11/1/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball has reached the postseason, and will now set its sights on defending its Region XIX championship from 2023 in this year's tournament, as the Falcons are set to host the 2024 edition of the Region XIX Division II Women's Volleyball Championship, happening this Saturday, November 1^st, inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.
 
There will be three matches on the day, starting at 10:00am ET when the top-seeded Falcons will take on the fourth-seeded Harcum College Bears. Then, following that, the second-seeded Delaware Tech CC squad will face the third-seeded Monroe University Mustangs, at approximately noon. The winners from both matches will then meet in a championship match, tentatively set for 2:00pm ET.
 
The event is open to the public, with tickets being sold at the door for $5 per adult, or $3 per student. Those with a Lackawanna College ID will gain free admission. The concessions stand will be open as well.
 
For those who cannot make the weekend, there will be a pay-per-view video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE. Mike Slusser will handle the play-by-play broadcasting duties.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (16-8) went unbeaten through the Region XIX DII schedule (6-0) to secure the top-spot. The Falcons had lost four straight matches before beating County College of Morris in four sets last Thursday to finish out their region schedule. Entering the tournament, the Falcons have defeated both Harcum and Delaware Tech twice this season. Against the Bears, Lackawanna won in five sets in a tri-match on September 21^st, then beat Harcum on the road in straight sets on October 8^th. Against Delaware Tech, Lackawanna won in straight sets on September 13^th, then won in five sets in a tri-match at Northampton CC on October 5^th. Lackawanna has not played Monroe this year.
 
This season, the Falcons are hitting at a collective .135 clip, averaging 10.2 kills per set, which is first among all Region XIX teams. The Falcons have 279 aces in 24 contests, averaging 3.1 aces per set, fifth in the region. They're also up to 17.3 digs per set so far this year. Opponents are hitting .135 on the year and have 144 aces vs. 189 errors on serve so far this season. The Falcons are at 0.9 blocks per set, and their opponents are at 1.6 blocks per set.
 
First-year outside hitter Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO) leads the squad this season with 254 kills through 24 matches, fifth in the region and first in Division II. Hofmann is also first on the team with 77 service aces and is second on the team with 285 digs. She's hitting at a .188 clip, second on the team among players with 340 or more attacks, and she's averaging 2.8 kills per set. Hofmann has double-digit kills in 14 matches this season, hitting her season-high of 20 against Northampton on 10/5. She had 20 kills on .300 hitting, with 12 digs and a solo block, to help the Falcons beat Northampton. She had 18 kills in a five-set win against Penn State Hazleton on September 14^th, where she hit .200 and had three aces and 21 digs. Her most efficient hitting day came against Cecil, putting up 14 kills on .406. Hofmann was deadly on serve against Westchester, putting up a season-best 13 aces in the straight-set victory. Hofmann was named EPAC Player of the Week in women's volleyball, putting up a combined 40 kills, ten aces, and 32 digs in three matches three weeks ago. She had 12 kills in five sets against Harcum on 9/21, then had 12 kills and six aces in the win against the Bears on 10/8. Against Del Tech, she had eight kills in three sets on 9/13, then nine kills and seven aces in the five-set win on 10/5. Hofmann had a team-high 14 kills in the win against Morris last week. She has had double-digit kills in her last three matches.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Aryana Girvan is second on the team with 176 kills this year, hitting .120 through 23 matches. That's fourth on the team among players with 340 or more attacks. Girvan has 49 service aces, second on the team, and 300 digs so far this season, tops on the squad. Girvan is averaging 2.1 kills per set and has seven matches with double-digit kills this season. Girvan put up her season-high of 22 kills against Lehigh Carbon on 9/28, hitting .275 and putting up 16 digs and three service aces in the loss to the Cougars. She had 20 kills on September 14^th in a win against PSU Hazleton, on a season-high 59 attacks. She also had 22 digs. Girvan has 13 matches with double-digit digs, putting up a season-high 26 digs against Montco on 10/2, while also putting up three kills and four aces. She matched that season-high for digs with 26 last Tuesday night against Harrisburg Area. Her best serving match came against PSU Scranton on 10/12, where she had eight aces in the win. Girvan had 13 kills and 25 digs in the five-set win against Harcum on 9/21, then had five kills and four aces in the straight-sets win on 10/8. Against Del Tech, she had six kills and 17 digs in the win at home on 9/13, then had 14 kills and 13 digs in the five-set win on 10/5. She did not play against Morris last Thursday.
 
