DURHAM, N.H. - The New Hampshire volleyball team won its second straight America East Championship on Saturday evening, defeating Northeastern 3-1 in front of 568 fans at Lundholm Gymnasium in Durham, N.H. With its victory, New Hampshire earns the conference’s automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Championship.
Senior co-captain and America East Player of the Year Alyson Coler was named the championship’s Most Outstanding Player as she was the catalyst of the UNH offense with 19 kills and 11 digs. Northeastern was led by Rebecca Holland’s 22 kills and 11 digs, while Karrin Moore tallied 17 kills and 12 digs.
The 2003 All-Championship Team, which was selected by the four coaches that competed in the championship, featured New Hampshire’s Coler, Erin Ludwig and Sasha Scott, Northeastern’s Kristin Ursillo and Briana Furch, Albany's Ashlee Reed and Stony Brook's Rachel Goldsmith. It marks the second such award for Coler, Scott and Ursillo.
Despite trailing by as many as five in the first game, New Hampshire overcame the deficit to take the opening frame 30-26. With its largest deficit of the match, 14-9, UNH head coach Jill Hirschinger entered Katie Weidner as the setter for the ?Cats and the comeback was on. The Wildcats took their first lead of the game at 18-17, forcing Northeastern to take a timeout. The Huskies would come out and tie the game back up at 18-18, but they would get no closer. UNH closed out the game on an 11-6 run to gain the early edge as Weidner recorded 10 assists in the win.
Northeastern once again jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, but New Hampshire responded by rallying to a 30-17 win. UNH reeled off a 5-0 to close out the match and take a crucial two game lead. Weidner set the second game for the Wildcats and tallied 11 assists, two digs, one kill and one block assist.
Continuing the theme of the evening, the Huskies got off to an early lead, 5-1, before UNH came storming back to tie the game at 7-7. Both teams exchanged points before Northeastern went on a decisive 6-0 run to take a 14-8 advantage. NU won game three 30-24 and was led by Ursillo’s 16 assists, four kills and three digs.
The fourth and decisive game was a battle throughout. Northeastern led by as many as five, 23-18 in the final game, but it was not enough as UNH fought back to tie the game at 23-23 on a Karen Harrington kill. New Hampshire’s first lead of the game came at 28-27. Coler ended the game with a dramatic kill to give UNH the game, 32-30, the match, 3-1, and its third league title in school history.
The Wildcats now await the NCAA Volleyball Championship selection show on November 30, at 8 p.m. to see where they will be headed. The show will be broadcast live on ESPNews.
2003 America East Volleyball Championship
Friday, November 21
Semifinals at Lundholm Gymnasium (Durham, N.H.)
No. 3 Northeastern 3, No. 2 Stony Brook 2
No. 1 New Hampshire 3, No. 4 Albany 1
Saturday, November 22
Championship Game at Lundholm Gymnasium (Durham, N.H.)
New Hampshire 3, Northeastern 1