Allentown, PA - The Cedar Crest College volleyball team has waited quite a while for a Colonial States Athletic Conference tournament match, so another day or two shouldn't matter too much.
Hurricane Sandy has pushed back the Falcons' highly-anticipated match at third-seeded Baptist Bible College, originally scheduled for early this week, to Thursday, November 1st, at 7:00 PM. The time between tournament rounds has also been shortened; if the Falcons advance, they will play at top-seeded Neumann on Saturday, and the Championship match will be held on Sunday.
This is Cedar Crest's first trip to the CSAC volleyball playoffs since the 2004 season, and similarities abound.
The 2004 squad, led by second-year coach Patrick Morgan and featuring All-Conference middle blocker junior Betsy Bauer and Cedar Crest's eventual career assist-leading setter sophomore Helen Luu, were over-achievers. After being picked to finish ninth in the CSAC coaches' pre-season poll and opening the season with a 1-10 record, the team got hot late in the season and closed on a 10-3 run. They finished 13-15 overall and 6-5 in the conference, good enough for the #4 seed in the CSAC tournament. Unfortunately, the Falcons fell to fifth-seeded Cabini in the opening round.
This year's version is led by first-year coach Andrea Salazar and features All-Conference middle blocker sophomore Rebecca Grady (Silver Spring, MD/Paint Branch) and sophomore setter Debra Lobien (Lehighton, PA/Lehighton), who is already third on Cedar Crest's career assist list after just two seasons. The team was again picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll. The Falcons' record hovered around .500 all season, and they finished 13-14 overall and 6-5 in the conference. They enter the tournament as the sixth seed.
Cedar Crest is hoping to avenge a 3-1 regular season home loss to the Defenders on September 27th. Although the rematch is on the road, the Falcons are trying for a large fan turnout to boost their chances this time, so the Athletic Department will be sending a fan van to Baptist Bible in Clarks Summit on Thursday. The van will depart from the front of the Tompkins College Center at 4:45 PM and space is limited. Contact Athletic Director Lisa McGuirk at lmcguirk@cedarcrest.edu to reserve a spot.