Sophomore middle hitter Nadia Toth is third on the team with 126 kills so far this season, hitting at .189, best on the team among players with 340 or more attacks. Toth has 19 service aces so far on the season, while last season she had 35 aces. She averages 1.58 kills per set, and her 32 total blocks this season are first on the team. She also has 72 digs this year. Toth had a team-best 12 kills against PSU Hazleton earlier this season, hitting .323 in the match. She has twice gone over double digits for kills, putting up ten in the win against Delaware Tech on September 13^th. She had a season-best six total blocks, including four solo blocks, against Harrisburg Area CC on 9/21. Toth had eight kills in the five-set win against Harcum on 9/21, then had seven kills in the straight-sets win on 10/8. Against Del Tech on 9/13, she had ten kills in straight sets, then had five kills and two aces in the five-set victory on 10/5. Toth had seven kills and a season-high ten digs in the in against Morris last Thursday.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Angelique Fuentes has 114 kills through 21 matches, fourth on the team. She has 26 service aces, fourth on the team, 32 digs, and 13 total blocks on the year. Fuentes hit a season-high in the last match against Morris with 12 kills on .333 hitting. She also had two aces and five digs in the win. She had six kills on .444 hitting in the win against Westchester. She had five kills on .167 hitting, with five aces, in the win against Morris on September 10^th. Fuentes had eight kills on .318 hitting in the win against Northampton on 10/5. She has gone for five or more kills in ten of her last 13 matches. Fuentes a combined 12 kills and three aces in the two wins against Harcum, and had seven kills and four aces in the five-set win against Del Tech on 10/5. She led the team last year with 199 kills. She averaged a little over 2.5 kills per set last year, and hit .150, second on the team. Fuentes had eleven matches with double-digits in kills, with a season-high 20 coming against Chesapeake last season. She had a season-best eight service aces against Delaware Tech earlier in the season and led last year's team with 51 service aces on the year. Fuentes was a first-team All-EPAC selection last season.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Alasiah Cater has double-digit kills on the year with 86 through her 20 matches. Carter is hitting .046 on the season, and has eleven total blocks this year. She has 49 digs and nine block assists on the year. She hit her season-high ten kills in the win against Delaware Tech on 10/5, hitting .350 on 20 attacks, and putting up three digs. She had a season-high eleven digs and six kills in the win against Northampton CC on 10/6. Carter had four kills on .200 hitting in the loss to Hagerstown two weeks ago. Alasiah had a combined 12 kills in two matches against Harcum, and had a combined 14 kills in two matches against Delaware Tech. She did not play in either of the matches last week for the Falcons.
 
First-year middle hitter Neurdia Osias (Huntington Station, NY) has 64 kills in 16 matches this season. Osias is second on the team with 22 total blocks this year, including 16 block assists. Neurdia had a combined 14 kills in two matches against PSU Hazleton and Cecil, including eight kills on .412 hitting against Hazleton at home. She followed that up with six kills on .545 hitting in the sweep over Cecil College. She was dominant at the net against Delaware Tech, putting up a season-high five total blocks, including four block assists, in the win for the Falcons on 9/13. She had eight kills in three sets against Harcum on 9/21 but left with an injury late in the third set. She missed five matches in a row before returning to action three weeks ago. Neurdia did not play in the match against Del Tech on 10/5, and she had a combined nine kills in two matches against Harcum this season.
 
