Posted: Oct 09, 2010
Women's Volleyball Wins EPCC Championship
Harrisburg, Pa. � In their inaugural season, the Montgomery County Community College Mustangs women�s volleyball team won the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference (EPCC) Championship on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010.
The Mustangs completed their regular season with an overall record of 13-2 and a conference record of 10-2, earning a 2nd place seeding in the EPCC Championship Tournament. Slated to play 3rd seeded Lehigh Carbon Community College Cougars first, then reigning champions and 1st seeded Harrisburg Area Community College Hawks, the Mustangs faced steep competition.
Earlier in the season, the Mustangs lost two matches to the Hawks and had two close wins over the Cougars. Both teams were formidable opponents for the Mustangs in their first post-season appearance.
Against the Cougars in the EPCC Championship Tournament Semi-Final game, the Mustangs came on strong to win their first set 25-15. After losing the first set by ten points the Cougars made adjustments in the second set, and were able to finish within four points of the Mustangs, losing only 25-21. By the third set it appeared that the Cougars had figured out how to get the best of the Mustangs as they landed a 25-17 win.
But first season Head Coach Misti Volpe made adjustments as well, moving Emily Mayer to the outside and Sharnae Johnson to the middle. The switch worked and rallied the Mustangs to a 25-19 victory in the fourth set, which clinched the 3-1 win for the team.
Coach Volpe commented on her game-winning decision. �Emily does a fantastic job playing aggressively and going after every ball on offense and defense. She was just what we needed on the outside to change the momentum of the game in our favor.�
Teammate Steph Angelucci also contributed to the team�s victory over the Lehigh Carbon Community College Cougars with 20 assists, three aces and eight digs. The Mustangs� offense was led by Brianna Musselman, who had ten kills and the defense was led by Mel Angelucci, who had seven digs and 11 perfect passes on serve-receive.
The win secured the Mustangs� spot in the EPCC Championship Final against the Harrisburg Area Community College Hawks, who had beaten the Community College of Philadelphia Colonials in a semi-final match up earlier in the day.
The Hawks powered through the first set, winning 25-18 to lead the match 1-0 but the Mustangs were determined to give their best effort. Going up against a team which beat them in every set during the regular season, the Mustangs pulled together to overcome the undefeated Hawks 25-19 and 25-21 in the second and third sets.
Down 2-1 going into the potentially fateful fourth set, the Hawks turned on the heat matching the Mustangs point-for-point in a thrilling back and forth battle. Tied up at 19 apiece, the Mustangs� Brianna Musselman set up to serve out of the back row while Sharnae Johnson set up to kill at the net. The combination proved deadly for the Hawks as the Mustangs racked up six unanswered points to win the set 25-19 and secure the Championship title.
In the final victory Steph Angelucci rallied the Mustangs by chasing down balls and making perfect sets. She led the team with 21 assists and four aces. The offense racked up a tremendous 33 kills; 13 from Johnson, nine from Emily Mayer and seven from Musselman. Mel Angelucci anchored the defense with 22 digs and was near perfect on serve-receive with 31 attempts and only three errors.
Three Mustangs landed on the All-Tournament Team; Steph Angelucci, Mel Angelucci and Emily Mayer. Steph Angelucci was also named Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Coach Volpe contributed the win not just to those three athletes, but to all the women on the team. "Every single woman on this team had a part in our victory. Those who did not lead in kills or digs played consistently and kept almost every ball in play, leading with heart and war cries that echoed through the gym. I could not have asked for more in a first year team. I am excited to see how we fare in the PCAA Championship match up next weekend. We're going to bring it and leave it all on the court."
Next Saturday Montgomery County Community College will host the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association Championship game, in which the Mustangs will face off against the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference champions. Follow up at MustangsAthletics.com for details on the PCAA Championship.
The Mustangs completed their regular season with an overall record of 13-2 and a conference record of 10-2, earning a 2nd place seeding in the EPCC Championship Tournament. Slated to play 3rd seeded Lehigh Carbon Community College Cougars first, then reigning champions and 1st seeded Harrisburg Area Community College Hawks, the Mustangs faced steep competition.
Earlier in the season, the Mustangs lost two matches to the Hawks and had two close wins over the Cougars. Both teams were formidable opponents for the Mustangs in their first post-season appearance.
Against the Cougars in the EPCC Championship Tournament Semi-Final game, the Mustangs came on strong to win their first set 25-15. After losing the first set by ten points the Cougars made adjustments in the second set, and were able to finish within four points of the Mustangs, losing only 25-21. By the third set it appeared that the Cougars had figured out how to get the best of the Mustangs as they landed a 25-17 win.
But first season Head Coach Misti Volpe made adjustments as well, moving Emily Mayer to the outside and Sharnae Johnson to the middle. The switch worked and rallied the Mustangs to a 25-19 victory in the fourth set, which clinched the 3-1 win for the team.
Coach Volpe commented on her game-winning decision. �Emily does a fantastic job playing aggressively and going after every ball on offense and defense. She was just what we needed on the outside to change the momentum of the game in our favor.�
Teammate Steph Angelucci also contributed to the team�s victory over the Lehigh Carbon Community College Cougars with 20 assists, three aces and eight digs. The Mustangs� offense was led by Brianna Musselman, who had ten kills and the defense was led by Mel Angelucci, who had seven digs and 11 perfect passes on serve-receive.
The win secured the Mustangs� spot in the EPCC Championship Final against the Harrisburg Area Community College Hawks, who had beaten the Community College of Philadelphia Colonials in a semi-final match up earlier in the day.
The Hawks powered through the first set, winning 25-18 to lead the match 1-0 but the Mustangs were determined to give their best effort. Going up against a team which beat them in every set during the regular season, the Mustangs pulled together to overcome the undefeated Hawks 25-19 and 25-21 in the second and third sets.
Down 2-1 going into the potentially fateful fourth set, the Hawks turned on the heat matching the Mustangs point-for-point in a thrilling back and forth battle. Tied up at 19 apiece, the Mustangs� Brianna Musselman set up to serve out of the back row while Sharnae Johnson set up to kill at the net. The combination proved deadly for the Hawks as the Mustangs racked up six unanswered points to win the set 25-19 and secure the Championship title.
In the final victory Steph Angelucci rallied the Mustangs by chasing down balls and making perfect sets. She led the team with 21 assists and four aces. The offense racked up a tremendous 33 kills; 13 from Johnson, nine from Emily Mayer and seven from Musselman. Mel Angelucci anchored the defense with 22 digs and was near perfect on serve-receive with 31 attempts and only three errors.
Three Mustangs landed on the All-Tournament Team; Steph Angelucci, Mel Angelucci and Emily Mayer. Steph Angelucci was also named Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Coach Volpe contributed the win not just to those three athletes, but to all the women on the team. "Every single woman on this team had a part in our victory. Those who did not lead in kills or digs played consistently and kept almost every ball in play, leading with heart and war cries that echoed through the gym. I could not have asked for more in a first year team. I am excited to see how we fare in the PCAA Championship match up next weekend. We're going to bring it and leave it all on the court."
Next Saturday Montgomery County Community College will host the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association Championship game, in which the Mustangs will face off against the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference champions. Follow up at MustangsAthletics.com for details on the PCAA Championship.