PLYMOUTH — If defending champion Plymouth State University needed any extra motivation entering tonight's first round of the ECAC Division III New England Tournament, University of Massachusetts Boston provided it for the area's top-seeded women's volleyball program.
The Panthers had their sights on winning the Little East Conference championship match, and earning the automatic bid into the Division III national tournament that came with it. But UMass rode freshman Shannon Thompson's career high 24 kills to a win over PSU in four games in their title tilt Saturday night.
"Disappointed is obviously the word you would use," Plymouth State coach Moira Long said of the LEC's. "UMass was a great team. They just played better."
The Panthers are hoping to unleash that frustration on another Boston program tonight.
The PSU women's volleyball team was named the No. 1 seed for the ECAC New Englands Monday. The Panthers (30-5) will open their title defense against eighth-seeded Emmanuel College (18-13), located just outside of Fenway Park, at their home Foley Gymnasium. The match starts at 6 p.m.
PSU is playing postseason volleyball for the eighth straight season, competing in the ECAC's for the seventh time in that span. The program earned an NCAA Tournament berth in 2004.
The Panthers are a veteran group, led at the net by dynamic senior Eliza Badeau. PSU's star middle hitter is closing in on 500 kills this season, averaging close to five per set. She leans heavily on fellow senior Brianna Kleckner, the team's reliable setter. Kleckner has piled up 1,223 assists this fall, a per-set average of over 10.
"They set the bar high," Long said of her veteran leaders, "and everyone has followed suit."
The Panthers knew they would be powerful in the middle with Badeau, and figured to be strong defensively this season with sophomore libero Alex Avery (4.05 digs per set) and junior specialist Kelsey Petty (2.65 digs per set) leading that regard. If there was space for improvement it was their inexperienced group of outside hitters. Sophomore Meghan Sullivan has helped turn that position of the floor into a strength, compiling 274 kills this season and developing into a force alongside Badeau and fellow 6-foot senior Carly Newton in the middle.
"I think Meghan Sullivan has done a great job," Long said. "Last year she came in and put up good numbers. Now she has so much more confidence in herself. She knows we need her to be successful."
The Saints earned the ECAC's No. 8 seed after advancing to the semifinals of their Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament. They were swept short of the championship match by Johnson & Wales.
Emmanuel is a young, up-and-coming team. Underclassmen make up 12 of its 15 roster spots. It's led by a strong sophomore class, starting with 6-foot hitter Rebecca Stanton. The Saints will feature Stanton both on the outside and in the middle. She averages 2.71 kills per set, has hit for a .270 percentage this season, and is also a force defensively, registering a team-best 81 blocks.
The Panthers will also be keying on Emmanuel's Kathryne Olsen, who ranked third in the GNAC in assists per set with a 7.41 average. She has distributed a team-high 793 helpers on the season.
"We know that they are a much-improved team from the past few years," Long said of the Saints. "I think we really have to focus on doing what we need to do to be successful, and that's be aggressive. That's really worked for us this year."
PSU did not face Emmanuel this season. Their last meeting came last year, when Plymouth swept the Saints in three games. The Panthers own a major edge in tournament experience. Tonight marks Emmanuel's first ECAC New England appearance since 2003.
"They've been in big matches," Long said of her players. "They know what it takes."
The other first-round matches include No. 7 Colby-Sawyer (19-13) at second-seeded Brandeis (17-13), No. 6 Johnson & Wales (22-14) at third-seeded Coast Guard (25-5), and No. 5 Endicott (15-14) at fourth-seeded Western New England College (26-9). The semifinals and championship matches are all slated for this Saturday at the site of the highest remaining seed after tonight's results.
If the Panthers take care of business, the title comes through Foley Gym.
"They're so excited to be playing at home," Long said of her players, stressing the convenience of not having to travel. "Volleyball is a sport where you're on the road. You're road warriors."
PSU had one home match in last year's ECAC tournament. It went on to win the title on the road as the second seed, upsetting top-seeded Colby-Sawyer in the championship match. The Panthers were defeated in the semifinals in both 2003 and 2005 and were first-round victims in 2002, 2006 and 2007.
Citing Brandeis, Coast Guard and Western New England as direct challengers for the crown, Long said this year's tournament, competitively, is up for grabs.
"I really think top-to-bottom," she said, "it's pretty wide open."
