Women's Volleyball

The 2009 Saint Anselm volleyball team returns to the court this fall following a 3-19 overall record in 2008.  The team is led by head coach Keith Schoonover, who is returning for his fifth season with the team.  When asked his outlook on the upcoming season, Schoonover was optimistic.

"This is a turn-the-corner year for us. Really, this is the first time when we have gotten through a full four-year recruitment cycle where everyone's on-board with the system." 

In relation to the Hawks' prospects in the Northeast-10, Schoonover believes that, "we now have the roster to compete well with the other teams in the conference."  There have been several coaching changes, as well as the graduation of a very strong senior class at many of the other conference schools, which adds to Saint Anselm's chances at success in 2009.

According to Schoonover, this season's first true test comes early in the Hawks' home opener, when cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire University visits Stoutenburgh Gymnasium for a tri-match with Post University beginning at 12:00 pm on Sunday, September 6^th.

Schoonover is happy to welcome a strong, well-rounded freshman class of four players, all of whom play different positions.  The rookies are led by key newcomer Samantha Elliott.  Elliott, a 6-foot tall middle blocker who hails from Cumberland, R.I., was the captain of LaSalle Academy's volleyball team, who were the undefeated state champions the past two years.  Elliott also was named First Team All-Division and Second Team All-State in 2009.

Elliott is joined by fellow rookies Kaitlin Frederick, Margaret Tereschuk, and Casey Walker. Frederick, a local girl from Derry, N.H., is an outside hitter who won Most Valuable Player at Pinkerton Academy her freshman year.  Walker, a setter and opposite hitter from Bridgewater Raritan High School in Bridgewater, N.J., was Second Team All-Central Jersey, Third Team All-Group 4 and Second Team Courier All-Group 4.  Defensive specialist Tereschuk, the final newcomer, joins the team all the way from Mission Viejo, Calif., where she was named to the All-Pacific Coast League Team in addition to winning Most Valuable Player and the Coaches' Award at Laguna Hills High School. 

Middle Blocker
Sophomores Kelsey Rhodes and Stephanie Mauer and junior Stephanie Devlin will combine to play middle blocker this season. According to Schoonover, "This season's big change is in the middle of the court. Of course the new players will make a difference, but the middle blocker position is going to be so much better than the past. We have three players who can really get it done. Our floor defense will look much better because they won't be scrambling all the time."

Rhodes, a resident of Nashua, N.H., appeared in 16 matches in 2008, and recorded 16 kills on the season. Mauer, from South Hadley, Mass., appeared in all 22 matches in 2008, in which she led the team in blocks with 28 and was second on the team in kills with 93. She was also the Hawks' Most Improved Player. 

Devlin's return to the team after missing the 2008 season should prove to be an important addition to the middle of the court.  As a freshman, the Beverly, Mass. native was second on the team in both blocks and kills, recording 35 and 117, respectively.

Outside Hitter
The Hawks have two returning outside hitters, led by sophomore Charlotte Tencza.  This Greenfield, Mass. resident appeared in 20 matches as a freshman and led the team with 185 kills, averaging 2.76 per game.  She was second on the team in digs with 149, averaging 2.22 per game.  Additionally, she was the Hawks' 2008 Freshman of the Year and Most Valuable Player, and was named to the Assumption College All-Tournament Team.  Tencza is joined by junior Ashley Hopkins. Hopkins, a native of Wakefield, R.I., has appeared in 40 career matches over the past two seasons, and recorded a career-high 29 kills in 2008. 

Setter
The team has two returning setters, Rachel Flaherty and Kelly O'Dea.  Flaherty, a sophomore from Cold Spring, N.Y., returns to the Hawks after a very strong rookie season in which she appeared in all 22 matches.  She led the team with 24 service aces and 435 assists, averaging 5.96 assists per game.

O'Dea, a senior from Andover, Mass., returns for her second year as team captain.  She has appeared in 69 career matches over the past three seasons.  As a sophomore, she led the team in assists with 565, averaging a romping 6.89 per game, and she was second on the team in digs with a career-high 215.  In 2008, she was second on the team in service aces with 23 and was the Hawks' Most Improved Player.

Defensive Specialist
The back row is anchored by junior captain Kelly Rudolph. The Florida native has appeared in 46 career matches over the past two seasons.  She recorded 171 digs in 2007, en route to winning Freshman of the Year.  In 2008, she came back even stronger with a team-leading 208 digs, averaging 2.85 per game.

Opposite Hitter
Junior Lauryn McGonagle is Hawks' lone returning opposite hitter for the 2009 season.  This resident of Bourne, Mass. has appeared in 31 matches over the past two seasons and was the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award in 2008.