No. 1 - Dowling College Golden Lions - 26-5
East Coast Conference (Regular Season Champions)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 12 (8th straight)
Record vs.East Regional Participants: 9-2
Head Coach: Alex Koszalka (Record at Dowling: 294-97)
All- Conference Players:
Maja Potpara - ECC Player of the Year, 1st Team
Bethany Shepard - ECC Rookie of the Year, 1st Team
Patrycja Klekotka - ECC First Team
Monika Kasperek - ECC First Team
Notes: Despite falling in the ECC Tournament final to Bridgeport, the Golden Lions earned the top seed and will be hosting the NCAA Division II East Regional for the second time in three years...This marks the 8th straight season Dowling has made the NCAA Tournament and 12th overall...The Golden Lions are led by two-time ECC Player of the Year, Maja Potpara. Potpara, who was last year's AVCA National Freshman of the Year, ranks first on the squad in assists (662), second in kills (271) and service aces (58, and third in digs (219) and total blocks (69)...Patrycja Klekotka currently sits 24 kills short of becoming the 8th player in program history to reach the 1,000 kill mark...The Golden Lions are one of three teams in the tournament to have previously won an East Regional Championship, taking home three straight from 2005-2007.
No. 2 - University of New Haven Chargers - 24-5
Northeast-10 Conference (Regular Season Champions)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 24 (4th straight)
Record vs. East Regional Participants: 6-2
Head Coach: Robin Salters (Record at New Haven: 453-137)
All-Conference Players:
Sara Malmlov - NE-10 Player of the Year, 1st Team
Chelsea Alpough - NE-10 Setter of the Year, 1st Team
Keidy Candelaria - NE-10 Freshman of the Year, 1st Team
Notes: The No. 2 seeded Chargers of the University of New Haven return to the NCAA Tournament looking to capture back-to-back Regional Championships...The Chargers have won the most titles in East Region Championship history, with 8 since 1993...New Haven went undefeated in Northeast-10 regular season action with a 15-0 record before being upset by Southern Connecticut State in the First Round of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament...The Chargers were led by Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, Sara Malmlov...Malmlov put down 404 kills to lead both New Haven and the Northeast-10 Conference.
No. 3 - University of Bridgeport Purple Knights- 31-6
East Coast Conference (Tournament Champions)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2 (2nd straight)
Record vs. East Regional Participants: 7-3
Head Coach: Leo Uzcategui (Record at Bridgeport: 31-6)
All-Conference Players:
Agatha Baliddawa - ECC First Team
Terry Masava - ECC First Team
Juliana Moraes - ECC Second Team
Notes: The No. 3 seeded Purple Knights enter NCAA Tournament play fresh off their first ever conference championship...Bridgeport ended Dowling's 5 year reign as champions of the East Coast Conference with a 5 set victory in the ECC Tournament final...Leo Uzcategui, the 2009 ECC Co-Coach of the Year, has led the Purple Knights to a school record 31 victories this season...Bridgeport shouldn't be fazed by their surroundings in Oakdale, NY, having already compiled a 4-1 record at Dowling Gymnasium in 2009.
No. 4 - Adelphi University Panthers- 27-9
Northeast-10 Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 3 (3rd straight)
Record vs. East Regional Opponents: 5-4
Head Coach: Danielle MacKnight (Record at Adelphi: 81-28)
All-Conference Players:
Hilary Pavels - NE-10 First Team
Heather Mau - NE-10 Second Team
Breanna Popham - NE-10 All-Rookie Team
Notes: The Panthers of Adelphi University earned the No. 4 seed in the East Region after posting a 14-1 record in league play and advancing to the final of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament...Adelphi will be looking for their first ever win in NCAA Tournament play after falling in the First Round the previous two seasons...Hilary Pavels led the Panthers on the year, smashing down 374 kills, good for 3rd on the program's all-time single season record list.
No. 5 - Bentley University Falcons- 17-12
Northeast-10 Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 11 (6th straight)
Record vs. East Regional Opponents: 3-5
Head Coach: Sandy Hoffman (Record at Bentley:700-307)
All-Conference Players:
Alex Kearney - NE-10 First Team
Cassie Kraft - NE-10 Second Team
Amy Waitkus - NE-10 All-Rookie Team
Notes: Bentley will be making its 6th straight appearance in the NCAA East Regional and 11th all-time, tying for third most amongst East Region teams...This past Saturday, senior Alex Kearney became Bentley's all-time leader in kills, surpassing 1989 graduate and NE-10 Hall of Famer Maria Vicens...Kearney will enter the NCAA Tournament with 1,434 kills...Cassie Kraft is also close to a milestone, needing only 25 digs to record her 4th straight 500 dig season...Last Friday, head coach Sandy Hoffman became the 4th active coach, and 24th in women's collegiate volleyball history to reach the 700 win plateau.
No. 6 - U-Mass Lowell River Hawks - 22-9
Northeast-10 Conference (Tournament Champions)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 5
Record vs. East Regional Opponents: 3-6
Head Coach: Karen McNulty (Record at U-Mass Lowell: 300-226)
All-Conference Players:
Sarah Coscia - NE-10 First Team
Elsa LeGrand, NE-10 Third Team
Notes: The River Hawks will enter the NCAA Tournament on a roll after capturing their first ever Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championship...Nichole Rondeau captured the Most Outstanding Player award during the conference tournament after dishing out 33 assists in the title game against Adelphi...Senior Elsa LeGrand has 411 career blocks, standing just four short of breaking the U-Mass Lowell record.
No. 7 - Pace University Setters - 17-11
Northeast-10 Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 6
Record vs. East Regional Opponents: 0-8
Head Coach: Dan Altro (Record at Pace: 72-90)
All-Conference Players:
Victoria Pompilus - NE-10 Third Team
Nora Rugova - NE-10 All-Rookie Team, Third Team
Notes: By earning the No. 7 seed, the Setters of Pace University return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2000 season when they made a trip to the Elite Eight...Pace is one of three institutions competing in the tournament that have previously captured an East Region Championship, joining Dowling and New Haven...Four Setters recorded over 200 kills in 2009, led by Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team selection, Nora Rugova, with 289.
No. 8 - Georgian Court University Lions - 26-9
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (Tournament Champions)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 4 (4th straight)
Record vs. East Regional Opponents: 1-4
Head Coach: Fransico Casado (Record at Georgian Court: 131-70 )
All-Conference Players:
Janelle Murdock - CACC First Team
Stephanie Rivera - CACC First Team
Lisamary Figueroa - CACC Second Team
Ana Cruz - CACC Honorable Mention
Notes: Having won their 4th straight Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship, the Lions of Georgian Court make their 4th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament...Freshman Brandi Arsenault was named MVP of the CACC Tournament...Georgian Court has dominated their conference in recent times, winning 71 straight games in CACC play...In 2008, Georgian Court advanced to the Regional Semifinals, eventually falling to No. 1 seed New Haven.