No longer ‘new kid on the block,’ Kline looks to further build Cavs softball

By Becca Miles
Beat Staff
Twitter: @BMiles31

In Nov. 2012, Cabrini College announced that Mitch Kline would be the new coach of the softball team.  Kline has had a long-standing history in athletics, especially softball.

Not only has Kline coached softball for years, but has valuable experience as a player.  He played baseball in high school, and picked up softball in college.

“I started playing modified fastpitch softball while I was at Penn State and continued after graduating,” Kline said.  “A buddy of mine suggested that I try playing fastpitch on his team, and I fell in love with the game.”

Kline had the chance to play with and against some of the best male softball players in the country.  He played in the Philadelphia Majors for close to 25 years and had the chance to play on three USA men’s fastpitch teams.  Kline also participates in the Maccabiah Games, and his team earned gold medals in 1985 and 1989.

Coach Kline had been to Cabrini before he started coaching the Cavs.  When he coached field hockey while teaching in the Philadelphia school system, one of his players came to play for the Cavs upon graduation.

“I really enjoyed the family-type atmosphere at the games, as well as the tremendous family and student support at every game,” said Kline.  “I always went home after the games thinking that it would be wonderful school in which to teach and coach, never thinking that I would one day be afforded the same opportunity.”

In 2012, Kline was adopted into the Cabrini Athletics family.  Though Kline is only a part-time coach, he can always be found in the Dixon Center.

“One of the many special qualities of Cabrini is that it is a very accepting community,” Kline said.  “As the new kid on the block last year, everyone in the athletic department was so helpful to me.  Everyone went out of his or her way to answer all of my questions, as well as offer a lot of very sound advice.

“In addition, I was also very fortunate to have the help of our two great assistant coaches, Hilary Tutrani and Sammy Thompson.”

“I think Mitch has improved the structure and overall foundation of our program significantly though recruiting and his dedication to build a strong program,” assistant coach Hilary Tutrani said. “I think it is extremely hard to come in as a new coach and make large impacts on a program.  I think it took time for everyone to buy into his coaching style, but things started to click and big things will happen this year.”

Kline adopted an 11-11 team in conference play.  He improved the team to 14-9 in conference play in his first season.  This year, he’s added nine freshmen to the squad.  He retains two offensive leaders — junior Stephanie Diegel and sophomore Kaitlyn Cooper.

“We have a solid team returning this year and with Mitch’s guidance, the freshmen will help us even more,” Diegel said. “I’m excited to see what will happen this season.”

“It is hard to predict how the 2014 season will play out, but from the core of players returning from last year’s team, and the addition of our freshman class, I am very excited about the possibilities for our team,” Kline said.

“Our team has worked very hard during the fall, and I am confident that we will continue to work hard when practice begins on Jan. 27th.  As long as we continue this sound work ethic and build upon the strong foundation we started in the fall, our team and our program will continue to move onward and upward not only this coming season, but in the many seasons ahead.”

Looking back on volleyball’s best season

By Becca Miles
Beat Staff
Twitter: @BMiles31

Despite a tough end in the NCAA tournament, Cavalier volleyball finished with the best season in program history — accomplishing a 29-5 overall record and an 11-0 record in CSAC play.

Head coach Eric Schaefer provided the Blue and White with a difficult non-conference schedule early in the season.  Cabrini went undefeated in their first tournament of the season, then suffered two early losses to Johns Hopkins and Stevenson University —  who both earned bids in the NCAA Tournament.

“At the beginning of our season, our coach had set goals for our team,” senior Sophia Sokolovich said.  “He wanted to go undefeated in CSAC play, but he also wanted to everyone in the conference in three. We all bought in.”

The Cavs would open their CSAC slate against Gwynedd Mercy University in mid-September, earning their first win in conference play.  Cabrini would then move on to the Franklin & Marshall Scramble, dropping one of three matches.  That did not deter the Cavs.

Cabrini would then go on a nine-match winning streak.  During that streak, the Cavs would earn five conference wins heading into the beginning of October.

