Providence, R.I. – Junior Nicole Hersey (Milton, N.H.) was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2007 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship after leading #2 seed Rivier to a thrilling 3-2 victory against #1 seed Johnson & Wales at the Harborside Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon. Rivier played flawless right out of the gates and jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a 30-20 victory in set one. Johnson & Wales rebounded with a 30-26 win in game two and a 30-28 win in game three. Rivier knotted the match with a 30-26 win in the fourth game. In the fifth and deciding game, the two teams battled until the very end. The Raiders, faced with a seemingly insurmountable 12-14 deficit, showed no signs of giving in and rattled off 4 straight points to take a 16-14 win en route to the 3-2 victory.
 
Hersey tallied 18 kills and added three digs in the victory for Rivier while freshman Nicole Rodriguez (Newton, Mass.) notched 19 kills and a stellar .419 hitting percentage in the victory for the Raiders. Senior Kori Chace (East Providence, R.I.) added 18 kills, 13 digs and three blocks for the Blue and White. The senior captain became the first Raider in women's volleyball history to reach 1000 kills in a career. Junior setter Laura Ciummo (Burrillville, RI) directed the Raider offense with confidence tallying 59 assists while also adding 7 digs and 2 blocks. Senior libero Lindsay Marshall (Tiverton, RI) was a rock in the back row with 33 digs and only 1 receive error in 33 attempts. Senior Ashley Snell (Haverhill, MA) was steady with 9 digs and great passing while junior Colleen Van Cura (E. Lyme, CT) gutted out 11 digs while playing on a dislocated knee. Sophomore Lindsay Chace (E. Providence, RI) was consistent with 4 kills, 5 digs, and 3 blocks. Freshman Danielle Jacques (Derry, NH), who served out the final 3 points of the match, registered 8 kills, 7 digs, 3 blocks, and 2 service aces.
 
This is the Raiders' second GNAC Championship in five years.
With the win Rivier improves to 25-11 and will play in the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships at MIT, starting on Thursday, November 8th.
 
Game Summaries
RC (25-11)                             30  26  28  30  16
JWU (27-11)                          20  30  30  26  14
 
Most Valuable Player - Nicole Hersey - Rivier

All-Tournament Team
Nicole Rodriguez – Rivier
Kori Chace – Rivier
Erin Connolley – Emerson
Kelsey Schmidt – Lasell
Ramona DiFilippo – Johnson & Wales
Kelle Pfunder – Johnson & Wales

Courtesy: Rivier Athletic Communications