Sophomore setter Maddilyn Durfee leads the team with 468 assists on the year, and has 38 service aces, third on the team. Durfee also has 135 digs on the year, fifth on the team. She has reached double-digit assists in 22 of 24 matches this year, with a season-and-career-best 42 coming in the four-set win against Morris just last Thursday. Durfee also had four kills in that victory. Durfee put up her season-high of eleven digs against the Cairn Highlanders back on 9/19. She had a combined 50 assists in the tri-match sweep for the Falcons against Montco and Westchester on September 7^th. Durfee had a combined 40 assists and three aces, along with 15 digs, in the sweep against Harcum and HACC, putting up 25 assists and ten digs to beat Harcum. She had a combined 50 assists, four aces, and eleven digs in the wins against Del Tech and Northampton on 10/5. Durfee had a combined 37 assists with two aces in two matches against Harcum this year, and had a combined 36 assists and two aces in two matches against Del Tech this year. Durfee was the main table-setter for Lackawanna a year ago, putting up nearly 500 assists for the Falcons. Durfee averaged just under six assists per set, still managed to put up 40 kills, and had 36 service aces on the year. She had 13 matches with 20 or more assists, and seven matches with 30 or more. Her best came against Chesapeake, where she dished out 37 helpers for the Falcons. Durfee was third on the team with just under 200 digs on the year and had double-digit digs eight times. Her season-best was 20 digs, which she did twice in matches against Bergen CC and Montgomery County CC.
 
The head coach is Shelby Reese, now in her third season at the helm of the Falcons. Reese took over in 2022 and had to re-tool from a roster that was limited the year before, and a program that had been dormant after the pandemic before that. Reese helped the Falcons leap forward, winning their first match in nearly three years in her first season, then winning 14 matches and a Region XIX championship, the first in 17 years, in year two. Before coming to Lackawanna as the Athletic Academic Advisor in 2021, Reese was the head coach at Cedar Crest College for seven years. There, under similar circumstances, she took over a program that needed rehabbing, and turned the Falcons into a perennial conference contender, culminating in a 20-win season in her final year, which included a conference championship and an NCAA Division III tournament appearance. Reese is 33-30 in her time at Lackawanna and won 86 matches in seven years at Cedar Crest.
 
About Harcum College
The Bears (7-12) enter as the fourth-seed in this year's tournament. Harcum went 2-4 in Division II play, with its only two wins coming against County College of Morris. Against Lackawanna, the Bears fell in five sets on September 21^st, then dropped a straight-set loss on October 8^th. Against Delaware Tech this season, Harcum was swept at home on September 7^th, then fell in four sets back on October 12^th.
 
This year, Harcum is averaging 6.42 kills per set and hitting around a .155 clip. Harcum has 195 service aces, and averages 15.79 digs per set this year. They also average 1.3 blocks per set. Harcum has won once in its last five matches, defeating the Community College of Philadelphia by a 3-0 sweep on October 14^th. They fell in their last match, a 3-1 loss at home against Montgomery County CC on October 21^st.

First-year outside hitter Buse Sen leads the team with 129 kills this season, a 1.95 per set average through 19 matches, hitting at .110. Sen has 25 aces and 232 digs, while also posting ten solo blocks. She has hit double-digit kills in four matches, with her season-best of 16 kills coming against Northampton, a 3-1 win for Harcum, on 9/9. Sen hit .387 in that contest and had five digs and three solo blocks. She had a season-best seven aces in a 3-0 win against CC of Philadelphia on 9/28. She had seven kills in the loss to Montco on October 21^st. Sen had a combined 12 kills and 28 digs in two matches against Lackawanna.
 
