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Maine Volleyball Concludes Regular Season at Home
Nov. 9, 2004 ORONO, Maine - The University of Maine volleyball team returns home after five matches on the road to close out the 2004 regular season. The Black Bears (16-10, 8-4) host Albany (Friday at 7 p.m.) and Binghamton (Saturday at 4 p.m.) for a pair of key America East Conference contests. Admission to both matches at Memorial Gym is free. With a pair of victories last weekend, Maine clinched a berth in the conference championship for the first time since 2001. The results of this week's contests will determine the seeding for the single-elimination tournament. Last Time Out: The Black Bears claimed two road matches last weekend. Junior Kaili Jordan had 17 kills and sophomore Shelly Seipp tallied 43 assists and 10 digs in a 3-0 victory over Hartford. Maine set a school record with 118 digs in a 3-1 win over Northeastern. Seipp had 30 digs and a match-high 64 assists. Jordan posted 22 kills and 20 digs. Junior Leah Guidinger (17 kills, 12 digs) and senior Carmen Morgan (22 kills, 20 digs) also had double-doubles. On Monday, Nov. 8, Jordan was named America East Player of the Week and Seipp earned the setter of the week award. Fotter Looks for Blocks Record: On the season, junior Shannan Fotter has 89 blocks. She needs only seven blocks to eclipse Adrienne Poplawski's single-season record, established in 2001. Black Bear Statistical Leaders: Kaili Jordan: 3.71 kills per game Shelly Seipp: 10.60 assists per game Jody Connacher: 3.71 digs per game On Deck: Maine will play in the conference championship, scheduled for Albany, N.Y. from Nov. 19-20. Host Albany, Binghamton and Northeastern have all clinched spots in the single-elimination tournament. The results of this weekend's contests will decide the rest of the seeding. Senior Farewell: Maine's three seniors will be playing their final contests in Memorial Gym this weekend. Brittany Howe, Marina Ivankovic and Carmen Morgan will all be honored before the Black Bears match against Binghamton. Scouting the Great Danes: Albany (24-5, 12-0) is undefeated in conference play at 12-0 and has clinched the No. 1 seed for the league tournament. The Great Danes have a school-record 18 match winning streak and have not lost since Sept. 18. Ashlee Reed is second in the conference with a .332 hitting percentage. Blair Buchanan (12.69 assists per game) is the top setter in the league and Shelby Goldman paces the conference with 4.21 kills per game. Eileen Nicole Rodriguez has 81 service aces in 84 games this year. Scouting the Bearcats: Binghamton (17-14, 7-5) swept Stony Brook on Nov. 6 to secure a spot in the America East Championship for the first time. Entering this weekend's matches, the Bearcats have won eight of their last 11 contests. Anne Crocus is averaging 4.14 kills per game and is first in the league with a .351 hitting percentage. Ashley Meffert is second with 10.80 assists per game. Crocus and Jacki Kane have combined for 193 blocks.
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