Posted: Nov 07, 2011
Mustangs Complete Season as NJCAA District H Runners-Up
Blue Bell, Pa. - In the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III District H Championship, the Montgomery County Community College Mustangs faced up against the Davidson County Community College Storm.
The Storm, NJCAA Region X champions, traveled from North Carolina to Central Campus to take on the Mustangs, recent winners of the NJCAA Region XIX championship. The District H championship between the teams would determine the rights to travel to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament, held November 10-11 in Rochester, MN.
Going into the matchup, the Mustangs were aware that they would be facing some of the best competition in the country. The team put out an outstanding effort, but ultimately lost 1-3 to Davidson, sending the North Carolina squad to Nationals.
“We knew a team of this caliber would not just roll over for the win,” commented Mustangs Head Coach Misti Volpe. “ The girls really put forth every bit of effort they had in the matchup. It is difficult going into a match against a team that you have never seen play and might not necessarily know what to expect. The winning team is usually the team that is able to adjust more quickly to the other’s arsenal. Today it was the Storm, but I am confident that our girls learned much from this match and it will only make us stronger for next year.”
The Storm was able to keep the Mustangs hitting average at just a .077 over the four set match.
“The middles on the Storm’s roster were probably the strongest we’ve faced off against this year, which proved challenging for our lineup” said Coach Volpe.
Freshman Marina Weckner led on the offense with a .100 and three kills on 10 attempts. Following closely was sophomore Samantha Reeves with a .147 and nine kills on 34 attempts. Sophomore Brianna Musselman added 10 kills on 39 attempts with a .077 average. The Mustangs earned a total of 31 kills on the matchup.
Defensively the Mustangs maintained a strong lineup with three players achieving digs in the double digits. Sophomore libero Mel Angelucci led the defensive effort with 20 digs. She was followed closely by freshman opposite Nikki Reichert who picked up 18. Outside Sam Reeves chipped in 10 of her own. Additionally, two other players each recorded eight apiece; defensive player Kelsey Kowalick and setter Kaitlynn Franks. Franks also had 27 assists for the match.
On average for the year the Mustangs achieved a .167 hitting average. Two players reached over 100 kills; sophomore middle Brianna Musselman end the season with 199 and freshman outside Briana Rodriguez reach the 103 mark. Sophomore outside Samantha Reeves followed very closely achieving 92 kills.
The Mustangs amassed an amazing 320 aces on their season with their aggressive serving. Of the aces, 72 came from Nikki Reichert and 69 were from the efforts of Mel Angelucci.
Defensively the team achieved 898 digs, with four of its players tallying over 100 apiece. Mel Angelucci led with 271 followed by Nikki Reichert with 170. Sam Reeves added 124 and Kaitlynn Franks had 121. Additionally Brianna Musselman achieved 68 blocks in the season.
Coach Volpe said, “I’m proud of the girls’ effort. This time last year we reached a similar point in our conference playoffs and when facing off against a team of this caliber lost in 3 games with scores not even in the 20s. This year the team has taken a step forward, and I believe each year additionally we will continue to challenge ourselves.”
As for awards, the Mustangs volleyball team is getting quite a bit of recognition for its second year in existence. Coach Volpe was name the Mustangs Coach of the Year in 2010 and this year she has been named the 2011 Region XIX Coach of the Year. Brianna Musselman was named to the NJCAA Region XIX All-Tournament Team and Mel Angelucci was the Region XIX Tournament MVP.
Four players were named to the All-Region Teams. Brianna Musselman, Sam Reeves and Mel Angelucci earned spots on the First Team All-Region, while Kaitlynn Franks earned a spot on the Second Team All-Region. Brianna Musselman was also named NJCAA Division III Region XIX Player of the Year.
The Storm, NJCAA Region X champions, traveled from North Carolina to Central Campus to take on the Mustangs, recent winners of the NJCAA Region XIX championship. The District H championship between the teams would determine the rights to travel to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament, held November 10-11 in Rochester, MN.
Going into the matchup, the Mustangs were aware that they would be facing some of the best competition in the country. The team put out an outstanding effort, but ultimately lost 1-3 to Davidson, sending the North Carolina squad to Nationals.
“We knew a team of this caliber would not just roll over for the win,” commented Mustangs Head Coach Misti Volpe. “ The girls really put forth every bit of effort they had in the matchup. It is difficult going into a match against a team that you have never seen play and might not necessarily know what to expect. The winning team is usually the team that is able to adjust more quickly to the other’s arsenal. Today it was the Storm, but I am confident that our girls learned much from this match and it will only make us stronger for next year.”
The Storm was able to keep the Mustangs hitting average at just a .077 over the four set match.
“The middles on the Storm’s roster were probably the strongest we’ve faced off against this year, which proved challenging for our lineup” said Coach Volpe.
Freshman Marina Weckner led on the offense with a .100 and three kills on 10 attempts. Following closely was sophomore Samantha Reeves with a .147 and nine kills on 34 attempts. Sophomore Brianna Musselman added 10 kills on 39 attempts with a .077 average. The Mustangs earned a total of 31 kills on the matchup.
Defensively the Mustangs maintained a strong lineup with three players achieving digs in the double digits. Sophomore libero Mel Angelucci led the defensive effort with 20 digs. She was followed closely by freshman opposite Nikki Reichert who picked up 18. Outside Sam Reeves chipped in 10 of her own. Additionally, two other players each recorded eight apiece; defensive player Kelsey Kowalick and setter Kaitlynn Franks. Franks also had 27 assists for the match.
On average for the year the Mustangs achieved a .167 hitting average. Two players reached over 100 kills; sophomore middle Brianna Musselman end the season with 199 and freshman outside Briana Rodriguez reach the 103 mark. Sophomore outside Samantha Reeves followed very closely achieving 92 kills.
The Mustangs amassed an amazing 320 aces on their season with their aggressive serving. Of the aces, 72 came from Nikki Reichert and 69 were from the efforts of Mel Angelucci.
Defensively the team achieved 898 digs, with four of its players tallying over 100 apiece. Mel Angelucci led with 271 followed by Nikki Reichert with 170. Sam Reeves added 124 and Kaitlynn Franks had 121. Additionally Brianna Musselman achieved 68 blocks in the season.
Coach Volpe said, “I’m proud of the girls’ effort. This time last year we reached a similar point in our conference playoffs and when facing off against a team of this caliber lost in 3 games with scores not even in the 20s. This year the team has taken a step forward, and I believe each year additionally we will continue to challenge ourselves.”
As for awards, the Mustangs volleyball team is getting quite a bit of recognition for its second year in existence. Coach Volpe was name the Mustangs Coach of the Year in 2010 and this year she has been named the 2011 Region XIX Coach of the Year. Brianna Musselman was named to the NJCAA Region XIX All-Tournament Team and Mel Angelucci was the Region XIX Tournament MVP.
Four players were named to the All-Region Teams. Brianna Musselman, Sam Reeves and Mel Angelucci earned spots on the First Team All-Region, while Kaitlynn Franks earned a spot on the Second Team All-Region. Brianna Musselman was also named NJCAA Division III Region XIX Player of the Year.