Volleyball Opens NCAA Tournament Play Against #8 NYU on Thursday

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State women's volleyball team will take on nationally eighth-ranked New York University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow at 3:00 P.M. from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

The Owls (13-11) are in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time, earning the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference's automatic bid by winning the league tournament on Saturday with a four-set victory over Worcester State. The Owls also earned a share of the MASCAC regular season title after completing conference play at a record of 6-1.

Westfield last reached the tournament back in 2019 where the Owls lost to top regional seed Clarkson University in straight sets.

New York University (25-6), out of the University Athletic Association (UAA), is the eighth ranked team in the country in the latest AVCA coaches poll, and enters the tournament as an at-large bid after falling to fifth-ranked Emory College in the UAA Semifinals. The Violets won their second straight UAA regular season title and finished third at the UAA Championship this past weekend. NYU is currently first in the NCAA Region IV regional rankings.

The Owls and the Violets have met in the NCAA tournament before, as the two teams squared off in the first round in 2010, with NYU emerging as a 3-0 victor on that occasion.

The two teams have one common opponent this season in Amherst College as the Owls dropped a three-set match while NYU swept the Mammoths.

Westfield poses a balanced attack up front with four players registering triple-digit kills on the year. Senior Shawna Crowley (Billerica, Mass.) leads the unit overall with 192 kills with sister Ashley Crowley (Billerica, Mass.) following at 178 kills. MASCAC Tournament MVP Julia Bartiet (Cheshire, Conn.) leads the conference in hitting percentage (.338) and has registered 109 kills and 43 total blocks.

Sophomore Julia Dangel-Garcia (Ashland, Mass.) and first-year Morgan Dority (Walpole, Mass.) have supplied the facilitating responsibilities for the Owls with Dangel-Garcia topping the team with 381 assists. Dority has delivered her best performances down the home stretch for the Owls, compiling a career-high 26 assists against Rhode Island College in late October. She has also served as a threat to opposing teams above the net as of late, recording at least one block in six of the final seven games for Westfield.

First-year libero Allie Hill (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) paces the Owls in digs (328) and is third in the MASCAC in digs per set at 3.93.

NYU is led by senior captain Haley Holz (Palatine, Ill.) who leads the UAA with 401 kills. Sophomore libero Lindsey Hirano (South Pasadena, Calif.) is fifth in Division III in total digs with 679 and is three digs away from setting the single-season record in NYU program history. Sophomore middle blocker Leela Anvekar (San Marino, Calif.) has been a force in the middle of the Violets defense as she is currently eighth in the nation in total blocks at 118.

Westfield and NYU are in an eight-team regional, with the winner facing the winner of the Salisbury State (Md.) vs. Endicott (Mass.) game in the second round.  The other side of the Middletown bracket includes host Wesleyan facing Eastern Nazarene (Mass.) in the first round, along with Stevenson (Md.) matching up with Williams (Mass.).

Opening round games are slated for Thursday, with the regional semifinals on Friday, and regional championship games on Saturday.  Each regional winner advances to the elite eight, which will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa.