Season Preview: 2021 Volleyball

WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington and Jefferson College volleyball team is eager to build on a successful season this past spring and continue its ascension towards the top of the Presidents' Athletic Conference in 2021. The Presidents host Hiram College for the season opener on Wednesday, Sept. 1.

2020-2021 Season Review: The Presidents rebounded from their 4-23 record in the 2019 season, finding themselves finishing this past season with a 7-6 record.

"As coaches we are so proud of this team and the turnaround we saw from 2019 to the 2021 spring season. It took a lot of intentional hard work and dedication to our core values from every single player to return to the PAC Tournament last year," said head coach Lauren London-Law. "On and off the court, we focused heavily on our team culture and both our returners and our newcomers last year were all in on our goals. That work paired with the level of discipline we ask of our athletes in the gym led to improvements across the board."

Washington & Jefferson opened their season with four-set road win over Grove City.

The Presidents top four hitters, all sophomores or freshmen, combined for 37 of the team's 43 kills during the match. Net play was a major advantage for the Presidents on the evening, as W&J finished with 16 blocks in the four-set victory.

Newcomer Lizzie Carmichael (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) was strong in the middle in her collegiate debut. Carmichael recorded 10 kills and 10 total blocks.

W&J added conference wins over Saint Vincent, Waynesburg, Franciscan and Thiel. The team finished with a 5-1 mark in home games at Salvitti Family Gymnasium in 2020-21.

W&J earned a hard-fought win over fourth-seeded Bethany College by a 3-2 score in a five-set thriller in the PAC Tournament Quarterfinals. The victory advanced the Presidents to the PAC Tournament Semifinals.

"Our win against Bethany in the PAC Semifinals was a real look at how resilient this team can be," London-Law said. "We had a tough loss at Chatham earlier in the week that put us in the position to travel instead of host, and the team took it in stride. It was a hard-fought win against a great Bethany team and it was a big day for our program."

Additionally, the win is the first for the W&J volleyball program in the PAC Tournament since 2016 when they earned a 3-2 win over Westminster in the quarterfinal round.

The Presidents fell 3-0 in the PAC Semifinals to eventual conference champion Westminster College.

Additionally, Katie Conner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy) earned selection to the 2020-2021 Academic All-District Women's Volleyball First Team, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and was joined by fellow teammate and setter Alexis Tomassini (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) on the D-III District IV Team.

PAC Players To Watch                       
Lizzie Carmichael       So.       MH      Wyoming, Ohio | Wyoming
Sophia Sacriponte      Jr.        OH      Butler, Pa. | Butler
Claire Sauerland         Jr.        OH      Hollidaysburg, Pa. | Hollidaysburg
Alexis Tomassini         Sr.       S          Gettysburg, Pa. | Gettysburg

PAC
1. Westminster College (8)                 89        10-1 (8-0)
T-2. Bethany College (1)                    73        5-5 (5-3)
T-2. Grove City College (1)                73        7-5 (7-3)
4. Washington & Jefferson College    71        7-6 (5-4)
5. Geneva College                              57        10-2 (6-1)
T-6. Saint Vincent College                  45        3-7 (2-7)
T-6. Thiel College                                45        2-9 (2-7)
8. Chatham University                        41        5-5 (3-5)
9. Franciscan University                     24        3-6 (3-6)
10. Waynesburg University                22        2-10 (2-6)
 
Team Captains: Ashley Kovel & Alexis Tomassini

"We are so excited to have Ashley and Alexis return as team captains for this upcoming season," London-Law said. "Both captains were asked to grow significantly in their roles while we navigated a challenging set of circumstances during this past season and they have proven themselves to be strong, capable leaders. We are looking forward to seeing Lex and Ashley further that growth by leading the team again this fall."

Returners: With the Presidents graduating only one senior in the spring, the Presidents list eight total upper-class players on the roster and 11 returners overall.

Setter – Tomassini returns for her final year as the team's starting setter.

Tomassini, a three-year member of the program, has amassed 658 assists, 46 service aces and 398 digs in 47 matches. She was honored as an All-PAC Second Team choice in 2020-21. She led the PAC and ranked 13th in NCAA Division III in service aces this spring.

"Alexis has been a fantastic setter for us over the past four years and we are looking forward to seeing her lead our team again this fall for her senior season. She is a level-headed, decisive, and talented setter who makes our hitters look good," London-Law Said. "On the court and off Lex leads with poise, confidence, and kindness and her younger teammates definitely look up to her."
 
Junior Mackenzie Bingaman (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) appeared in two matches during the spring. A trio of newcomers, Mattie Cherry (Tyrone, Pa./Tyrone), Helen Ramos (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) and Adrianna Sacramento (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Woodland Hills), gives London-Law plenty of options behind Tomassini.

Libero/Defensive Specialists – There will be big shoes to fill with at libero with Conner lost to graduation. A four-year member of the team, Conner competed in 93 career matches. She finished her collegiate career with 1,140 digs and 78 service aces. She earned All-Presidents' Athletic Conference Second Team honors in 2020-21.

The Presidents will look to reload at the position for a second straight year, as Conner replaced Mackenzie Coughlin, who led Division III in digs per set in 2019.

Gianna Platt (Pittsburgh, Pa./OLSH) appeared in four matches throughout the 2020-2021 season and learned behind Conner during an abbreviated freshman season.

