EAGLES END SEASON WITH MANHATTANVILLE VALIANTS

The CSE Eagles closed out the 2010 campaign with a match at the Nest versus the Knights of Manhattanville College.  The Eagles fell to Manhattanville 25-16, 25-15 and 25-20 but showed their true character in the third set as they stayed even with the Knights for most of the set and never gave up on the match.  This intangible is a credit to the leaders on the team and the chemistry this squad developed through the year. It was a successful year on many fronts although the record may not have indicated that success.  Samantha St. Germain was yet again a major force on the court while the duo of Chanice Sears and Kareemah Muhammad on the outside created most of the offense for the Eagles.  But the pleasant surprise on the night was the play of Subhana Wrights who had 4 kills on 7 attempts and 1 block solo to cap off her first ever volleyball season.

But perhaps the most intense match came later though, when he upperclassmen took on the freshmen for bragging rights.  In a tightly played match, the upperclassmen took home their honor while the freshmen were left to ponder what went wrong.

In the following match,  the coaches joined the freshmen side.  Although the upperclassmen felt full of confidence,  it was clear that they feared the coaches' skills.  The upperclassmen played hard,  but the experience,  talent and intelligence of the coaches was too much for the older players to deal with in the end and the freshmen got to taste victory at the end of the night.

SENIORS HONORED AT SUNDAY'S MATCHES

This past Sunday,  CSE hosted College of Staten Island and Sarah Lawrence College at the Nest in Morristown.  Although the matches were exciting and very competitive, the day was about the 3 seniors who were playing in their last season,  Captain Samantha St. Germain,   Captain Carmela Sellitto and Jackie Scott.  All 3 were recognized for their efforts this season and throughout their careers and received tokens of appreciation from their teammates.  I would personally like to thank these women for their amazing spirit, dedication and commitment to the team and to the school.

Unfortunately, the Eagles were not able to carry the positive emotion in the Nest to a win or two.  CSE fell to CSI in 3, 25-27, 17-25 and 18-25  and lost as well to Sarah Lawrence 13-25, 23-25 and 20-25.

Kareemah Muhammad struck for 14 kills in the 2 matches while Captain Chanice Sears tallied 17, including a 10 kill effort versus CSI, her first double digit kill output of the season.  Chanice also contributed 12 digs and 4 aces.  Captain Samantha St. Germain had a fantastic day as well, distributing 33 assists and getting 16 digs.  Jackie Scott was the defensive star,  leading the team with 19 total digs in 2 matches.

CSE GOES O FOR 3 VS. KEYSTONE

The Eagles got the bad news as they were getting on the van to Keystone that MB Jannet Chaudry would not be available for the match at La Plume.  Chanice Sears had to move to the middle and Jen Landin was thrust into the starting OH position, reminiscent of a lineup the Eagles employed during the first week of the season.  Although the Eagles couldn't overcome the Keystone squad,  their effort was outstanding.  Playing out of position and in a new lineup without any practice, the Eagles played tough through many long rallies that they unfortunately couldn't convert into points.  The 3rd set was a slight disappointment as the Eagles held a 13-7 lead midway through the set but could not close it out  as the set wore on.

CSE fell 25-10, 25-13, 25-17 to Keystone for the 3rd time in a row.  Although the Eagles' offense could not muster a consistent attack due to a less than stellar passing game, Kareemah Muhammad was the most effective hitter with a 3 kill effort out of 7 attempts with 0 errors.  Misato Oya and Carmela Sellitto led the way defensively with 20 of the team's 45 digs and Samantha St. Germain distributed 9 assists and had 7 digs of her own.

MEET CAPTAIN AND JACK OF ALL TRADES CHANICE SEARS

Chanice has been a steady influence this year in an otherwise chaotic season with so many new faces and new players entering the 2010 campaign.  Chanice is a multi-tool player who is one of our defensive players, one of our most impactful servers, a great blocker and a consistent producer on offense.  In short,  Chanice's volleyball persona mimics her persona outside of the court.

PERSONAL AND TEAM GOALS: Graduate from college with honors and become the first math major in my family.  One of the team goals that I will like for us to accomplish is TRUST. 

BEST MOMENT OF COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL CAREER THUS FAR: At the awards banquet receiving the award for Most Improved.

THOUGHTS ON TEAM/SEASON THIS YEAR: It isn’t what I hoped but I can definitely respect how the team is doing so far.  As individuals we have all grown and developed into better players. 

HOW DID YOU GET INTO VOLLEYBALL: I got into volleyball my freshmen year in high school.  My swim coach was also the volleyball coach and recruited me for the sport.

HOBBIES: Swimming, Volleyball, Reading, Going out with friends 

FAVORITE MOVIE:  My all time favorite movie is Love and Basketball.