“In the beginning, we knew we were going to be a better team than we were last season,” sophomore Jen Grenauer said.  “We wanted to focus on being a close team by doing a lot of bonding, which helped us throughout the season by picking up one another and sticking together as a team.”

The Cavs would suffer their first home loss 3-1 to Richard Stockton — another NCAA Tournament contender.  Once again, Cabrini waited no time to bounce back.  The team would then go on an 11-game win streak to bring them to the CSAC Tournament.  At that point of conference play, the Cavs went 9-0 and had not lost a set.

Being the number one seed, the Cavs got a first-round bye in the tournament, and the road to the championship would go though the Nerney Field House.  The Cavs played Marywood University in the semifinal, beating them 3-0.

For the championship, Cabrini would face Neumann.  This was not an unfamiliar meeting between the two teams, as they had faced each other in the past two season with the title on the line, splitting the matches.  This year, Cabrini would take the win 3-1 in an intense match, and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Sokolovich’s 18 digs earned her tournament MVP honors.

The Cavs then faced Christopher Newport in the first round of the tournament.  In a hard-fought battle, Cabrini suffered their first loss in 13 games, ending their season in a 3-2 loss.

“We stuck together as a team from Day One,” senior Danielle Carrozza said.  “We came in August with a common goal of regaining our conference title and we achieved it.  Along the way, we became a team that was ranked nationally in different categories, and we were competing with and beating some of the top ranked teams.  It was a total team effort the whole season.”

The Cavs were not short on honors for the 2013 season. Schaefer earned CSAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven years at the helm, and also reached his 150th career win.

Carrozza earned CSAC Player of the Year and first team All-CSAC.  She also earned an Honorable Mention from American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III All-America. She ranked 11th in the nation in kills, 12th in  hitting percentage and 16th in Division III in points for set.  Carrozza also had 12 double-doubles on the year.

Fellow senior Michele Fitz was named to the first team All-CSAC team, earning CSAC honors for all four years of her career.  Fitz led the CSAC in blocks and was ranked second in hitting percentage.

Sophomore Cassidy Koenig joined her teammates on first team All-CSAC.  Koenig ranked 16th in Division III for assists per set, and had 10 40-plus assist matches on the season.

Sokolovich and Granaeur were named to second team All-CSAC, while freshman Kelly Guarino was named to the honorable mention All-CSAC team.  Junior Dana Wisniewski was named to the CSAC All-Sportsmanship team.

“Did I ever think we would end the season 29-5? No,” Sokolovich said.  “That’s a season not many teams can accomplish.  Yes, I am sad the season is over, but we contended with a nationally-ranked team in the NCAA Tournament.  We lost the best way possible, killing ourselves for balls and proving to everyone watching we deserved to be there.”

The 2013 season was a season full of records and accomplishments.  It will be hard for any team to match the accomplishments this team earned, and the 2013 Cavs set the bar high for future teams to follow.

Volleyball season ends in dramatic NCAA finish

By Becca Miles
Beat Staff
Twitter: @BMiles31

Cavalier volleyball ended its record season Saturday with a loss to Christopher Newport University in the NCAA tournament.  The success of this season matches no other in program history, with a final overall record of 29-5.

The match also marked the end of the road for the four Cavalier seniors —  Danielle Carrozza, Michele Fitz, Kristy Riley and Sophia Sokolovich.  The four have led the Cavs to three CSAC championships and three NCAA tournament appearances.

Coming into the match as the underdog, the Cavs came out strong from the beginning.  The first set remained close almost the whole time until the Blue and White took the lead after a 19-19 tie.  The Cavs went on a six point run winning the set 25-19 and giving Cabrini their first NCAA tournament set victory.

Christopher Newport then came into the second set with a vengeance.  The Cavs could never take hold of a strong lead in the match.  Christopher Newport would take the second set 25-13.

In the third set Cabrini would start the with an eight-point run, but Christopher Newport showed no resign, working back to tie the set at 23.  A kill by Carrozza and an attack error by Christopher Newport junior Brooke Moore would result in a 27-25 win for Cabrini.

