Conference

ROBERT MORRIS NABS FIRST WIN; NEC FRESHMEN EARN SPOTS ON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS
 
The Robert Morris Colonials saw their first win of the season this past weekend. They continued the momentum and currently have a two-match win streak with victories over Norfolk St. and Providence at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational.
-Five other NEC squads—Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Saint Francis (PA)—earned match wins as well.
 
• Freshman on All-Tournament Teams: Several NEC freshman made an impact and earned spots on their respective All-Tournament teams over the weekend.  Jordan Collis (Frisco, TX/Frisco) of Fairleigh Dickinson, Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, WI/Hill-Murray) of Bryant and Adrianna Vinas Joy (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista) of LIU Brooklyn all represented their teams on All-Tournament squads.
 
• Top Opponents: LIU Brooklyn and Sacred Heart both faced off against nationally ranked opponents last week. On Friday, the Pioneers dropped a match to now No. 17 San Diego, while LIU was defeated by No. 14 Minnesota.
 
• Two-Win Weekends: Along with Robert Morris, Central Connecticut and Saint Francis (PA) also picked up two wins last week. The Blue Devils defeated Hartford on Aug. 29 and swept Holy Cross at the Central Connecticut Invitational. The Red Flash earned wins in five-set thrillers over The Citadel and Murray St. at the Radford Invitational.
 
• Sitting at .500: LIU Brooklyn and Saint Francis (PA) both moved to 3-3 this weekend for the best non-conference records in the league.
 
• Sweeping Up: Five NEC teams—Bryant, Central Connecticut, LIU Brooklyn, Quinnipiac and Robert Morris—swept at least one opponent last week.
 
• NEC vs. Non-Conference Opponents: Fairleigh Dickinson’s win over St. Peter’s gave the NEC its first victory against the MAAC conference of the 2012 season, a conference NEC teams have struggled against. NEC teams have the best records against the MEAC (4-2) and the Patriot League (3-2).
 
• On the Hunt: St. Francis (NY) has four chances this week to notch its first win. The Terriers play St. Peter’s in a home match on Wednesday, and travel a short way to Queens for three matches at the St. John’s Invitational from Sept. 7 to 8. The Terriers have been one set away from a victory three times, but dropped all three. Quinnipiac is also looking for its first win, and has a chance on Wednesday when the team takes on fellow Connecticut rival Fairfield in a 7 p.m. away match.
 
• Up Next: Fairleigh Dickinson, Bryant and St. Francis (NY) will get a first look at NEC competition this week when the three teams compete at the St. John’s Classic from Sept. 6 through Sept. 8. Fairleigh Dickinson takes on both teams during the tournament, while Bryant and St. Francis (NY) will go head-to-head on the second day of competition.
 
-Tournament play continues this week as well for the rest of the league. CCSU will travel to New Hampshire for the UNH Invitational, LIU Brooklyn heads west to San Francisco, CA for the USF Invitational, Robert Morris competes at the UMBC Invitational, Saint Francis is at the Kent State Invitational, Sacred Heart hosts its own tournament this upcoming weekend.
 
• NEC Front Row: Five women’s volleyball matches will be broadcast live this week on NEC Front Row (www.NECFrontRow.com), the league’s new digital network. Games will also be available on-demand.
 
• Women’s Volleyball HQ: For the latest on the goings on in the NEC and all things women’s volleyball visit www.northeastconference.org. You can also follow the league on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube (@NECsports) as well as the NEC Overtime! blog (necovertime.com).
 
Top Performers of Week
 
• Meaghan Wheeler (FDU)
Wheeler helped the Knights to a 2-2 record over the week with double-doubles in all four matches as FDU beat Saint Peter’s and Delaware State.
 
• Brittany Schumacher (CCSU)
Schumacher recorded 63 digs over four matches last week and 4.50 digs per set average.
 
• Claire Van Dyk (Bryant)
She earned her first all-tournament selection at the Coppin State Tournament after compiling a team-best 49 kills over four matches and averaged 3.27 kills per set.
 
• Elizabeth Williams (SFPA)
Williams hit over .300 in both of SFPA’s wins last weekend, and averaged .309 in all three matches. She also recorded 2.38 kills per set.
 
Milestone Watch
 
•  Meaghan Wheeler (FDU)
Wheeler broke Lauren Boothby’s career kills record of 1,506 during the Knights’ match versus Lafayette. Wheeler sits alone atop the record book with 1,508. Wheeler now owns the single-season and career record for kills.
 
• Logan Riker (Quinnipiac)
Through last week, Riker currently stands in second place Quinnipiac’s all-time digs list with 920.
 
• Emily Cochran (CCSU)
Cochran ran her career total for kills to 1,110 over the weekend. She is now fifth all-time in CCSU history and just 30 kills from the fourth spot on the list.