FAVORITE TV SHOW:  The Game

FAVORITE MUSIC/SONG:  Gospel

FAVORITE ATHLETE: Serena Williams

PLANS AFTER YOU GRADUATE: I plan to teach Special Education for a couple of years and pursue a master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology.

WHAT YOU ENVISION YOUR LIFE TO BE IN 10 YEARS: In ten years I envision this young, stylish, modern wife with a big house and a fancy car working her butt off for everything she owns. 

MEET CAPTAIN AND LIBERO CARMELA SELLITTO

Carmela is the best passer on the team and has often single-handedly kept us in matches with her defensive skill.  She is very competitive and often sees herself as a much more offensive player than her role calls for her to be.  She has one of the most difficult serves to return on the team and is an integral part of our serving offense which is ranked 3rd in the NEAC for aces/set. Interesting enough,  Carmela's career ambitions mimic her volleyball position rather uncannily.

PERSONAL AND TEAM GOALS: 

To have great stats after every game. Team goal would be to play as a team! and play the best we can whether we win or lose.

BEST MOMENT OF COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL CAREER THUS FAR:   

Being player of the week last season, and serving 4 aces in a row 

THOUGHTS ON TEAM/SEASON THIS YEAR:

Our team has a lot of new players so in the beginning it was hard adjusting to each other and getting used to everyone. But now we are all adjusted and all have grown into our own players, it is just that we are rarely all on the same page at the same time. The passing will be there but the hitting won't or vice versa or the sets won't be there. It's the growing pains of a young team I guess.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO VOLLEYBALL: 

During 8h grade I joined a clinic in my town where they teach volleyball and when I was there I learned I had a great serve as an 8th grader and they told me to play for my school. So when I started high school I tried out for the volleyball team and made j.v. and was asked to help out the varsity at times.

HOBBIES: 

I teach CCD on sunday mornings, Shopping! I have an internship at the Bonni Brae School in Basking Ridge, helping emotionally disturbed high school boys.

.

FAVORITE MOVIE: 

Rominatic: The notebook

Comedy: Wedding Crashers

FAVORITE MUSIC/SONG: 

Rhianna -Rude Boy

FAVORITE ATHLETE: 

David Bekham

PLANS AFTER YOU GRADUATE:

To teach Special Education Children!

WHAT YOU ENVISION YOUR LIFE TO BE IN 10 YEARS:

To be married with 4 or 5 kids, still a special ed teacher and Coaching a High School Volleyball team and winning states!!

EAGLES BETTER IN 2ND CONFERENCE WEEKEND BUT WINS STAY ELUSIVE

The Screaming Eagles opened their 2nd weekend of conference play with 2 matchups versus PS Abington and #2 PS Berks.

Abington were ahead early in each of the 5 sets played. The Eagles seemed to be starting each set 5-1 down before they responded with a run of their own.  The spark seemed to come each time from the serving of Luisa Solano who kept the Abington offense at bay and scored a team high 5 aces in the process.  The Eagles were down 20-15, 20-16, 20-15 and 21-18 in each of the first 4 sets and looked like they were going to be defeated easily each time.  However, the team's character was in full display as they fought back in each set late to make it close.  Set 1 went to Abington 25-20 after the Eagles had closed to within 1 at 21-20.  Set 2 also went to Abington 25-21 after the Eagles had closed to within 1 at 22-21.  Set 3 was pivotal as the Eagles finally finished a comeback.  Down 20-15 late,  the Eagles outscored Abington late 10-3 to win 25-23.  Set 4 went to CSE after another late rally pulled the Eagles from a 3 point deficit to the win with a 7-0 run.  Set #5 was all set up for the Eagles to be the biggest comeback of the season but it was not to be.  CSE trailed early 6-1 but a big rally in the middle of the set pulled the Eagles ahead 8-7 at the midway point of the set.  The second half of the set was a back and forth affair that was primarily won by the Eagles.  However, key hitting and serving errors by CSE kept Abington close.  Emblematic of the 2010 campaign,  CSE had the serve at 14-12 but failed to get the ball over the net and gave Abington life.  The next play saw a great serve reception by the Eagles that led to a good St. Germain set but the attack was just out and the Eagles were tied at 14.  Abington took full advantage of the Eagle miscues and served out the match to win the set and the match in 5.

Samantha St. Germain had a season high 23 assists for the Eagles and Jacqulyn Scott added her season high 14 digs in the effort.  Kareemah Muhammad continued her double digit kill numbers with 12 (her 3rd double digit kill effort in the last 4 matches) and Luisa Solano led the way from the service line with 5 aces.