The fourth set was an interesting one, as it remained tight and contained 13 lead changes and 12 ties.  Christopher Newport would go on a six-point run to pull away with a 21-16 lead. Cabrini would tie the set up 23, but Christopher Newport would not surrender the lead, winning the set 27-25.

In the fifth and final set, Christopher Newport took and early 4-3 lead.  The Cavs remained close, but could never gain a lead on Christopher Newport, ultimately falling 15-12.

“Going into the match, we knew this team had good player that were going to challenge us,” sophomore Jen Granauer said.  “When we won matches against them, it gave us more momentum and energy, because we were just as good as the other team.”

Carrozza earned her 13th double-double on the season with 20 kills and 17 digs.  Fitz recorded 11 kills and three blocks.  Sokolovich had a season-high 27-dig match.  Sophomore Cassidy Koenig had her 10th match with 40-plus assists earning, 48.

“I couldn’t be more proud with the way we come out and fought on Friday as the ‘underdog.’” Carrozza said.  “We went down swinging, and we went down as a team. I was honored to be out there with those girls Friday.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my career, losing a five set match to a very good team who has been to the Elite Eight and has gone far in the NCAA tournament.  We proved to everyone that Cabrini deserved to be there.”

Volleyball set for NCAA tournament against Christopher Newport

Cavalier volleyball looks for their first NCAA tournament win Friday against Christopher Newport. (CabriniAthletics.com)

By Becca Miles
Beat Staff
Twitter: @BMiles31

Cavalier volleyball made it to their fourth NCAA tournament in five years last Saturday (see story), and will face Christopher Newport College to open their tournament play.

In the past three appearances in the tournament, Cabrini has faced Juniata College, closing out the Blue and White’s season with losses.  When the Cavs matched up against Juniata in 2009, Juniata was ranked number two overall, and in 2010, ranked three.

Christopher Newport has been to the NCAA tournament 10 times before, and this year marks their seventh appearance in a row.  In their last four appearances, Christopher Newport reached at least the Elite Eight, and reached the Final Four last season.  Cabrini will look to dig deep, in search of their first NCAA tournament win. The four seniors — Danielle Carrozza (who leads the team in kills with 433), Sophia Sokolovich (who leads the team in digs with 460), Michele Fitz (who leads the team in blocks with 82), and Kristy Riley (who has 174 digs) — will help lead the team, having been to the tournament before.

“Physically in practice, we need to focus on what we do well — a fast offense and scrappy defense,” Sokolovich said.  “Mentally, the four seniors have been in this situation before, so we need to help calm nerves and focus in on playing and staying together as a team.”

“We’ve been preparing for this game by staying positive and communicating with each other during practice,” freshman Kelly Guarino said.  “We’re going to take one set at a time, work hard, and enjoy being in the NCAA tournament.”

The match is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa.

Volleyball earns revenge against Neumann in CSAC final

Volleyball won their fourth CSAC championship in five years Saturday against Neumann. (Rob Riches / Asst. Editor)

By Becca Miles
Beat Staff
Twitter: @BMiles31

After dropping the CSAC championship match against Neumann last year, Cabrini volleyball regained the championship title they have been after Saturday.

The 3-1 victory marks the Cavs’ fourth CSAC championship in five years, and secures a bid in the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s a great feeling to come back from last year’s loss and beat Neumann,” sophomore Jen Grenauer said. “We knew they weren’t going to play without giving a fight.”

The Blue and White took quick command of the first set, but Neumann hung close the whole way. Neumann worked back from as much as a four-point deficit to tie the set on five different occasions.

At 14-14, the Knights would go on a four-point run to take the lead and never look back, winning the set 25-22. The loss would mark Cabrini’s first dropped set of the season in CSAC play.

“The atmosphere was pretty intense, so I think we needed to get the first game out of the way to get us used to what we were playing in front of,” senior Danielle Carrozza said. “After the first set, we played together as a team and just worried about the 12 of us. That’s it.”

