Release courtesy of CNR Athletics
NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The College of New Rochelle Women's Volleyball team received some extra special news today. Gathered in the Wellness Center, the players, coaches, and staff, like all other bubble teams across the country, watched the big screen T.V. as the NCAA Selection Show moved through the list of 64 teams that would be part of the 2016 field.
"Emory University", the host announced. After a brief bio on the team from Atlanta, GA, the host went on to say "and the Eagles will play New Rochelle" which led to an eruption of cheers and elation.
"It still feels surreal. After hearing New Rochelle announced and all the people present starting to cheer, it still hasn't sunk in," said head coach Alyssa Kaufman.
CNR will make its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament. This bid ends a 31 year drought for the Blue Angels Athletic Department. The last team to make the NCAA post-season was the 1985 Women's Basketball team.
The College of New Rochelle will play Emory at 3:00 pm on Friday afternoon at the University at Brockport in the Regional round. The winner will advance to Saturday's Regional semifinals to face either Susquehanna or Clarkson University. Brockport will host the 8-team regional. The full tournament bracket and all information can be found here:
http://gobrockport.com/sports/2016/10/31/2016-ncaa-volleyball-regional.aspx
CNR is coming off its 4th straight Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, two Saturdays ago, by defeatig Pratt Institute. Currently, the Blue Angels stand at 21-9 overall. The team is averaging 10.8 kills per set and hits .168. The CNR serving game is amongst the tops in the nation, averaging 3.5 aces per set.
Emory comes into the NCAA Regional matchup, having won the UAA Championship last Saturday by defeating Carnegie Mellon 3-0. The Eagles high-powered offense is averaging 13.7 kills per set while hitting over .270. The two teams have no common opponents and this will mark the first time the two schools will have played in womens volleyball action.