First-year right-side hitter Arianna Rosario is second on the team with 122 kills this season, averaging 1.85 per set. Rosario is hitting .193 this year, posting 45 aces, tied for first on the team. She has 187 digs, third on the team, and 12 total blocks. Rosario has hit double-digits in kills five times, hitting her season-high of 13 kills in a 3-1 loss against Harrisburg Area back on 10/12. She had 13 kills on .256 hitting with 13 digs in the loss to HACC. She recorded eleven kills in back-to-back matches against Northampton CC and Morris in September. In three sets against Montco on 10/21, she had eleven kills on .300 hitting. She had a combined eleven kills against Lackawanna in two matches this season.

First-year right-side hitter Jenna DeTemple is third on the team with 67 total kills, averaging just over two per set this year. DeTemple is hitting at .245, tops on the squad, and has 16 total blocks, including 12 solos, second on the team. DeTemple has two matches with double-digit kills, putting up her season-high of 14 kills in the win over Northampton on 9/9. DeTemple hit .378 in that match, posting six solo blocks and seven total blocks in the win. She had 12 kills in a loss to Lehigh Carbon to open the year, where she hit .423 and had three solo blocks. She has not played since a 3-0 win against CC of Philadelphia on 9/28.
 
First-year middle blocker Sofia Andrews-Sullivan has 54 kills, fourth on the team, on .153 hitting this season. Andrews-Sullivan has 33 blocks this year, 20 solo stuffs, and she has put up 25 aces on the year. She set her season-high with seven kills in a win against CC of Philadelphia on 9/28, hitting .429 in the victory. Her best defensive match came against Northampton on 9/9, putting up seven solo blocks and eight total blocks in a 3-1 win for the Bears. She had a season-best nine aces in a win against Morris back on 9/23. Against Montco last week, she had two kills, an ace, and two blocks in the four-set loss. Against Lackawanna this season, she had a combined three kills, all coming in the second match.

Sophomore setter Emma Guare is the main distributor for the Bears, putting up 289 assists, a 4.38 per set average. Guare also has 15 kills and 45 aces so far this season, as well as 106 digs. She had a season-best 43 assists in the win against Northampton on 9/9, where she also had two aces and four digs in the win. She has topped double figures in assists 14 times this year. She had 24 assists in the loss to Montco last week. In two matches with Lackawanna, she had 31 assists and two kills, as well as three aces.
 
Xainaly Valdes is the head coach for Harcum, bringing with her nearly a decade of extensive experience. Valdes is a veteran of club volleyball and played for the Bears from 2019 through 2021. She also serves as the assistant coach for the men's team at Harcum.
 
About Delaware Tech CC
Del Tech (11-9) enters the weekend as the third-seed, and is on a two-match slide, dropping straight set contests to Northampton on 10/19 and Montco on 10/23. Del Tech went 4-2 in Region XIX play, beating Morris in straight sets twice, sweeping Harcum once and beating the Bears in four sets in another match, and dropping two matches to Lackawanna.
 
On the season, Del Tech is hitting .125, averaging 9.33 kills per set. Del Tech has 204 aces, averaging 2.79 per set, and averages 16.11 digs per set, while putting up 86 total blocks so far.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Megan Carroll has been the main offensive weapon for Del Tech, leading the team with 215 kills through 20 matches, a 3.03 kills per set average. Carroll is hitting .151 on 703 attacks and third on the team in aces with 36 this year. She also has 143 digs, fourth on the team. Carroll has been excellent this season, hitting double-digits in kills in eleven matches this season. She hit her season-high 20 kills in a five-set win over Cecil back on October 2^nd, hitting .235 with three aces and six digs. She had a season-best six aces in a sweep over Cecil back on September 4^th. Carroll had just three kills in a three-set sweep at the hands of Montco back on October 23^rd. In two matches against Lackawanna, she had a combined 21 kills and 16 digs this season.
 
