Posted: Oct 20, 2018
The Roadrunner women's volleyball team concluded their season in grand fashion this past weekend, compiling a respectable 1-1 record in the NJCAA Region XIX playoffs at Northampton Community College while learning that setter Megan Shook was also selected as a Region all-star!
The Runners lost in straight sets to defending champion Northampton 3-0 in a second-round match following a 3-0 triumph over Lehigh-Carbon in the opening round. The playoff appearance, the first in school history, allowed RCGC to finish the 2018 season with a solid 9-10 overall record, a big improvement over the 3-13 mark of 2017.
One of the team's top stars, former Sterling High standout Megan Shook, earned All-Region XIX Second Team honors. Shook finished the campaign with 273 assists, an average of 4.79 assists per set, as well as 57 service aces -- two of the top marks in Regkion XIX.
Congratulations to Coach Rebecca Pierson's team on an outstanding season!
Tournament Preview
The RCGC women's volleyball team has qualified for the NJCAA Region XIX Division III playoffs for the first time in school history. The Roadrunners enter the tournament as the No. 9 seed and will meet Lehigh Carbon CC on Saturday, Oct. 20, at Northampton Community College. The winner advances to play top seed and 6-time defending Region champion Northampton immediately following the first-round game.
The playoff berth represents a remarkable turnaround in which the Roadrunners, under coach Rebecca Pierson, improved from a 3-13 record in 2017 to 8-9 this Fall. Pierson accomplished this turnaround by adding outstanding first-year talent to a roster of veteran players back from 2017.
"It's exciting to qualify for the playoffs, and we're confident we will be competitive," said first-year defensive specialist Victoria Caldas, one of three former Gloucester Catholic alums on the roster this fall. The other two include Victoria's sister Taylor Caldas, an outside hitter, and first-year player Kiersten Labbree, a defensive specialist.
All three have contributed solidly over the course of the season in addition to standout efforts from teammates Emily Tate, middle blocker; Casey Rose Alderete, libero; Azhyainna Redd, middle blocker; Alysia Williams., outside hitter; and Megan Shook, setter, among others.
"We knew the program only had three wins last season, but we also knew we had a lot of talent coming in this year and that we could make a big difference," said Taylor Caldas. "It's been a great season!"
Ditto, said Labbree. "The college game is so much faster-paced than high school, but everyone came together right at the beginning of the season. It's been a lot of fun."
The Region XIX Volleyball committee released the 2018 Division III Bracket on Wednesday and 6-time defending Region champion Northampton earned the No. 1 seed.
One major difference this year for Region XIX is the change made at the national level which eliminated the District match for the Region XIX champion and provided two direct bids for Region XIX teams.
The region bracket is now split in half with seeds 1, 4, 5, 8 and 9 in the top half and seeds 2, 3, 6 and 7 in the bottom half.
The tournament begins on Saturday October 20th, with the four winners advancing to the Region Championship at Bucks County Community College on October 27th.
Tournament Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 20
At Northampton Community College
Saturday, Oct. 20
At Northampton Community College
No. 9 RCGC vs. No. 8 Lehigh Carbon
Winner vs. No. 1 Northampton
Winner vs. No. 1 Northampton
No. 5 Bergen vs. No. 4 Ocean
No. 3 Raritan vs. No. 6 Bucks
No. 7 Montgomery vs. No. 3 HACC
Saturday, Oct. 27
Region Championships at Bucks County Community College