Diplomats Ranked 21st in AVCA Pre-Season Coaches Poll

by Sports Information
8/25/01

LANCASTER, PA -- The American Volleyball Coaches Association has announced that Franklin & Marshall College, the two-time defending Centennial Conference champions, are ranked 21st in the nation according to the organization's pre-season poll.

The poll marks the highest pre-season ranking in the history of the sport at the College, due in large part to the record-setting finish of the Diplomats in 2000.

Last season was the best in the history of women's volleyball at the college. F&M finished the year with a team record 34-6 mark, including a perfect 10-0 record in the Centennial Conference to claim its second consecutive conference title and rank 19th in the final AVCA national poll. Further, the team advanced to the NCAA "Sweet 16" for the first time in program history before falling to Juniata College in the region finals.

Under first year head coach Nicole Goscilo, the Diplomats will look to improve on last year's record behind the leadership of co-captains Emily Green (Sr., Woodstock, CT/Woodstock) and Rose Hartmann (Jr., Warminster, PA/William Tennant).
Green led the Centennial Conference in service aces during the 2000 season with 98 in 135 games, an average of 0.73 per game, to earn All-Conference Second Team honors. She finished with 302 kills, 100 assists, 64 blocks (22 solo, 42 assisted) and 554 digs to help F&M improve its program record to 476-317-2 in its 28-year history.

Green is now ranked in the top ten for service aces (6th, 175), blocks (8th, 105), assists (Fifth, 188) and kills (10th, 530) in career statistics. She is now 22 digs short of joining 2000 graduate Mary Boland as the only players to rank among the top ten in all five career record categories.

In addition, she was named to the 2000 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team last month. Her selection marked the second consecutive year that the Diplomats have earned a CoSida Academic All-District Team honoree following Julie Simpson's selection in 1999.

Hartmann, who missed much of the year with a severe concussion, led the team in blocked shots with 92, including 43 solo blocks, for 0.87 blocks per game. She currently ranks seventh all-time in blocked shots with 132, 241 off the school record of 373 set in 2000 by Stacy Dunchick '00. In addition, she tallied 256 kills, 17 assists, 43 service aces and 288 digs in 106 games.

Junior outside hitters Heidi Goedicke (Spring Church, PA/Elderton) and Kristen Kowalski (York, PA/Central York), a 2000 AVCA All-Region First Team and Centennial Conference Second-Team player, return to a team which has compiled an impressive 107-13 record in eight seasons as a member of the Centennial Conference.

Kowalski led the team in kills last season with 474, while Goedicke tallied 341 kills, the second highest total of last season and led in digs with 586.

Historically, F&M has claimed four Centennial Conference titles, including back-to-back crowns in 1993 and 1994 and again in 1999 and 2000. On the national level, the program has made six appearances in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship Tournament.