NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The fifth-seeded Saint Anselm College volleyball team begins postseason play on Tuesday, Nov. 10, traveling to fourth-seeded Southern Connecticut State University for a quarterfinals-round matchup in the Northeast 10 Conference Championship, scheduled for 5 p.m. at Pelz Gymnasium.
The fifth-seeded Hawks enter the tournament with a 14-9 overall record and a 4-5 mark in Northeast 10 play after closing the regular season with consecutive victories over Saint Michael's and Pace. Saint Anselm earned a 3-1 Senior Day win over the Purple Knights on Nov. 3 before sweeping the Setters on Nov. 6 to secure its place in the conference tournament.
The winner of Tuesday's match advances to the NE10 Championship semifinals on Friday, Nov. 13. The semifinals and championship match on Saturday, Nov. 14, will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
Saint Anselm enters the tournament with a strong defensive identity, leading the Northeast 10 with 16.06 digs per set. Senior libero
Madeline Burke anchors the back row, pacing the conference with 4.45 digs per set while totaling 387 digs across 87 sets.
Senior
Sam Pila is a key contributor on both sides of the ball, ranking among the conference's top 10 in kills (2.84 per set) and digs (3.29 per set). The Melbourne, Australia native has recorded 247 kills and 286 digs this season, while adding 23 total blocks.
Sophomore setter
Mckenna O'Connell directs the Hawks' offense with 8.87 assists per set, ranking fourth in the Northeast 10. A captain for the Hawks, O'Connell has distributed 772 assists across 87 sets and also has 229 digs and 32 total blocks. At the net, sophomore
Etta Rocco ranks sixth in the conference with a .294 hitting percentage, totaling 151 kills on 333 attacks, while being in the top-10 in blocks per set at 0.83.
Saint Anselm will look to carry its two-match win streak into Tuesday's matchup, facing a Southern Connecticut team that has been among the league's strongest blocking and defensive units.
Southern Connecticut State enters the postseason at 17-7 overall and 6-3 in conference play, earning the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage for the quarterfinals after winning its final four matches of the regular season. The Owls most recently swept Franklin Pierce on Nov. 6.
The Hawks and Owls met earlier this season in the conference opener on Oct. 2, with Southern Connecticut earning a 3-1 victory at Pelz Gymnasium. Saint Anselm claimed the opening set, 25-17, before the Owls took the next three, including a 29-27 decision in the fourth set.
The Owls lead the Northeast 10 with 2.24 blocks per set and hold opponents to a conference-best .127 hitting percentage. They also rank second in the league in kills (12.72 per set), assists (11.93) and points (16.89 per set).
Kerrigan Habing leads the Owls with 3.26 kills per set, while Sydney Bennett ranks among the conference leaders with a .327 hitting percentage and 1.06 blocks per set. Setter Kimi Mitchell averages 9.20 assists per set, and libero Sarah Henault contributes 3.54 digs per set.
The winner of Tuesday's first-round matchup advances to the Northeast 10 Championship semifinals to take on the one-seed, Bentley University, at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass., on Friday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m.
