2006 Match Recaps

The Lady Bearcats won their two matches on the final day of the Bearcat Challenge, defeating Waynesburg and Pitt-Johnstown.

Saint Vincent took three of four against Waynesburg, with scores of 30-11, 28-30, 30-21, and 30-15.

Shannon McVay led the Lady Bearcats with 18 kills, three blocks, and a pair of aces.  Emily Ecoff and Jaime Kelly each recorded 12 kills, while Kristin Hozak added 55 assists, seven kills, and three aces.  Defensively, Breanne Ezarik paced the squad with 18 digs.

The Lady Bearcats swept Pitt-Johnstown 3-0, winning by scores of 30-27, 30-22, and 30-28.  The victors came from behind in two of the games, taking their first lead at 24-23 in the first game and at 26-25 in game three.  Kelly had 16 kills and eight blocks, McVay 12 kills and eight blocks, and Hozak 40 assists in the win.

Daemen, which defeated host Saint Vincent on Friday night, took the tournament's overall title, finishing the weekend 4-0.  The Lady Bearcats and Pitt-Johnstown each went 3-1.  McVay, Hozak, and Ecoff were all named to the All-Tournament team.

The Saint Vincent College Lady Bearcats won the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II championship, sweeping Adelphi University, 3-0.  Game scores were 30-20, 30-22 and 30-27.

Saint Vincent came out on fire in the first game of the afternoon, jumping out to a quick 11-3 lead on a Krystin Lowers spike.  The team's advantage eventually grew to 20-11 before Adelphi rallied and pulled to within four at 20-16.  The Lady Bearcats then retook the momentum, closing the game out on a 10-4 run.

Game two was much of the same, with the Lady Bearcats taking a 9-2 lead right off the bat.  After an Adelphi time out, the Panthers came charging back, finding themselves down just 13-12, but the Lady Bearcat senior tandem of Shannon McVay and Emily Ecoff then took charge, each recording a pair of spikes while stretching the lead to seven at 21-14.

Adelphi refused to quit, and closed the gap to four points on two different occasions at 24-20 and 26-22, but SVC sophomore Jaime Kelly recorded the final two points on two powerful putaways to give SVC the 30-22 win.

Kelly, who was chosen as the match's most valuable player after recording a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs, received high praise from coach Sue Hozak.

"She definitely deserved the MVP," said the coach.  "She did an outstanding job today, coming up with big hits when we needed them.  She's been doing it all year, and it's great to see a sophomore perform like that."

The third game of the day proved to be the closest, with the visitors leading throughout the entire first half of the contest.  Another kill by Kelly allowed the Lady Bearcats to tie it up at 14, and they finally pulled ahead 16-15 after a putaway by Ecoff.

Adelphi then tied it once again, but three kills by McVay gave the Lady Bearcats a 24-20 lead.  The Panthers then went on a 6-1 run, going ahead 26-25, until Kelly tied the score with another kill.  A Lauren Paddick spike then put SVC ahead to stay as they went on to win the game, the match, and the ECAC title.

Ecoff and McVay, who, along with Lowers were playing in the final match of their careers, each recorded nine kills, while Ecoff led the defense with 19 digs and McVay paced the team with six blocks.

"Winning the championship like this was a great way for Emily, Krystin, and Shannon to end their collegiate careers," Hozak said.

Sophomore Breanne Ezarik also had a solid game defensively, recording 19 digs, while junior setter Kristin Hozak tallied 43 assists, giving her 1,496 on the season, the second highest single-season total in school history.

Saint Vincent now finishes the season with a 29-4 record, the best in the team's 22-year history.  The Lady Bearcats closed out the year on a school-best 20 match winning streak, with 19 of those victories coming in three games. 

The Lady Bearcats extended their winning streak to 15 matches and 45 games with their 3-0 victory over visiting Waynesburg.
 Scores were 30-19, 30-22, and, in a thrilling game three, 35-33.

