs per set is good for third in America East. Croci is second among league players in hitting percentage with a .288 clip.
HONORS AND AWARDS:
Tori Forrest
Fairfield Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 4-5)
America East Player of the Week (Sept. 8, Sept. 21, Oct. 26)
Big Orange All-Tournament Team (Sept. 19-20)
Madison Lightfoot
America East Defensive Specialist of the Week (Sept. 8, Oct. 5, Oct. 19)
Holly Young Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 11-12)
Demi Muses
Rambler Classic All-Tournament Team (Aug. 29-30)
America East Player of the Week (Oct. 5; Nov. 16)
Keelin Severtson
Big Orange All-Tournament Team (Sept. 19-20)
America East Setter of the Week (Sept. 21; Oct. 12; Nov. 16)
LIGHTFOOT BECOMES ALL-TIME DIGS LEADER: With the Wildcats' victory over Buffalo on Sept. 20, Lightfoot became the program's all-time digs leader. The senior co-captain surpassed Jen Williams '05 on the career leaderboard, who recorded 1,398 digs in her career. Lightfoot now boasts 1,596 digs and counting in her illustrious career. Lightfoot owns two of the top 10 single-season school records for digs, which includes tying the single-season digs mark of 560 just a year ago.
1,000/1,000: Forrest continues to ascend the UNH all-time kills chart, ranking fifth with 1,220. The two-time co-captain became the eighth Wildcat to reach 1,000 kills, reaching the milestone in a four-set win (25-12, 25-18, 13-25, 25-16) against Marshall University on Sept. 4. The senior outside also eclipsed the 1,000-dig plateau against UAlbany on Nov. 1, becoming the 10th member to hit quadruple digits. Forrest is just the third player in program history to register 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
FIVE-TIME CHAMPS: The Wildcats secured the America East title on their home court for the second straight year after defeating the University at Albany in four sets on Nov. 22, 2014. UNH has won the conference crown five times; all under the tutelage of head coach Jill Hirschinger. Additionally, all five of the program's titles have been won at Lundholm Gymnasium.
HIRSCHINGER BY THE NUMBERS: In 36 years as a head coach, Hirschinger is one of just 12 active coaches that have recorded 700 wins or more. She recorded win No. 700 on Sept. 20, 2014 against the University of Rhode Island in a five-set battle. Already the program's winningest coach, Hirschinger earned her 300th career victory at UNH when the team captured a four-set triumph over Binghamton University on Nov. 2, 2014.
A WIN FRIDAY WOULD: The winner of Friday's semifinals meets either No. 2 UAlbany or No. 3 Stony Brook on Saturday, Nov. 21 (7 p.m.) in the title game at Lundholm Gymnasium. The NCAA Championship bracket is announced Sunday, Nov. 29 (9:00 p.m.) on ESPNU.
Check outUNHWildcats.com or follow the Wildcats via social media on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UNHWildcats), Twitter (@UNHWildcats), YouTube (www.youtube.com/UNHAthletics), Instagram (@UNHWildcats) and Snapchat (@UNHWildcats) for the latest news and information on all 20 varsity sports. For additional information on the UNH volleyball team, like the squad on Facebook or follow the 'Cats on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @UNHVOLLEYBALL. Text UNH to 90561 to sign up for Sports alerts. Message & Data Rates May Apply. 1 message/text. Consent to receive a text message is not a condition of purchasing goods or services. Text HELP to 90561 for info. STOP to cancel. T&Cs & Privacy Policy is available HERE.
Players Mentioned
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