HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 4, 2006) – Sophomore outside hitter Melanie Volk (Thompson Station, Tenn.) was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Skyline Conference Women's Volleyball Championship as she registered six kills, four digs and four blocks as Stevens Institute of Technology claimed its third-straight league title with a 30-10, 30-13, 30-24 victory over second-seeded Farmingdale State University in the finals on Saturday afternoon in Hoboken, N.J. With the win, the Ducks improved to 31-5 on the year, tied the school record for wins in a season and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row.
Sophomore middle blocker Summer Hamilton (San Diego, Calif.) hit .500 with seven kills and one attack error in 12 total attempts against the Rams (22-6). Junior outside hitter Dawn Herring (Prince Frederick, Md.) posted eight kills and eight digs for the Ducks, who won for the 14th time in 15 matches. Senior setter Micki Biltz (Lakewood, Ohio) finished with 31 assists. Senior outside hitter/libero Rachel Ostroff (North Miami, Fla.) added a team-high 15 digs. Sophomore setter/right-side hitter Melissa Rhode (New Orleans, La.) tallied five kills in the match.
Stevens, which is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA New York Region, has earned victories in 24 of its last 26 matches. The Ducks have also now won 31 straight matches and 84 consecutive games within the Skyline Conference.
On Monday, Stevens will learn of its fate for the NCAA tournament when the brackets are announced at 11 a.m. at NCAAsports.com.
(Story by Stevens SID - Brian Granata)