In the night's first game, the score stood at 4-4 before the Lady Bearcats rattled off eight straight points, including a pair of spikes from both Jaime Kelly and Krystin Lowers, to take a 12-4 lead. 

Waynesburg pulled within five at 21-15, but SVC finished on a 9-4 run, with Shannon McVay putting away a powerful spike for the 30th Lady Bearcat point.

The beginning of game two was a back and forth battle, featuring five ties and five lead changes until a 6-0 run by SVC, capped off by a Carly Richard ace, put the hosts up 24-17.  Waynesburg brought it to within four points at 26-22, but SVC scored the final four to pull out the win.

Game three saw the Yellow Jackets lead for the vast majority of the contest, until a feverish comeback by the Lady Bearcats clinched the win. 

Waynesburg jumped out to a 4-3 lead early on, and held off every Lady Bearcat attack, pulling ahead by as many as five on three different occasions.

Saint Vincent was able to tie it up at 28 on a block by Kelly and Lauren Paddick, and Paddick also knotted it up at 29 with a spike before a Lowers put away gave SVC a 30-29 advantage.

Waynesburg refused to go away, and took leads of 31-30 and 32-31, and tied it up at 33, until another McVay kill followed by a Yellow Jacket error gave Saint Vincent the 35-33 win.

McVay and Paddick each recorded 14 kills for SVC, with the latter also adding six blocks.  Emily Ecoff had 12 kills and 18 digs, while Ezarik had 13 digs and Kelly 12.  Kristin Hozak had 50 assists.

The Lady Bearcats won two matches on the road, defeating both Kenyon College and Allegheny College.

SVC downed Kenyon in three straight games, 30-18, 30-21, and 30-18.  In that match, Emily Ecoff and Shannon McVay each recorded 9 kills.  McVay also had 5 blocks and 5 aces.  Jaime Kelly also recorded five aces, while Kristin Hozak added four.  Hozak also recorded 28 assists.

The Lady Bearcats then defeated Allegheny in three straight, 30-26, 30-15 and 30-23.

McVay posted 16 kills and seven blocks.  Ecoff had 11 kills and 14 digs, and Hozak tallied 43 assists and two aces.

The Lady Bearcats defeated Mount Aloysius College on the road by a score of 3-0.

After a 30-17 opening game win, SVC held off Mount Al by scores of 30-25 in the final two games.

Krystin Lowers blocked seven shots on the day, while Lauren Paddick recorded six blocks.  Kristin Hozak had 44 assists, and Shannon McVay had 17 kills.  Breanne Ezarik posted 10 digs.

The Lady Bearcats improved to 22-4 with a victory over Grove City College on the road.

Game scores were 30-7, 30-20 and 30-19, giving the Lady Bearcats their 13th consecutive match victory, all in 3-0 fashion for 39 consecutive game wins.

SVC got off to a fast start in game one and never looked back, thanks to strong play from all of the starters.

Jaime Kelly tallied 13 kills, with no errors in 20 attempts.  She also blocked four shots and had two service aces.   Shannon McVay had 11 kills, with no errors in 21 attempts.  McVay blocked five shots.

Lauren Paddick had 9 kills, with no errors in 17 attempts and five blocks. 

Kristin Hozak had 45 assists and two aces, while Emily Ecoff had 12 digs and 9 kills.  Carly Richard and Breanne Ezarik played relentless defense on the evening.

With a 3-0 victory at Waynesburg, the Lady Bearcats secured the 400th victory in program history, as well as in the career of coach Sue Hozak.  Scores were 30-23, 30-21, and 30-27.

In the evening's first game, the Lady Bearcats were down 16-9 at one point, before scoring 21 of the final 28 points.  SVC was forced to come from behind in game three, as well, scoring 15 of the final 21 points after finding themselves down 21-15.

A trio of Lady Bearcats reached double figures in kills, including senior Shannon McVay (15), sophomore Jaime Kelly (15 without any errors), and senior Emily Ecoff (10).

