BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team had a very exciting 2009 campaign which saw them compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. On their way to the tournament, the Hawks put up an impressive regular season record and upset two higher-seeded opponents to win the TCCC and reserve their spot in the tournament.
During the season the women were involved in a four-way struggle for the top spot in the conference which was eventually given to Endicott, followed by Western New England in second, Colby-Sawyer in third and RWU in fourth place. The four teams were separated by just one game. The team amassed an overall record of 21-11 and 8-2 in the TCCC. At one point during the heart of the season, the team strung together eight consecutive wins to gain momentum heading into the final weeks of the season.
In the first round of the TCCC playoffs the Hawks knocked off the University of New England 3-0, the Hawks travelled to Endicott and did the same thing to the number one seed. They followed this up with a 3-1 win over Western New England in the TCCC Championship.
Following the victory, the team learned that it would travel to New York City for the opening round of the NCAA tournament. This would mark the first time in the program's history that the team would be making an appearance. The Hawks would be playing at NYU against a strong team from SUNY New Paltz. The team was defeated three games to none, ending their dreams of continuing on in the NCAA Tournament.
In the middle of the season, another bright spot in the program's history occurred as senior Kristina Dolan (Glenmont, N.Y.) recorded her 1,000th career kill. This is a feat that has only been accomplished two other times in the past. She would accumulate a total of 1,078 kills by the end of the year, which put her in second all-time. She was also named to the All-TCCC First Team and the NEWVA Senior All-Star Classic team.
Also receiving conference recognition was four other Hawks. Freshman Emily Lebowitz (Coventry, Conn.) would establish herself as the TCCC Rookie of the Year in addition to being named to Honorable Mention team with teammate Marybeth Torpey (Quincy, Mass.). Named to the All-TCCC Second Team were Jill Hurd (Sunapee, N.H.). and Rebekah Dion (Old Saybrook, Conn.). Hurd also finished runner-up in the voting for the TCCC Libero of the Year award.
Four members of the volleyball team will be departing in the spring. Dolan, Michelle Beatrice (Medfield, Mass.), Laura Scott (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Caryn Lecca (Ludlow, Mass.) will be missed as they have reached the end of their collegiate careers.