First-year outside hitter Elizabeth Baughman has 184 kills through 20 matches this season, averaging 2.52 kills per set, and is hitting .150 this year. Baughman has 38 aces, second on the team, and has 236 digs, second on the squad this season. Baughman has hit double-digit kills in nine matches this season, a season-best 17 in the win over Lehigh Carbon back on September 7^th. She hit .250, had three aces, and a season-best 17 digs in the victory over the Cougars. Baughman has hit double-figures in kills in four of her last six matches. She had just three kills in the loss to Montco on 10/23. She had a combined 26 kills, including 15 in the first match-up, against Lackawanna this season.
 
Sophomore right-side hitter Jazzlyn Maloney has 130 kills, third on the team, on .197 hitting. She averages 1.78 kills per set and has 23 service aces and 98 digs this year. Maloney is second on the team with 28 total blocks, including 14 block assists. She has hit double-digit kills five times this year, putting up a season-high 13 kills in a win at Chesapeake on 10/17, where she hit .375. Her best hitting day came in the opening match, hitting .667 with eleven kills in a win over Chesapeake on 8/30. She had two kills in the loss to Montco back on 10/23. In two matches with Lackawanna, she had a combined 14 kills.
 
First-year setter Alyssa Diem is the main table-setter for Delaware Tech, putting up 575 assists through 20 matches this year. Diem averages 7.88 assists per set and is first on the team with 44 aces this season. She has had 20 or more assists in 17 of her 20 matches this year, putting up a season-best 45 assists in the five-set win against Cecil on October 2^nd, where she also had five aces. Her best serving day came in a sweep over Harcum on September 7^th, putting up eight aces in the win. Diem had 12 assists and a kill in the loss to Montco on 10/23. In two matches with Lackawanna, she had 63 assists, 32 and 31, respectively, and had a kill and an ace.
 
The head coach for Delaware Tech is Lehigh DeSantis, now in her third season as the program's leader. DeSantis was an assistant for two years before stepping into the head job and has had volleyball coaching experience for the last 15 years at all school levels. DeSantis also currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force within the Air Force Reserve Command and is stationed as an air reserve technician at the Dover Air Force Base.
 
About Monroe University
The Mustangs (22-5) have won eleven of 12 matches this season, and come into the weekend with two straight wins under their belts. Monroe dropped down the season from Division I to Division II this season. Previously, the Mustangs were a consistent threat in the District championships in Division I, having made back-to-back NJCAA tournaments in 2021 and 2022, and making the District championship in 2023. Monroe this year has played Raritan Valley twice, winning both times, and has wins over Atlantic Cape and Harrisburg Area CC on the year, with a five-set loss to Harford CC also on the schedule.
 
Monroe is hitting .230 on the year, averaging 11.5 kills per set this year. The Mustangs average 3.3 aces per set, with 316 total aces this year. Monroe averaged 14.1 digs per set, and the Mustangs average just under one block per set on the year. Their opponents are hitting just .098, and averaging just 3.7 kills per set. Monroe's opponents are averaging an ace per set, with 92 aces vs. 86 service errors. Monroe's opponents average 0.6 blocks per set this season.
 
Monroe has five players with 150 or more kills this year, a balanced attack from the Mustangs on the year. Jelena Peric leads the pack with 242 kills this season, a 2.55 kills per set average this year. Peric is hitting .239 on the season, and leads the team with 60 service aces on the year. Peric has 243 digs this year, also first on the team, and has 14 total blocks. Peric has nine matches with double-digit kills on the season, including seven of her last nine matches. Peric had a season-high 24 kills in a win against Indian River State College on 10/19, hitting .333 in a win for the Mustangs. Peric set a season-high with seven kills in a win against Queensborough back on 9/19. Peric has eleven matches with double-digit digs, setting her season-high with 26 against College of Southern Maryland on 10/12. Peric had 16 kills on .353 hitting, with eleven digs and two aces in a three-set win against Nassau CC back on October 22^nd, the last game for the Mustangs.
 