SVC sophomore defensive specialist Breanne Ezarik had 19 digs, while junior setter Kristin Hozak tallied 50 assists to go with three service aces.

Sue Hozak, the only coach in the 22-year history of the Saint Vincent women's volleyball program, was able to secure the monumental victory at her alma mater.  The native of North Huntingdon graduated from Waynesburg in 1983 after playing four seasons for the Yellow Jackets. 

The Saint Vincent Lady Bearcats went 1-1 in the opening day of the 2006 Bearcat Challenge at the Robert S. Carey Center.

Coach Sue Hozak's squad defeated Carlow in the opener 3-0, winning 30-14, 30-12, and 30-15.  The Lady Bearcats fell to Daemen in their second game of the evening 3-2, with scores of 30-19, 29-31, 27-30, 30-26, and 9-15.

Against Carlow, senior Shannon McVay recorded 10 kills and three blocks. Senior Emily Ecoff (pictured right) had 11 kills, while junior Kristin Hozak had 51 assists and sophomore Breanne Ezarik had 16 digs.

In the loss to Daemen, sophomore Jaime Kelly led the way for SVC with 22 kills.  McVay had 16 kills and five blocks, while Hozak recorded 61 assists and Ezarik 21 digs.

The Lady Bearcats extended their winning streak to 19 matches, defeating Thomas More 3-0 in their regular season finale.  Scores were 30-20, 30-27, and 30-19.

Seniors Shannon McVay and Emily Ecoff each had 12 kills, while Krystin Lowers added eight.  Breanne Ezarik led the team with 12 digs, while Kristin Hozak had 47 assists.

The Lady Bearcats dropped one game to Westminster and ended their consecutive game win streak, but defeated both Westminster and Houghton to extend their overall match win streak to 18.

SVC defeated Westminster 3-1, with game scores of 30-19, 30-20, (28-30) and 30-22.  The first two game wins ran the Lady Bearcats' game-win streak to 50 before the loss.

Saint Vincent then defeated Houghton in three, 30-24, 30-25 and 30-22.

Against Westminster, Jaime Kelly led the offense with 18 kills, while Shannon McVay recorded 12 kills.  Kristin Hozak tallied 47 assists, while Emily Ecoff recorded 16 digs and Breanne Ezarik had 15.  In the Houghton match, Ecoff had 18 digs while Ezarik had 15.  The offensive stats were balanced, with McVay leading the way with 15 kills, followed by Kelly (14) and Ecoff (12).  Hozak had 55 assists.

The Lady Bearcats defeated Thiel 3-0, extending their winning streak to 10 matches and 30 games.

Scores were 30-11, 30-15, and 30-23.

In the night's first game, SVC used a 13-4 run midway through to put Thiel away, with Lauren Paddick scoring the 30th point on a powerful spike to seal the 19-point victory.

In game two, the Lady Bearcats raced out to a 13-0 lead, with Jaime Kelly recording seven of those points herself.  The Tomcats then responded by answering the Lady Bearcats pretty much point for point, but the 13-point deficit was too much for them to overcome, and the Lady Bearcats scored the final four points, including a pair of kills from freshman Erin Perry and a big spike from Shannon McVay, to cap off the 15-point win.

In the third game of the night, SVC went ahead 6-4 before scoring 11 unanswered points, increasing the lead to 13.  Once again, Thiel fought back and refused to go away, closing the deficit to five two seperate times, but another Paddick spike gave Saint Vincent its 30th point, 30th straight game, and 10th straight match.

McVay and Kelly led the offense on the night, each recording 13 kills, with the former adding four blocks.  Setter Kristin Hozak added 40 assists and nine aces for the Lady Bearcats, who found themselves behind only once on the evening - when Thiel took a 1-0 lead in game one.

The Saint Vincent Lady Bearcats won three straight games against Bethany College on the road, extending their win streak to 27 games and 9 matches.

