FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Johnson & Wales University women's volleyball team took another step closer to a regional championship on Saturday as the No. 2 nationally-ranked Wildcats defeated SUNY New Paltz, 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-13), in the NCAA Division III Providence Regional Semifinals.
Records:
New Paltz: 27-8
#2 Johnson & Wales: 33-1
Statistical Leaders:
Brylee Frank (JWU): 27 assists
Katie Leidhold (JWU): 8 kills
Maria Coniglio (pictured, JWU): 9 kills
Of Note:
Johnson & Wales moves on to face Wesleyan in the regional finals on Sunday at 2 p.m. The match is a rematch of last year's regional semifinals when JWU prevailed, 3-2.
The win was Johnson & Wales' 60 in a row at home, giving them the third-longest winning streak in NCAA Division III history. The Wildcats also extended the longest active winning streak in the nation to 33 matches.
The Hawks hung with the Wildcats during the opening set, pulling within 7-6. Johnson & Wales broke open the set with a 12-5 run.
Strong serving by the Wildcats kept New Paltz out of system all afternoon and prevented the visitors from running their offense. The Hawks hit -.043 while Johnson & Wales produced a .302 hitting percentage.
Johnson & Wales had a balanced offensive attack with five different players notching five or more kills. Maria Coniglio led all players with nine kills while Katie Leidhold had eight.
Setter Brylee Frank handed out 27 assists and Elyssa Nicolas notched 13 digs.