The emotional and physical toll of the match was too much for the Eagles to recover from and the team tried but was unable to put up much resistance to a strong and determined Berks team in match #2.  CSE fell 25-10, 25-8 and 25-12.  Captain Samantha St. Germain tried to keep the team in it and managed to hand out 8 assists and score a team high 4 aces in the loss.

The second day opened with #1 Gallaudet U. and the Eagles seemed to be mired in the same malaise that affected them versus Berks.  Gallaudet dispatched the Eagles in quick fashion as their offense seemed to score at will.  The CSE block, usually effective in keeping the team competitive, failed to slow the Bison offense.  Meanwhile, the Eagles' offense looked out of sorts due to unforced errors and the serve reception couldn't find the handle against the Bison float serves.

The Eagles fell 25-6, 25-4 and 25-10.  Kareemah Muhammad was the only hitter with a positive rating, hitting for 3 kills out of 10 attempts with only 2 errors.

PS Harrisburg felt very confident about their matchup with CSE since the team handled the Eagles quite easily in the first Conference weekend.  The Eagles were not going to give in so easily though and fought hard to get the win.  CSE found themselves in a tight set with Harrisburg with no team being able to pull away from the other.  CSE held a late lead at 24-23 but were unable to convert and found themselves facing 3 set points before turning the table themselves and closing out the set 31-29 behind the serving of Subhana Wrights.  The emotional set win and gutty performance repeated itself in set #2 but the Harrisburg defense was able to keep in play the Eagle attacks while the Eagle "D" couldn't do the same.  The Eagles lost set #2 25-13 in a set that featured many good rallies by each team.
The 3rd and 4th set saw the Eagle passing and serving fall apart as the team hit 12 of its 17 serving errors in sets 3 and 4 and also committed 11 of their 17 passing errors during the same stretch.

Captain Chanice Sears led the offense with 6 kills and Captain Carmela Sellitto led both teams with a match high 21 digs as the Eagles got attacked at will in the last 2 sets.

The most consistent players on the court were Samantha St. Germain and Jacqulyn Scott.  Both young women provided sparks throughout the 4 matches and had season high performances during the weekend matches.  

MEET ONE OF OUR TRI-CAPTAINS, SAMANTHA ST. GERMAIN

As the season reaches its final stages,  I wanted to allow you to get to know the real leaders behind the CSE Eagles!  The young women,  young leaders,  of this team have been instrumental in the consistency of this team and the incredible development of its young players.

This post is about someone whom I have come to admire for her strength and stubborn will in the face of adversity.  She is the player that will simply "do it" when no one else on the team can step up and get that stop or score that point.  She is a true leader and will be missed next year not only for the physical plays she makes every match but especially for the stability and leadership she brings to her team.

Without further delay,  here's a little glimpse into Samantha St. Germain...

PERSONAL AND TEAM GOALS: personal goals: finish off my senior year strong, get into a good graduate school and start working toward a career in public administration, helping inner city youth succeed! team goals: make it to the NEAC championships, trust one another, become a postitive role model for other teams at CSE

BEST MOMENT OF COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL CAREER THUS FAR: freshman year, playing with Brittney Newberry, Isabel Machuca and Irena Moore. They showed me how to keep my heart and head in the game to become the player I am today

THOUGHTS ON TEAM/SEASON THIS YEAR: it's not where I'd like us to be, but it has been a growing and learning experience with all the new additions this year. The freshman have improved tremendously and definitely earned their spots on the team. I'll be back in 3 years to see the monsters they'll transform into!

HOW DID YOU GET INTO VOLLEYBALL: family members in Haiti played and I loved watching them. My cousins started training me in 8th grade and I tried out during my freshman year in high school; I've been playing the setter position ever since.

HOBBIES: shopping, writing, reading poetry, volleyball

FAVORITE MOVIE: Coming to America

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Everybody Hates Chris

FAVORITE MUSIC/SONG: R&B and gospel

FAVORITE ATHLETE: none

PLANS AFTER YOU GRADUATE: pursue a Masters in Public Administration

WHAT YOU ENVISION YOUR LIFE TO BE IN 10 YEARS: married with children, a working woman and hopefully opening my own non-profit organization for young women in the inner city. i dont have a name for it just yet but i want it to be a safe haven that encourages them to become future athletes and professionals through mentorship programs, recreational activites, supplemental educational resources for music, poetry and public speaking (and so much more)

EAGLES GET WINGS CLIPPED BY THE LEHMAN LIGHTNING

The Eagles lost to the Lehman College Lightning yesterday in a tough, tight matchup.  The Lehman offense gave the Eagles fits through the entire matchup but the St. Elizabeth serving game and defensive play kept the Eagles in the mix.  Chanice Sears and Carmela Sellitto anchored a solid defense while Kareemah Muhammad was yet again the team's kill leader.  Samantha St. Germain quarterbacked a productive offense although the Lightning were far more efficient in this respect.  Luisa Solano and Maria Machuca came off the bench and provided an instant spark from the service line, forcing Lehman into passing errors and predictable offensive chances. The difference in the match was the Lightning's ability to get a kill in key times while the CSE Eagles couldn't convert their opportunities.