Game scores were 30-23, 30-15 and 30-23.

Shannon McVay had 14 kills, three blocks, and three aces for the Lady Bearcats, Jaime Kelly 12 kills and three aces, and Kristin Hozak 45 assists.

The Lady Bearcats won their seventh and eighth consecutives matches, defeating both Westminster and Pitt-Johnstown.  Perhaps more impressive is the Lady Bearcats' now 24-game win streak.

Saint Vincent has won all eight matches by perfect 3-0 scores, sweeping Westminster by identical 30-23 margins in all three games, then downing UPJ, 30-18, 30-19 and 30-19.

In the Westminster match, Shannon McVay recorded 18 kills, while Jaime Kelly added 12.  Emily Ecoff had 11 kills and 14 digs, and Breanne Ezarik added 14 digs.  Kristin Hozak posted 46 assists.

Against UPJ, McVay had 16 kills, while Kelly and Ecoff added 11 each, and Hozak had 47 assists.

The Lady Bearcats picked up their fifth straight victory, shutting out Thiel 3-0.  Scores were 30-19, 30-22, and 30-28.

SVC boasted a very balanced attack offensively.  Emily Ecoff and Shannon McVay each recorded 11 kills, while Jaime Kelly had nine and Lauren Paddick eight. Ecoff also added 17 digs, McVay five blocks, and Kristin Hozak 43 assists.

It was the fifth time in a row and tenth time this season that SVC picked up a three-game sweep.

The Lady Bearcats breezed past two opponents in Kentucky, defeating Transylvania and Thomas More by 3-0 scores.

Against Transylvania, Saint Vincent won by scores of 30-14, 30-15 and 30-27.  Jaime Kelly had 12 kills and 4 blocks.  Emily Ecoff had 9 kills, three aces and 20 digs.  Shannon McVay added 9 kills and five blocks, while Kristin Hozak had three services aces and 41 assists.

In the Thomas More match, SVC won 30-28, 30-21 and 30-26.  McVay posted 13 kills and two aces, while Hozak had 30 assists and two aces.

The Lady Bearcats defeated Washington & Jefferson College for the second time this year, winning three straight games.  Game scores were 30-26, 30-18 and 30-25.

Jaime Kelly led the way with 17 kills, while Kristin Hozak recorded 39 assists and Emily Ecoff had 18 digs.

The Lady Bearcats  split two matches in the Hiram(OH) College Tournament on Saturday.

In its first match of the day, coach Sue Hozak's squad blanked Oberlin (OH) College 3-0, with scores of 30-16, 30-17, and 30-20. 

Shannon McVay recorded 17 kills for the victors, while Emily Ecoff added 16 digs and three aces and Kristin Hozak 43 assists and a trio of aces.

In the nightcap, the Lady Bearcats were defeated 3-0 by a powerful Hiram squad, ranked 22nd in the nation.  Scores were 30-24, 30-23, and 30-16. 

Jaime Kelly led the Lady Bearcats with 11 kills, while Ecoff and McVay each added 10.  Kristin Hozak recorded 34 assists, and Ecoff and Breanne Ezarik each had 12 digs.

The Lady Bearcats traveled to Carnegie Mellon and defeated the Tartans 3-2.
 
Scores were 30-20, 20-30, 30-32, 30-27, and 15-12.

Jaime Kelly led the way for SVC, posting 16 digs, 15 kills, five service aces and four blocks.  Emily Ecoff had 19 kills to go with 22 digs, while Shannon McVay had 18 kills and eight blocks.

Breanne Ezarik had 22 digs, while Kristin Hozak tallied 65 assists and 16 digs for the victors.

The Lady Bearcats defeated Presidents' Athletic Conference foe Washington & Jefferson 3-1.

In a very competitive match, scores were 31-29, 30-32, 32-30, and 30-28.

The Lady Bearcats boasted a very balanced attack, both offensively and defensively.

