Experience & Youth to Lead Franklin & Marshall to 2004 Centennial Conference Volleyball Title

by Sports Information
8/6/04

LANCASTER, PA -- Following back-to-back near misses of the Centennial Conference championship, the 2004 Franklin & Marshall College women's volleyball team will look to capture the title for the first time since 2000.

For second year head coach Mary Kate Boland the title quest is a record-setting feat as she strives to become the first F&M alum to lead her alma mater to a Centennial Conference championship in any sport.

An All-Region setter for the Diplomats, she led Franklin & Marshall to the 1999 and 2000 Centennial Conference Championships and four consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament appearances while recording a 120-32 record from 1997-2000, the best four-year mark in program history, as a player.

Last season, she led the team to a 15-13 mark as a coach, including a 7-3 mark in the CC to finish third in the regular season and advance to the playoffs before falling to Johns Hopkins 3-2 in the semifinals.

Leading the charge in 2004 will be another setter, Jackie Skibbie (Jr., Darby, PA/Merion Mercy) who was forced to the bench in the first match of the 2003 season with a season-ending injury.

In 2002, Skibbie earned All-CC second team honors as she led the Conference in assists (1,268) and assists per game (11.42) as F&M rolled to a 28-10 record as the squad concluded the year 9-1 to finish second in the CC regular season standings, advance to the Conference title match and earn a bid to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) playoffs before falling to Westminster College by a 3-2 final in the ECAC semifinals.

At middle blocker, Elizabeth Earll (Sr., New Freedom, PA/Susquehannock) returns after earning All-CC second team honors for ranking among the Centennial Conference leaders in hitting percentage (third, .334), kills (sixth, 3.30 kpg), service aces (ninth, 0.54 spg) and blocks (12th, 0.61 bpg) per game as she finished with 307 kills, 18 assists, 50 service aces, 118 digs and 57 blocks in 93 games.

Libby Haas (So., Wrightsville, PA/Eastern) and Sara Collier (Jr., Manchester, PA/Northeastern) could also see additional minutes in the middle this season after contributing 48 kills, 29 digs and 15 blocks in 33 games and nine blocks in 11 games, respectively.

The Diplomats will be youthful at outside hitter as Nicole Kushman (So., Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks) and juniors Becca Zeigler (Jr., Manchester, PA/Northeastern), Alexis Dansky (So., Yardley, PA/George School) and Kayleen Bailey (Jr., Baltimore, MD/Institute of Notre Dame) will once again be looked to contribute to the team’s success.

In 85 games last season, Zeigler recorded 133 kills, 15 assists, 17 aces, 247 digs and seven blocks, while Bailey tallied nine kills, 15 assists, 32 service aces and 203 digs in 82 games and Kushman added 80 kills, 32 service aces and 168 digs in 56 games.

Defensively, the key to the Diplomats title chances will depend on libero Megahn Godorov (Jr., Orefield, PA/Parkland) who shattered the previous Centennial Conference single season dig record of 586 (Heidi Goedicke, F&M, 2000) with 654 in 101 games (6.48 per game) last season.

A designated back-row player who cannot serve, attack or set inside the attack line, Godorov made history by earning All-CC second team honors to become the first libero ever named to the All-CC team since the position's inception prior to the 2002 season.

Godorov has an opportunity to become the all-time leader in career digs at the College as she has 1,108, 93 shy of moving into 10th place on the all-time leader board at the College. Overall, Goedicke holds the career record in digs with 1,661, a mark Godorov could erase this season.

As a team, Franklin & Marshall ranked 16th in the nation with 23.0 digs per game (2,369 in 101 games) as the Diplomats were the only Centennial Conference school ranked in the final Division III statistics.

In addition to the returning lineup, Franklin & Marshall will look to its freshmen to step into key contributor roles and help guide the team to the program's fifth Centennial Conference volleyball title (1993, 1994, 1999, 2000).

Middle hitters Susan Taylor (Fr., Woodlands, TX/John Cooper), an All-State second team selection, and Katherine Juskin (Fr., East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) and outside hitters Jenna Walck (Fr., Perkasie, PA/Pennridge), Meghan Baker (Fr., Glenville, PA/Southwestern) and Marlena Marinita (Fr., Reading, PA/Reading) will add depth to the Diplomats' lineup. Further, setters Ceanna Ellner (Fr., Playa Del Rey, CA/Northampton, MA), Ashley Marucci (Fr., Pylesville, MD/John Carroll) and Lindsay Nye (Fr., Kemblesville, PA/Avon Grove) will push for playing time.

Franklin & Marshall will open the season on the evening of September 1 at Elizabethtown College. Match time is set for 7:00 p.m.