Platt will be pushed by a trio of newcomers that join her in the mix at defensive specialist. Junior transfer Morgan Kiefer (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) joins W&J after spending the 2019 season at PAC rival Chatham. Newcomers Lanie French (Beaver, Pa./ Beaver Area) and Cherry will compete for playing time as well defensively. 

"Katie was a solid and consistent figure in the backrow for us during her entire career and she is a tough one to replace, but we have some serious talent and depth in this position this year with returners Gianna Platt and Sophia Sacriponte and newcomers Morgan Kiefer, Mattie Cherry, and Lanie French. We're excited to see our team evolve with a new athlete in the libero jersey," London-Law said.

Outside Hitter and Right Side – Claire Sauerland (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area) returns for her junior season. Sauerland ranked second on the roster for kills (104) and fourth in both digs (160) and blocks (14.0) in the spring. She posted at least 10 kills in five matches and set a career high of 13 kills in a sweep against Franciscan. Sauerland earned All-PAC Honorable Mention status in the spring.

Classmate Sophia Sacriponte (Butler, Pa./ Butler Area) appeared in all 13 games this past season, earning a spot in the starting lineup. She totaled 62 kills and 184 digs during the season.

"Both Claire and Sophia were consistent and steadfast starters for us in the spring and brought a lot of poise to the court," London-Law said. "We are looking now for both of them to work to be stronger, more vocal leaders this fall and use all that great experience they earned in the spring."

Ashley Bertling (Berkley, Mich./ Berkley) appeared in six matches throughout the season. Bertling figures to factor into the mix as well on the outside this fall.

First-year players Jaden Blough (Meyersdale, Pa./Meyersdale) and Kaitlyn Delauter (Marysville, Ohio/ North Union) will figure into the mix as well at right side and outside, respectively.

Middle Hitter – W&J is returning four talented individuals in the middle, including First Team All-PAC performer Carmichael. Carmichael had a standout season as a freshman. Carmichael made an immediate impact in her W&J debut as she posted 10 kills and 10 total blocks in the Presidents' 3-1 season-opening win at Grove City. She accounted for a team-high 17 points in the win over the Wolverines.Carmichael leads the team in kills (117) and blocks (43.0). Additionally, she is fourth in the PAC for hitting percentage helping her earn PAC Rookie of the Week, PAC All-Tournament Team, and All-PAC First Team awards.

"Lizzie truly had a monster freshman year and we are so excited to see what she can do over the next three," London-Law said. "She holds herself to a really high standard and is always the most competitive person in the gym. She wants the ball every play and she wants to get a kill. Lizzie has a very high volleyball IQ and we look forward to pushing her this year to be even more productive and consistent for us in the front row."

Ashley Kovel (Everett, Pa./ Everett) is returning for her final year of play. In 2019, Kovel led the PAC with 0.85 blocks per set, totaling 61 blocks in 72 sets. She had 60 kills for the season with a .088 hitting percentage. Kovel recorded her career-high of eight kills against Saint Vincent in 2021.

Sophomore Jada Benning (San Antonio, Texas/ Hayfield Secondary School (VA.)) returns and look to compete for time in the middle or the outside in the 2021 season. Newcomer Kristina Vujica (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) enters the mix in the middle.
 
Newcomers: The Presidents welcome seven freshmen along with one transfer to the fold in 2021.

"We are so excited to welcome eight newcomers to Presidents Volleyball this fall! This group adds some serious depth of talent to our returning crew and is going to really help us build on our successes this spring," London-Law said. "All eight have been working really hard to compete in the gym each day and a few of them will most likely be starters and role players for us this year."
 
Morgan Kiefer (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Bethel Park/ Chatham) – 5-0 – Defensive Specialist – Junior
Jaden Blough (Meyersdale, Pa./ Meyersdale) – 5-9 – Outside Hitter/Right Side – Freshman
Mattie Cherry (Tyrone, Pa./ Tyrone) – 5-6 – Defensive Specialist/Setter – Freshman
Kaitlyn Delauter (Marysville, Ohio/ North Union) – 5-10 – Outside Hitter – Freshman
Lanie French (Beaver, Pa./ Beaver Area) – 5-7 – Defensive Specialist – Freshman
Helen Ramos (Weston, Fla./ Cypress Bay) – 5-7 – Setter – Freshman
Adrianna Sacramento (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Woodland Hills) – 5-8 – Setter – Freshman
Kristina Vujica (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Mt. Lebanon) – 5-11 – Middle Hitter/Right Side – Freshman
 
Looking At The Schedule: W&J opens the season at home on Sept. 1 against Hiram College, which is the alma mater of London-Law. PAC play begins on Sept. 11 with a road tri-match with Chatham at Bethany. The first league home tri-match takes place on Saturday, Sept. 25 against Franciscan and Waynesburg.

Final Word From London-Law: "We're working every day to return to the PAC Tournament and go after the seventh PAC Championship for Presidents Volleyball. This team has put our culture first every single day for almost two years and as coaches it makes us so proud," London-Law said. "It's not flashy, exciting, Instagram-worthy work that really wins matches or even a championship. It's the day-to-day, intentional dedication to our core values, the book clubs, the zoom meetings and FaceTime chats with newcomers, and all those sprints and weights this summer that make the difference. We've had a great first week in the gym for preseason, everyone came in to camp in shape and we hit the ground running. As a team we're going to have to work hard to stay focused, disciplined, and resilient for all 26 of our regular-season matches."