The second set would start out close, but once the Cavs gained the lead, they would never surrender it. With a 20-18 lead, the Cavs went on a five-point tear, winning 25-18 and tying the match.

The third set would be Cabrini-dominated, as the Cavs would not allow Neumann a run of any kind. The Cavs won 25-16 with the help of eight Carrozza kills.

Neumann, looking to stay in the match, came to the floor with a different energy. The fourth set teetered between both teams, until Cabrini broke a 14-14 tie by going on a four-point run to gain an 18-14 lead. The Cavaliers won the fourth set and the CSAC championship with the 25-21 victory, bringing their record to 29-4 for the season.

Senior Sophia Sokolovich earned Most Valuable Player honors with her 18 digs. Carrozza recorded her 12^th double-double on the year with 24 kills and 17 digs, while freshman Kelly Guarino added 10 digs.

Grenauer totaled 13 kills on the match, while senior Michele Fitz recorded four blocks. Sophomore Cassidy Koenig recorded her ninth match with 40-plus assists, totaling 49 in the match.

The Cavs will face Christopher Newport University on Friday at the Kennedy S+R Center in Huntingdon, Pa. in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Volleyball set to face rival Neumann in 3rd straight title match

Danielle Carrozza feels the Cavs could beat Neumann if they play the way they played all season. (credit: Cabrini Athletics)

By Becca Miles
Beat Staff
Twitter: @BMiles31

After a sweep over Marywood Thursday night (see story), Cabrini volleyball is now ready to face Neumann University for the CSAC title — a team the Cavs swept Oct. 16.

This meeting for the championship is not an unfamiliar one, as Cabrini and Neumann have faced each other in the past two finals.

The Cavs beat the Knights for the championship in 2011, sweeping  in three sets and setting the stage for the next season’s final.

The 2012 match offered different results, as Neumann started out strong and took the first set. The teams would alternate set wins, ultimately giving Neumann the win in the fifth set. The loss ended Cabrini’s three-year championship streak.

In regular season play this year, Cabrini swept Neumann — a team with only two CSAC losses — in three sets (see story).

“Our goal for this season was to reach the championship game,” freshman Kelly Guarino said. “We’ve been working hard and pushing each other to our best abilities every day, whether it was during practices or games.

“We took one game at a time but always kept the CSAC championship in the back of our minds. We are going to stay focused, determined and play our hearts out,” Guarino said.

This will be the Cavs’ sixth consecutive appearance in the title game, and they’ll look for their fourth win in that span. Match time is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Nerney Field House.

“During Saturday’s game we are just going to go in and do our thing,” senior Danielle Carrozza said. “We can’t get ahead of ourselves or think too much. If we come into the game calm and just play Cabrini volleyball like we have all season, I think we will come out on top.”

Volleyball advances to 6th-straight final with win over Marywood

The volleyball team celebrates after a kill. (CabriniAthletics.com)

By Becca Miles
Beat Staff
Twitter: @BMiles31

Cabrini volleyball earned a victory Thursday against Marywood University,  earning a berth in the CSAC final for the sixth consecutive season. They swept the Pacers, winning the sets 25-10, 25-16 and 25-14.

In all three sets, the Cavs would come out to an early lead and never relinquish it. Senior Danielle Carrozza had 15 kills and six digs, and fellow senior Michele Fitz recorded 11 kills. Freshman Kelly Guarino nearly earned a double-double, tallying 16 digs and nine kills. Seniors Sophia Sokolovich and Kristy Riley had themselves 10 digs apiece. Sophomore Cassidy Koenig totaled 40 assists — her eighth 40-plus assist match of the season.

“We had to stay focused and play at our level,” sophomore Jen Grenauer said. “We beat them once and we knew where the ball was going to be set which prepared us.”

“Tonight was the first step towards the goals that we’ve been working towards since August,” Carrozza said.

The Cavs will face Neumann University in pursuit of their fourth title in six seasons. Match time is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Nerney Field House.