EMAIL THIS PAGE

2001 Patriot League Volleyball Championship Preview
American Hosts Tournament in Search of NCAA Bid

American clinched the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Championship with its 3-0 win at Lehigh on Nov. 3. The Mountain Hawks had already clinched a spot in the tournament but the loss to the Eagles assured them a ranking no higher than the No. 2 seed. Lehigh, at the No. 2 seed, is followed by No. 3 seed Army, while defending Patriot League champion Bucknell rounds out the field as the No. 4 seed. The winner of the championship tournament receives the league’s automatic bid into the 64-team NCAA Championship.

Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2
Coaches
Teams
Bracket

SEMIFINAL 1

BUCKNELL (12-12, 7-7) at AMERICAN (24-2, 14-0)
The No. 1 seed Eagles face off against the No. 4 seed Bison of Bucknell University for the third time this season in the first round of the Patriot League Championship. American cruised to 3-0 victories in each of the prior meetings, dominating the defending Patriot League Champion Bison throughout the season.

SEMIFINAL 2
ARMY (13-10, 9-5) vs. LEHIGH (15-10, 11-3)
The No. 2 seed Lehigh meets No. 3 seed Army in the second semifinal match of the Patriot League Championship at Bender Arena. The Mountain Hawks were the victors in both regular season meetings, winning 3-1 at home and 3-0 at the Black Knights’ arena later in the season.

THE COACHES

AMERICAN COACH BARRY GOLDBERG:
Coming into this season, Barry Goldberg ranked 21st among the active winningest coaches at the Division I level with 300-124 record for a .751 winning percentage. A two-time Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Coach of the Year, Goldberg led the Eagles to back-to-back CAA Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1997 and 1998. This season, he has led the Eagles to a perfect 14-0 mark in Patriot League play while also leading the team to the top of the national statistics. The team currently ranks first in the country in service aces, sixth in the country in hitting percentage and ninth in win/loss percentage. Natacha Cornaz has also gained national attention as the freshman ranks third nationally in service aces.

LEHIGH COACH PATRICK NICHOLAS:
Patrick Nicholas is in his fifth year as head volleyball coach at Lehigh University. Last year his team finished fourth in the Patriot League and 15-15 overall and 7-5 in conference play. In his first season, Nicholas led the Mountain Hawks to a Patriot League title and first-ever NCAA berth in 1997. He has coached several Patriot League Award Winners, including the 1997 Patriot League Tournament MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, the 1998 Offensive Player of the Year, four First-Team All-League players and the 1999 Patriot League Rookie of the Year.

ARMY COACH GLEN CONLEY:
An 11-year veteran of volleyball coaching, Army head coach Glen Conley is in his third season on the sideline for the Black Knights. In his previous two years at the helm, Conley has guided the team to 36 victories and two trips to the postseason. He won a shar of the regular season title his first year on the job in 1999, and followed up with a third-place showing last fall. In two seasons, he has accumulated a 25-13 record against Patriot League opponents is 49-32 overall as Army’s mentor.

BUCKNELL COACH CINDY OPALSKI:
Bucknell head coach Cindy Opalski is in her 12th season with Bucknell, a program she has led to NCAA Tournament appearances in both 1998 and 2000. Her record stands at 172-174 (.497) over 11 seasons with the Bison while she holds an overall record of 264-220 (484), including four seasons at the helm of the Clarion University team. In her four years at Clarion, Opalski led the Golden Eagles to their first-ever conference title (1988) and was selected as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coach of the Year in the Atlantic Region during her tenure

THE TEAMS

Sophomore Karla Kucerkova

AMERICAN NOTES
The Eagles enter the 2001 Patriot League Volleyball Championship as the No. 1 seed and the overwhelming favorite with a perfect 14-0 record against its league foes this season along with a 22-2 overall record. Not only did American easily dispose of its league foes by beating them each twice this season, but it also did not drop a single game in any those matches, cruising to 3-0 wins in each match. The team is currently on a 19-match winning streak and is undefeated through 15 matches at home in Bender Arena, last falling to East Carolina on Oct. 13, 2000. American ranks first nationally in service aces, sixth in hitting percentage and ninth in win/loss percentage while also ranking seventh in the northeast region. The league preseason favorite Eagles earned Patriot League Player of the Week honors four times this season while garnering four Rookie of the Week nods.

Junior Rochelle Healea

LEHIGH NOTES
The Mountain Hawks enter the league championship tournament with an overall record of 15-10 and a Patriot League mark of 11-3. The team is making its 12-straight appearance in the Patriot League Championship. Lehigh had the chance to tie American atop the league standings but the Eagles’ 3-0 win at Bethlehem, Pa., on Nov. 3 assured the league newcomer the regular season title. Two Mountain Hawks earned the league’s Player of the Week honor this season while one freshman was tabbed the Rookie of the Week.

Senior Beth Bellinger

ARMY NOTES
The Black Knights of the U.S. Military Academy ended the regular season at 9-5 in Patriot League play and 13-10 overall, earning a third seed in the league championship. Army recorded its third-straight winning season at home, going 9-4 in Gillis Field House this year. The team earned one Patriot League Player of the Week honor and one Rookie of the Week honor this season. The Black Knights responded after dropping its first four matches of the season to win eight of its next 12 matches. The team ended its regular season on a four-match win streak, defeating league foes Colgate, Bucknell and Holy Cross, along with non-conference Siena.

Senior Shannon Walker

BUCKNELL NOTES
The defending Patriot League Champion Bison enter the weekend as the No. 4 seed with an even 7-7 league record and a 15-15 overall mark. The team is making its sixth appearance in the league championship in the last seven year. Bucknell swept its series against Lafayette and split its meetings with Lehigh, Navy, Colgate, Army and Holy Cross this season while falling to American in both matchups. The team garnered one Patriot League Player of the Week nod this season. The Bison are also ranked 21st in the nation in service aces this season.

TOURNAMENT BRACKET