Ferchland and Women’s Volleyball Look to Change the Ending in 2015
Patchogue, NY| After posting an 8-1 Skyline Conference record in 2014, the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) women's volleyball team entered the postseason as the #2 seed and a favorite to repeat as conference champion.
Head coach Tobey Pantophelt returned all three of his All-Skyline Conference selections (Heather Ferchland - Selden, NY; Julianne Tierney - Bethpage, NY; and Melissa Garibaldi - Seaford, NY) that led him to glory in 2013. But after a 3-2 upset at the hands of #3 Mt. St. Mary, the Golden Eagles saw their hopes of a title repeat dashed.
Despite the loss, Ferchland was named Skyline Conference Player of the Year after leading all players in hitting percentage (.373) and total kills (371). But now, a year later, the prolific middle hitter is the last of the trio remaining.
That said, the team—which is set to open it 2015 campaign at Baruch on Wednesday, September 2—returns hundreds of games of experience, boasts a strong crop of recruits, and a group of underclassmen that are expected to step into bigger roles seamlessly.
Middle hitter Courtney Bocchieri (Bay Shore, NY) and right side Kiersten Kissinger (Islip Terrace, NY) join from a Suffolk County Community College side that posted a 22-1 record but were eventually defeated by the Fashion Institute of Technology in the Region XV final in 2014. Bocchieri was honored as an All-Region XV First Team selection after registering 177 kills and 75 total blocks on the season.
The Suffolk duo is expected to step right into the starting lineup along with incoming outside hitter Claire Urizzo (Medford, NY). The Pacthogue-Medford graduate was a top high school recruit two years ago and will add a wealth of ability to an already strong and experienced side.
Projected Lineup
"Bocchieri, Urizzo and Kissinger will all slot into big roles for us immediately," said first-year assistant coach Tyler Dowd. "We lost a lot of experience and talent over the summer, but the addition of these three will ensure we're still contenders."
Junior Courtney Wickline (Medford, NY), heir apparent to the graduated Tierney, will slot in as setter and is tasked with distributing the ball to the attackers.
Senior Tiffany Willms (Centereach, NY) returns 90 matches of experience as an outside hitter and is expected to add to significantly to her 448 career-kill total in 2015. Additionally, junior Erin Kelly (Ridge, NY) will reprise her role as libero.
The bench, too, will not be short on experience, with juniors Brianna Wolf (Centereach, NY), Kristin Crudele (Islip, NY) and AnneMarie Taggart (Wading River, NY) all prepared to make an impact.
The only true freshman this season is new recruit Jenna Beekman (Ridge, NY), who played at Longwood High School in 2014. She is joined by fellow underclass returners Keilly Estacuy (Bay Shore, NY) and Jessica Monteserrato (Bellmore, NY)—the latter of which will fill the #2 setter role.
Vital to the team's success is earning victories on the road to begin the season. The side's first 13 games are played away from the Danzi Center and feature non-conference opponents like St. Lawrence, Scranton and New Paltz. The Golden Eagles will face Yeshiva and Maritime to open their conference campaign in the final date of the road trip on Sunday, September 20.
2015 Skyline Conference Coaches' Poll
1. Sage (6) - 94 Points
2. Mount Saint Mary (4) - 90 Points
3. St. Joseph's-Long Island (1) - 84 Points
4. Mount Saint Vincent - 71 Points
5. Farmingdale State - 68 Points
6. Maritime - 55 Points
7. Old Westbury - 33 Points
(tie) St. Joseph's-Brooklyn - 33 Points
9. Yeshiva - 32 Points
10. Sarah Lawrence - 25 Points
11. Purchase - 17 Points
St. Joseph's will play its first home matches on Saturday, September 26 in a non-conference tri-match that features Lehman and Manhattanville.
The St. Joseph's College Tournament is set for October 9-10 and sees Allegheny, Misericordia and New Jersey City arrive in Patchogue for the annual two-day event.
Senior Day ceremonies will take place before the final home tri-match of the season on Saturday, October 31. The Golden Eagles will face Farmingdale at 12:00 PM and Mt. St. Mary at 4:00 PM.
Skyline Conference playoff action runs from November 4-7 with sites and times TBA.