For SVC, Emily Ecoff recorded 26 digs, 15 kills, and four aces.   Shannon McVay (pictured) added 14 kills and led both squads with seven blocks while Jaime Kelly had 14 kills and four blocks,  Lauren Paddick 13 kills and four blocks, Breanne Ezarik 18 digs, and Carly Richard 13 digs and a pair of aces. Junior setter Kristin Hozak had 56 assists.

The Lady Bearcats went 1-1 on the first day of the College of Wooster tournament, dropping three games to Mount Union before sweeping Waynesburg.

In SVC's first match of the night, Mount Union took the three games 32-30, 30-25, and 30-17.  Emily Ecoff had 18 digs and 11 kills for the Lady Bearcats, while temmate Shannon McVay had 12 kills and four blocks.

The Lady Bearcats then picked up a victory over Waynesburg, defeating the Yellow Jackets 30-22, 30-12, and 30-14.  McVay had 11 kills and six blocks and Ecoff added 15 digs.  Jaime Kelly also had 11 kills for SVC, and Kristin Hozak had 45 assists and three blocks.

The Lady Bearcats took two of three matches on the second day to finish the weekend 3-2.

Saint Vincent lost the morning match to Urbana University 3-0, but rebounded to win three straight against Bluffton and then came from behind to take a five-game decision over Roberts Wesleyan. 

Scores of the Urbana contest were 22-30, 26-30, 31-33.  Statistically for SVC, Emily Ecoff had 18 digs, 11 kills, and a pair of service aces.  Teammate Shannon McVay added 11 kills and two blocks.

The Lady Bearcats swept Bluffton 30-18, 30-23, and 30-28.  Jaime Kelly had 13 kills and five blocks, while McVay added 10 kills and Kristin Hozak had 43 assists.

In the tournament's finale, SVC dropped the first two games to Roberts Wesleyan before rallying back to take three straight.  Scores were 25-30, 22-30, 30-24, 30-22, and 15-13.  

McVay led the way with 20 kills, while adding three blocks.  Kelly and Ecoff each recorded 13 kills, while Breanne Ezarik had 23 digs and Hozak 59 assists.

The Lady Bearcats won the first Presidents' Athletic Conference in program history, shutting out visiting Grove City 3-0. Scores of the three games were 30-25, 30-25, and 30-26.

For Saint Vincent, senior Emily Ecoff recorded 22 digs and four service aces while sophomore Jaime Kelly had 21 digs.  Offensively, senior Shannon McVay had 17 kills and four blocks, while junior setter Kristin Hozak tallied 54 assists.

On Senior Night at the Carey Center, the Lady Bearcats defeated Bethany 3-0 for their 16th consecutive victory.  Scores were 30-21, 30-22, and 30-23. 

In the first game, the Lady Bearcats jumped out to an 11-4 lead before Bethany charged back to bring the score to within three. Saint Vincent quickly stormed back, scoring 15 of the next 21 points, for the 30-21 win.

In game two, Saint Vincent once again came out of the gates strong, taking a quick 12-3 lead, with the senior tandem of Shannon McVay and Emily Ecoff recording eight of those points.

Bethany once again fought back to narrow the deficit, and eventually pulled to within two at 24-22.  The Lady Bearcats responded, however, and ended the game with a 6-0 run on a powerful McVay spike to take the win.

Game three was much of the same, as SVC scored nine of the game's first 10 points.  Bethany then caught fire, and went on a 12-1 run to take a 13-11 lead. 

After a timeout by coach Sue Hozak, Saint Vincent regained the lead at 15-14 on a putaway by Ecoff and never looked back, with Christa Calgaro sealing the 30-23 victory with a powerful spike, giving the Lady Bearcats their 48th straight game and 16th straight match.

McVay enjoyed a dominating night, leading both teams with 22 kills to go with five blocks.  Ecoff led the Lady Bearcats with 15 digs, while teammate Breanne Ezarik recorded 14.  SVC's Kristin Hozak led both squads with 44 assists.