CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. – With the opening round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region III women's volleyball tournament coming to a conclusion, the Lakers playing field has been confirmed.
After claiming the #1 seed in the tournament, the Lakers will take on #3 Fulton-Montgomery Community College, #6 Genesee Community College, and #8 Herkimer College, who moved on after sweeping Monroe Community College in the opening round. The Lakers will play 3 matches in the tournament pool play and each match will be 3 sets to 25 points.
The team was 4-1 against their opponents in the regular season, suffering their only loss to Fulton-Montgomery at the Jefferson Invitational on September 3rd, 2-1. The Lakers draw stiff competition, however, remain focused on returning to the championship game. The Lakers are currently #12 in the NJCAA Division III women's volleyball rankings.
Nationally, the Lakers are 21st in kills, 21st in assists, 1st in service aces, 25th in digs, and 21st in block assists. Freshman Brooke DeGroff (Castile, N.Y./ Letchworth) leads the Lakers in kills and sits 10th in division III with 358. DeGroff is second on the Lakers with 66 aces (16th), first in total attacks (7th), and first with 435.5 points (10th). The team is also led by Freshman Sage Barnedo (Silver Springs, M.D./ Springbrook) in the national rankings, with 664 assists (20th) and 94 service aces (3rd).
Matches will begin at 10 am at Niagara County Community College on October 29th and can be viewed live (click here). Tune in to support the Lakers in their quest for a second-straight NJCAA Region III championship appearance.
