Aug. 20, 2009

Garden City, N.Y. -

After reaching the NCAA Tournament and recording a program best 27 wins for the second consecutive season, the Panthers will look for similar success in their first year in the Northeast-10 Conference. "We are looking forward to another successful year and making an immediate impact in our first season in the NE-10," third-year Head Coach Danielle MacKnight stated. "We know it is an extremely competitive conference with a lot of parity, but we believe that we have the talent to finish in the top three." Last season the Panthers finished third in the East Coast Conference with an 11-5 record in league play.

Volleyball will look to start the season off strong in Honolulu, Hawaii. "The girls are extremely excited about traveling to Hawaii to train and compete," MacKnight noted. "We expect to be challenged early in our schedule, and that will continue when we return to the main land." The Panthers will play four games in Honolulu with the first on August 27 against Hawaii-Hilo. They will conclude their trip on August 29 with matches against BYU Hawaii and Hawaii-Pacific, respectively.

The Panthers are going to have to replace two key starters from last year who were lost to graduation, Kathleen Carney and Samantha Johnston. "We are going to have to make up ground offensively with the loss of Kathleen and Samantha," said MacKnight. Carney, who was First-Team All-ECC member last season, is third all-time in the program's history in single season kills with 348 in 2007. Johnston led the team in kills last season with 373, and was a Third-Team All-ECC member. She graduates with top-five appearances in career services aces, digs, single-season kills, kill attempts, service aces, and digs.

The five returning seniors will be heavily relied on to guide the Panthers back to the NCAA Tournament in 2009. Libero, Amy Williams, who was a Third-Team All-ECC selection last season, as well as a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region Team, will look to anchor the defense. Williams also led the team with 650 digs last season, breaking her previous single-season record of 567. She also became the program's all-time digs leader with 1,362. "Amy is coming off a strong junior season, and we will look for her to be our defensive leader on the floor this year," said MacKnight.

Audrey Goss will also be a vital member of the team this season, as she led the team with 76 blocks last season and also finished fourth on the team with 266 kills. "Audrey is our most versatile player. Having contributed at all three front row positions last year, her versatility, blocking ability, and work ethic make her a key part of the team," MacKnight added.

Jennifer McKenna returns after a solid season in 2008 where she had 262 digs, which was good enough for fourth on the team. According to coach MacKnight, "Jennifer will be the vocal leader of the team. She provides the team with enthusiasm and motivates the girls with her effort." Another key contributor from last season was Kelsey Hackett, who finished third on the team last year with 52 blocks and fifth on the team with 180 kills. She will be relied on this year both offensively and defensively. "If Kelsey stays healthy, we expect her to be one of our top contributors offensively," said MacKnight.

Rounding out the senior class is Anna Gabbard, who will look to guide the Panthers back to the NCAA Tournament with her quality defensive play. Gabbard recorded 73 digs and 17 assists as a junior. "Anna's hard work and defensive intensity helped us down the stretch last year, and we will look forward to her playing a similar role this year," MacKnight stated.

The squad will attempt their third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The two juniors on the Panthers' roster this season are Setter Heather Mau and Opposite Hitter Hilary Pavels. Mau, who was selected to the ECC All-Conference Second Team last season, dished out 1,392 assists, good enough for second all-time in the program's history for assists in a season, and in the process moved into fourth all-time on the career assists list with 1,438. Mau also finished with 297 digs and 44 blocks. MacKnight had this to say about her offensive leader: "After Heather's first full season of running the offense, we will look for her to control the tempo of the game, as well as make good decisions based on individual situations." Pavels is coming off a tremendous sophomore campaign where she finished second on the team in kills and assists with 278 and 63, respectively. Pavels also recorded 246 digs. "Hilary will be one of our biggest weapons offensively on the outside," said MacKnight. "She is very well-rounded and will play a large role in our offense and defense."

The Panthers' sophomore class is made up of Patawe Simms, Ashley Harkins, and Erika Loomer. Simms, who had an impressive freshman year in the brown and gold, will look to improve on her 69-block and 160-kill season a year ago. "Patawe had a huge freshman campaign, and with a year of experience, we expect bigger things from her this season," MacKnight noted on her rising sophomore. Harkins is coming off a freshman year where she totaled 60 kills and 27 blocks. "Ashley has grown a lot as a player over the last year," said MacKnight. "We expect her to make similar strides in 2009." Erika Loomer will look to bounce back from an injury plagued 2008 season. "Erika was limited last season due to injury, but continues to grow every day," said MacKnight. "She has solid hands and good court awareness."

The 2009 Panthers picked up five freshmen for the 2009 campaign. According to MacKnight, "This year's freshmen class is made up of excellent athleticisim, size, and a great work ethic." The five freshmen who make up the class of 2013 are: Emily Dorko, Alexandra Kahen, Chelsea Overholt, Bree Popham, and Samantha Rico.

After the Panthers open their season in Hawaii, they will travel to Erie, Pennsylvania for the Gannon/Mercyhurst Invitational. They will take on Tiffin and UW-Parkside on September 4, followed by Gannon and Mercyhurst the following day. "Our first weekend at the Gannon/Mercyhurst Invitational should allow us to gage our progress up to that point," said MacKnight. The Panthers head back to Pennsylvania on September 11 for the East Stroudsburg University Tournament before hosting cross-town rival C.W. Post in their home opener on September 15.

The Panthers will host their first NE-10 opponent on September 23 when they will take on Southern Connecticut State University. MacKnight noted that the team understands what is at stake this year and what is to be expected from them. "Aside from qualifying for our Conference Tournament, the girls have come to understand that qualifying for the NCAA Tournament is not only a realistic goal, it is something we work towards every season."

The women will close out conference play on November 6 and 7 when they host Franklin Pierce University and Southern New Hampshire University, respectively.