First-year player Natalia Rodriguez has 221 kills this season, second on the team, with 2.43 kills per set. Rodriguez has 38 service aces, fourth on the team this season. She has 22 total blocks this year, 18 block assists, second on the team. Rodriguez also has 136 digs this season. Rodriguez has eight matches with double-digit kills this season, setting a season-high three different times, with 16 kills against St. Johns River State College on 8/24, 16 against Harford CC on 9/24, and 16 against College of Southern Maryland on 10/12. Natalia has three matches with double-digit digs on the season, securing her season-high of 12 digs against Indian River State College on 10/19. She had eleven kills and four block assists in the sweep over Nassau on 10/22.
 
First-year middle blocker Flavia Pecora has 195 kills this year, third on the team, with 2.05 kills per set. Pecora is hitting .405 on the year, tied with another player for first on the team this season, and she's second on the team with 52 kills this year. She has 204 digs this year, third on the team, and has 24 total blocks, second on the team this year, with 13 solo blocks and eleven block assists. Flavia has four matches with double-digit kills, putting up a season-high 15 kills in the win against Indian River State College on 10/19. She has eight matches with ten or more digs this year, including a season-high 20 digs against Harford CC back on 9/24. She has had three matches with her season-high of five aces this year, most recently in the win against College of Southern Maryland on 10/12. She had five kills, three aces, and ten digs in the win against Nassau on 10/22.
 
First-year player Madison Smith has 189 kills this season, fourth on the team, averaging just over two kills per set, and hitting .405 this year, tied with Pecora for first on the team. Smith has 23 service aces this year, and leads the team at the net with 44 total blocks this season, including 33 block assists and eleven solo rejections. Smith also has 47 digs this year. She has four matches with ten or more kills this season, putting up a season-high 13 kills in a five-set loss to Palm Beach State College back on 10/19. Her best blocking match came against Warner University on 10/17, putting up five total blocks in a three-set win. She had four kills and two aces, along with four block assists, in the win against Nassau CC on 10/22.
 
First-year setter Mileyshka Melendez is having a stellar year, putting up 814 assists, an 8.57 per set clip, so far this season. Melendez has 47 aces, third on the team, and has 41 kills on the year. Melendez has 199 digs this year, fourth on the team, and has 12 total blocks on the year. Melendez has had double-digit assists in all 27 matches this year, with 12 matches of 30+ assists. Her best match came against Carroll CC on 10/3, putting up 47 assists in the three-set win. Her best serving performance came in the opener on 8/22, putting up six aces against College of Southern Maryland. She has eight matches with double-digit digs, putting up a season-high 24 digs in a win against Cape Fear CC on 8/23. She has had 119 assists in her last three matches, twice going over 40, and she put up 33 assists and ten digs in the win against Nassau on 10/22.
 
The head coach is Nepthali Delgado Reyes, who is in his 12^th season in charge of the Mustangs. Delgado Reyes is of Puerto Rican heritage and has an impressive track record of success at Monroe. He has won 30+ matches in six seasons, capturing eleven region championships, eleven district championships, and eight NJCAA tournament appearances in his career. Coach Delgado Reyes has an all-time record at Monroe of 371-110 since taking over in 2011.
 
The Tournament
There will be three matches on Saturday, November 2^nd, starting at 10:00am ET when the top-seeded Lackawanna College Falcons will take on the fourth-seeded Harcum College Bears. Then, following that, the second-seeded Delaware Tech CC squad will face the third-seeded Monroe University Mustangs, at approximately noon. The winners from both matches will then meet in a championship match, tentatively set for 2:00pm ET.
 
The event is open to the public, with tickets being sold at the door for $5 per adult, or $3 per student. Those with a Lackawanna College ID will gain free admission. The concessions stand will be open as well.
 
For those who cannot make the weekend, there will be a pay-per-view video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE. Mike Slusser will handle the play-by-play broadcasting duties.