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Volleyball team huddle

PREVIEW: Volleyball set to open 2022 with five matches in opening week

8/25/2022 8:30:00 AM

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College volleyball team is set to play five matches in its opening week, starting against Valdosta State on Thursday, Aug. 25.

Saint Anselm adds a pair of tri-matches against Saint Michael's and D'Youville on Saturday, Aug. 27 and will battle Roberts Wesleyan and Kutztown on Sunday, Aug. 28. Saturday's matches are slated for an 11 a.m. start while Sunday is set for 10 a.m.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM
  • Saint Anselm returns 13 student-athletes from last season's roster. The team added six student-athletes to its 2022 roster in junior Emma Adams (Gary, Texas), and freshmen Abigail Macalaguim (Chula Vista, Calif.), Ava Kidd (Walton, Ky.), Annabelle Stabach (Glastonbury, Conn.), Skylar Ryan (Channahon, Ill.), and Anastasia Karaban (Northborough, Mass.).
  • Senior co-captain Caroline Belmontez (San Diego, Calif.) returns as the team's defensive leader. In 2021, Belmontez posted 375 digs, good for an average of 4.21 per set. She also led the team with 39 service aces and ranked second with 108 assists.
  • Senior Michelle Henwood (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) returns as a co-captain for the Hawks. She recorded a team-high 939 assists, good for an average of 9.88 per set in 2021. Henwood added 100 kills and 30 service aces for the offense. The senior ranked second in digs at 270 and had a hand in 28 blocks, two solo and 26 assisted, on the defensive side of play.
  • Senior Lauren Casey (Jefferson City, Mo.) led the Hawks attack with 282 kills. Her 327.5 points was also a team-high and aided her to a Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team selection. Casey added 267 digs on the defensive side of the ball.
  • Senior Lois Dogbe (Winchester, Calif.) and junior Audrey Wetjen (Henderson, Nev.) ranked third and fourth on the team in total points with 238.5 and 222.0 each respectively, trailing sophomore Gabby Belcher (Buckeye, Ariz.) who was second on the squad with 244.5. Belcher also ranked second with 231 kills. Wetjen and Dogbe were the Hawks top-two blockers last fall, registering 75.0 and 55.0 blocks each.
  • The Hawks qualified for the Northeast-10 Conference postseason for the fifth consecutive full season of competition in 2021 with a 19-8 overall mark and a 9-4 record against the NE10. The team opened the 2021 slate with 16 consecutive match wins which is a program record. Saint Anselm was projected to finish fourth in the NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll.
SCOUTING VALDOSTA STATE
  • The Blazers were selected ninth in the Gulf South Conference Preseason Poll after posting a 12-20 overall record and a 5-11 mark in GSC play.
  • Valdosta State returns Jojo Smith who was selected as the GSC Freshman of the Year in 2021. Smith led the Blazers with 293 kills and 339.0 points.
  • The program also brings back Lyara Rosario who posted a team-high 571 digs. Rosario ranked second on the squad with 35 service aces last season.
  • Head Coach Kaleigh Zoucha enters her fifth season at the helm of the Blazers volleyball program. Her 2022 squad features six returners from 2021, six transfers, and two freshmen, bringing the roster size to 14.
SCOUTING SAINT MICHAEL'S
  • The Purple Knights are returning 10 student-athletes from the 2021 season and have added five student-athletes to bring the roster to 15. The squad has three freshmen on the roster entering 2022.
  • Head Coach Jeanne Dorf enters her third season at the head of the program for the Purple Knights. In 2021, Saint Michael's posted a 1-15 record with a 0-12 mark in conference matches. Entering 2022, the Purple Knights were selected to finish 13th in the NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll.
  • The team returns Caitlin O'Connor who ranked second on the team with 77 kills last season. O'Connor's 79.5 points was good for third-highest on the team.
  • Alexandra Báez Rentas also returns for the squad after leading the defense with 165 digs, good for an average of 3.24 digs per set. She also led the team with 173 assists. Aaliyah Huihui-Martinez was second on the squad with 112 digs.
SCOUTING D'YOUVILLE
  • Head Coach Jamie Snyder enters her first season at the helm of the Saints volleyball program. The Saints were selected to finish fifth in the East Coast Conference Preseason Poll.
  • In 2021, the Saints were 3-24 with a 2-10 mark in East Coast Conference play. The squad fell to St. Mary-Woods and Maine-Fort Kent in the USCAA Championship to conclude the season.
  • The Saints returned 12 student-athletes from last season's roster. The team brought in four student-athletes, three of which are freshmen.
  • Eve Musielak, Nathalya Rocha, and Brianna Damstetter collected the top-three spots in kills on the Saints last season with 159, 128, and 122 each respectively.
  • Samantha Killane and Emma Wlostowski registered 338 and 242 digs each for the defense. Wlostowski also collected 611 assists for the Saints.
SCOUTING ROBERTS WESLEYAN
  • The Redhawks were 3-20 overall and 2-10 East Coast Conference play in 2021 for Head Coach Doug Porterfield. Porterfield's squad was projected sixth in the ECC Preseason Poll.
  • Roberts Wesleyan returns five student-athletes from the 2021 season. The team has also added five freshmen to its roster of 12 for the 2022 slate.
  • Sydney Yanak led the team with 136 kills last fall, good for an average of 2.16 kills per set.
  • Teagan Weber posted 23 service aces which was second most on the team last season. Weber also led the team with 281 digs, good for 3.80 per set.
SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
  • The Golden Bears posted an 8-19 record overall and a 3-11 mark in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play in 2021. The team was ranked seventh in PSAC East Preseason Coaches' Poll.
  • Head Coach Allison Keeley enters her first season leading Kutztown. Her squad features eight returners from last fall's squad. Six freshman join the returners to help the roster reach 18 student-athletes.
  • Sophia Basler returns as the team's top attacker, posting 208 kills in 2021. She averaged 2.54 kills per set.
  • Lexi Morrow recorded 832 assists last season which led the squad. She also registered the most digs of all the returners last season with 278.
ABOUT THE MATCHES
  • Saint Anselm will meet Valdosta State and D'Youville for the first time program history.
  • The Hawks have battled Roberts Wesleyan twice and Kutztown five times while the program has met Saint Michael's 37 times.
  • Last season, the Hawks downed Kutztown and Saint Michael's by 3-0 and 3-1 scores.
  • Saint Anselm and Roberts Wesleyan last met during the 2019 season with the Hawks posting a 3-1 victory in that match.
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