Box Score The fourth seeded women's volleyball team upset top seeded Emmanuel 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 25-21) in the semifinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship at the Yawkey Center on Thursday evening. JWU has advanced to the GNAC Championship Match for the first time since the 2010 campaign.
Johnson & Wales was led by senior Alyssa Drapeau (Biddeford, Maine) with 17 kills, 16 digs and six blocks while junior Paula Cadavid (Pawtucket, R.I.) had nine kills, a match high 20 digs and six service aces for the Wildcats. Sophomore Marissa Bunnewith (Millbury, Mass.) recorded a match-high 10 blocks for the Wildcats who notched a remarkable 13 blocks in the victory. Junior Kellen Tensen (New Canaan, Conn.) had 42 set assists, 14 digs and three blocks for JWU.
Cassie Chruscielski paced Emmanuel with 11 kills and 12 digs while Shannon Dudley notched 35 set assists and 18 digs in the loss for the Saints.
In the opening set, Johnson & Wales raced out to the early 8-3 lead after a block by junior Lauren Cordts (Amherst, N.H.) and Tensen. The Wildcats capitalized on an attacking error by Emmanuel midway through the set to take their largest lead, 18-10. Emmanuel rallied and cut the JWU lead to 24-23 on a kill by Danielle Rose, but it wouldn't be enough as the Wildcats held on for the 25-23 victory and the 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set saw back and forth action with Emmanuel holding an 11-9 advantage midway through the set. The host Saints led by six points several times throughout the remainder of the set before taking the 25-18 win to knot the match at 1-1.
In the third set, neither team had more than a three point lead with Johnson & Wales taking the 22-21 lead late in the set on a block by Cordts and Tennsen. The Wildcats then outscored the Saints 3-1 down the stretch and capped off the 25-22 win on a kill by Cadavid to take the 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set had JWU control the action early and go up 9-5 after a service ace by Cadavid. The set remained close and was tied 16-16 before a 4-1 run, capped by an attacking error by Emmanuel gave the Wildcats the 20-17 advantage. JWU then took control down the stretch and capped off the 25-21 win on a kill by Cadavid to earn the 3-1 match victory.
With the win Johnson & Wales improves to 17-15 overall while Emmanuel drops to 24-12 on the year. The Wildcats advance to the GNAC Championship on Saturday, November 8th when they will travel to Rivier for the finals at 1:00 p.m. The match will be a rematch of the 2010 GNAC Championship.
