The women’s volleyball team has won three straight matches and eight of its last nine to clinch a spot in the Northeast Conference Tournament with four regular-season matches remaining.
Following a sweep of two matches at Stonehill last weekend, SFU is 12-10 overall and 8-2 in the NEC.
Head coach Sara Spielvogel’s team travels to Syracuse, New York, this weekend for two NEC matches at Le Moyne on Friday and Saturday.
The Flash dominated both matches against Stonehill last weekend, dropping just one set to the Skyhawks.
“As a team, we all know the importance of each match, so we played these games with confidence and resilience, which allowed us to succeed,” said setter Alexandra Sappia.
The redshirt sophomore from West Palm Beach, Florida, recorded a combined 59 assists in her team’s two victories at Stonehill. She leads the team in assists on the season with 616 and also tops SFU in service aces with 47.
Sappia said it is a relief to know that her team has already clinched a spot in the NEC Tournament.
Sappia’s teammate, sophomore outside/middle hitter Laney Wilson, said she believed from the start of the season that SFU would be competing in the NEC’s 2024 postseason.
“I fully expected our team to be in the tournament,” said Wilson.
The Red Flash have advanced to the NEC Tournament each of the last three seasons, but have fallen short of a conference crown in each of those years.
“It is exciting to get this opportunity again,” said Sappia. “Speaking for the team, we are all very competitive people and want the ring.”
Prior to the start of this season, the league’s coaches voted SFU the top team in the conference.
Now the Flash want to prove them right.
“This year feels different from last year because of our team chemistry,” Wilson said. “I think that we are much closer and all on the same page about the goal this year.”
Following the two matches at Le Moyne this weekend, SFU will be back home against Chicago State on Nov. 15 and 16 to wrap up the regular season.
