Women's Volleyball Kicks Off Fall Season with Labor Day Weekend Tournament
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., August 24, 2006 – Throughout the 2006 Labor Day weekend, Springfield College will be the host site for four holiday tournaments to kick off the fall season; in men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, and women’s volleyball. All will be referred to as SC Invitational’s, with the exception of the field hockey tourney, which will be referred to as the Zenaty/SC Invitational.
SC women’s volleyball, a perennial NEWMAC contender, hosts the University of New England, Rhode Island College, Roger Williams University, and Suffolk University in a five-team round robin tournament on Friday and Saturday, September 1-2. Matches are scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 1st, and at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 2nd, in Blake Arena. The Pride, which has tallied 14 consecutive 20+ win seasons, will look to improve on last year’s overall mark of 26-8, and earn its third berth in four years into the NCAA Division III Tournament. SC opens up against Suffolk University at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 1st.
The men’s soccer tournament is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 1st (matches at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.) and Sunday, September 3rd (matches at 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.). The combatants will include the Pride, Western New England College, Albion (Mich.), and Eastern Connecticut State University. SC will face off against WNEC at 7:30 p.m. at the Brock-Affleck Field on September 1st. Earlier, at 5:00 p.m., Albion will take on ECSU. The tourney will resume on Sunday, September 3rd, with the Pride meeting Albion at 12:00 p.m., followed by ECSU vs. WNEC at 2:30 p.m. This season, the Pride looks to improve upon its 4-12-1 performance from the 2005 campaign, as SC lost just five seniors to graduation and expects seven starters to return in ’06.
The defending New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Champion Springfield College women’s soccer team will also begin its season on Friday, September 1st. After an extremely successful campaign in 2005 during which it finished 14-5-3, the women’s soccer team looks to return to the NCAA Division III Tournament for a second consecutive year. The SC Invitational will welcome St. Joseph’s (Conn.), MCLA, and Westfield State. The tourney begins with St. Joseph’s meeting MCLA at 12:00 p.m. The Pride will then play Westfield State at 2:30 p.m. Then on Saturday, September 2nd, St. Joseph’s will play Westfield State at 12:00 p.m., followed by SC vs. MCLA at 2:30 p.m. All matches will be played on Brock-Affleck field.
Field hockey will host the Zenaty/SC Invitational at Benedum Field the same weekend. The tournament is scheduled as a four-team, championship format. The tourney is scheduled for Saturday, September 2nd and Sunday, September 3rd, with games at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. both days. In the first round match-ups, the Pride and Western New England College will take the field first at 11:00 a.m., while RPI and Endicott will square off at 1:00 p.m. SC will look to duplicate or better last year’s tremendous team successes (21-3), including a NEWMAC Tournament sweep and an appearance in the NCAA Division III ‘Elite Eight’.
Springfield College Labor Day Weekend Schedules:
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL – SC INVITATIONAL (Blake Arena)
Fri. Sept. 1 – Court 1 – Springfield vs. Suffolk – 5pm
Fri. Sept. 1 – Court 2 – RIC vs. Roger Williams – 5pm
Fri. Sept. 1 – Court 1 – Springfield vs. RIC – 7 pm
Fri. Sept. 1 – Court 2 – Suffolk vs. Univ. of NE – 7pm
Sat. Sept. 2 – Court 1 – Springfield vs. Univ. of NE – 10 am
Sat. Sept. 2 – Court 2 – Roger Williams vs. Suffolk – 10 am
Sat. Sept. 2 – Court 1 – RIC vs. Suffolk – 12 noon
Sat. Sept. 2 – Court 2 – Roger Williams vs. Univ. of NE – 12 noon
Sat. Sept. 2 – Court 1 – Springfield vs. Roger Williams – 3pm
Sat. Sept. 2 – Court 2 – RIC vs. Univ. of NE – 3pm
MEN’S SOCCER – SC INVITATIONAL (Brock-Affleck Field)
Fri. Sept. 1 – Albion (Mich.) vs. ECSU – 5 pm
Fri. Sept. 1 – Springfield vs. WNEC – 7:30 pm
Sun. Sept. 3 – Springfield vs. Albion – 12 noon
Sun. Sept. 3 – ECSU vs. WNEC – 2:30 pm
WOMEN’S SOCCER – SC INVITATIONAL (Brock-Affleck Field)
Fri. Sept. 1 – St. Joseph’s (Conn.) vs. MCLA – 12 noon
Fri. Sept. 1 – Springfield vs. Westfield State – 2:30 pm
Sat. Sept. 2 – St. Joseph’s (Conn.) vs. Westfield State – 12 noon
Sat. Sept. 2 – Springfield vs. MCLA – 2:30 pm
FIELD HOCKEY – ZENATY/SC INVITATIONAL (Benedum Field)
Sat. Sept. 2 – Springfield vs. WNEC – 11 am
Sat. Sept. 2 – RPI vs. Endicott – 1 pm
Sun. Sept. 3 – Consolation/Third Place – 11 am
Sun. Sept. 3 – Championship – 1 pm
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Head Coach Joel Dearing
Joel Dearing will enter his 21st season as head women's volleyball coach at his alma mater in the fall of 2009. Dearing is regarded nationally as one of the sport’s best coaches and he has the resume to prove it. Dearing ranks in the top-10 in Division III history with a 670-298 (.692) overall mark in 28 seasons as a women’s volleyball coach.
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