Allegheny College Women’s Volleyball Sweeps the ECAC
It was a thrilling end to an outstanding season for the Allegheny volleyball team. The women captured the 2023 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championship in Wayne, N.J., sweeping Penn State Behrend in the semifinals before a sweep of host William Paterson in the championship match.
The ECAC Championship marked the first major championship tournament win for the volleyball program since winning the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship Tournament in 1991. The team finished the year with a 24-9 record, their highest win total since 2000; this is the team’s first single digit loss season since 1994.
Coach Kelly Barzak said, “2023 will be a year to remember. I am so unbelievably proud of how much perseverance this team has had all season. This is the first year that Allegheny Volleyball has declared to be in the ECAC tournament, so I am ecstatic for us to be named ECAC champions. Their strong team chemistry, coachability, and work ethic helped us to win many games throughout the year. We had great leadership and some talented first-year athletes to add to the mix.”
The performances and stats were impressive. Junior middle, Dagney Javes, deservingly was named ECAC MVP, and her stats showed with an outstanding hitting percentage of .520 vs. Penn State Behrend and .360 vs. William Paterson. She was also named to the PAC 2nd Team. Sophomore setter, Izzy Gray, All-Tournament Team, had one of her best defensive games of her career vs. Penn State Behrend with 13 digs and also finished with 16 assists. Against William Paterson, she finished with 25 assists and 7 digs.
Sophomore libero, Jacy Diaz, All-Tournament Team, was consistent for the team in the backrow all year, earning PAC Defensive Player of the Year. She finished the day with 42 digs and 7 service aces, putting her 5th in total digs and 8th in total aces in all of NCAA DIII volleyball.
Coach Barzak said, “We are a young team, with 7 out of our 10 starters being either first-years or sophomores. We can’t wait to see this program continue to grow and succeed in future years to come.”