CSE fell 25-20, 25-20 and 25-20.  

CSE AVENGES EARLY LOSS AND PUTS UP A WIN

The Screaming Eagles took flight into NYC as they faced off for the 2nd time this season against Cooper Union.  CU had the Eagles number in their first matchup at the Cougar Classic but the Eagles were missing some key players during that stretch.  CSE had been playing well of late and seemed poised to finally get over the hump.

The Eagles had a 10 kill effort in the first set and hit for a few aces but in general were tentative and seemed like a team out of sync.  CSE seemed to be trying to find itself after employing yet another lineup due to the absence of Captain Carmela Sellitto due to a family commitment.  This uncertainty cost the team key points and the Eagles fell 25-23.

The second set went the Eagles way primarily because the Eagles serving turned up the pressure and caught CU repeatedly on their heels.  The CU offense became predictable and despite a poor kill performance in the set (only 5 kills),  the Eagles hung on for a 25-23 win.

The third set saw a repeat of the 2nd in terms of serving efficacy.  CSE was able to hit for a number of aces though and opened a huge lead midway through the match to put CU away 25-18.

The Eagles finished off CU in the 4th set thanks to the passing of Misato Oya and Chanice Sears which allowed Samantha St. Germain to find Kareemah Muhammad on the outside for key kills.  The Eagles had a 23-18 lead and just about saw that evaporate (24-22) as the Eagles had a total of 7 serving errors in the set, 3 of them from the 20 point mark to point 24.   But, as was familiar in this match,  Libero Misato Oya made a perfect dig pass to Sam St. Germain who found Chanice Sears on the outside for a kill and the victory.

Captain Samantha St. Germain had another season high effort with 19 assists and chipped in with 4 aces, 3 digs and 2 block assists.  Chanice Sears had a solid day with 7 kills and a team leading 9 digs with only 2 reception errors out of 13 attempts.  Kareemah Muhammad was again the offensive star with her second double digit kill effort (11) and added 6 digs and 2 block assists.  Jackie Scott and Luisa Franco were outstanding anchoring the back end of the serving rotation,  hitting for 7 of the team's 12 aces with only 3 errors.  But the most important contribution was by far that of newcomer Misato Oya who filled in for Carmela Sellitto in the Libero slot.  Misato was a perfect 100% in serve receptions, having no errors in 26 attempts.  She rated a 2.27 pass rating for the match which is the highest rating thus far this year.  She also added 8 digs in the match.  Misato's passing and digs anchored one of the best offensive outputs  by CSE this year and gave the team a glimpse of the future passing ability of the team.

CSE'S GRITTY PERFORMANCE NOT ENOUGH VS. CEDAR CREST

The Screaming Eagles had a great crowd on hand and a great cause to play for in the DIG PINK matchup versus Cedar Crest.  The Star Spangled Banner was sung beautifully,  the dancers got the crowd going and the team's play in the first set was inspiring.  The set was a back and forth affair that saw both passing games falter at times and each offense having trouble finding a rhythm.   Cedar Crest caught the Eagles in a bad rotation at the end of set 1 and the Eagles could not recover from the late deficit and went down 25-20.

The second set started amazingly well for the Eagles.  CSE built a 13-6 lead and never looked back.  Cedar Crest mounted a comeback late but CSE had control of the match and finished it out, 25-23.

The third set proved to be a frustrating one as the Eagles could not get their passing game on track and although they were not giving up aces,  the quality of the passes were such that the team could not run consistent offense.  Cedar Crest was on top early and remained there until the end of the set.  CSE tried to mount a comeback but never really threatned Cedar Crest (25-15).

The last set saw a desperate CSE team try too hard to make a play.  Too many early errors the built a 13-5 Cedar Crest lead all but spelled doom for the Eagles.  Kareemah Muhammad however, had other ideas.  She proceeded to serve the Eagles to within 3 at 16-13.  Unfortunately,  Cedar Crest made a move of their own and quickly reestablished the lead at 21-13.  At 22-15,  CSE yet again made a run behind Chanice Sears and closed to within 3 at 23-20 but that was as close as they would get on this evening.

Captains Chanice Sears and Carmela Sellitto were stellar from the service line, hitting for 10 of the team's 16 aces.  Chanice was also perfect from a reception perspective and also led the team in digs with 9.  Captain Samantha St. Germain handed out 13 assists while chipping in 4 kills of her own.  Subhana Wrights was an impact player at the net with 4 kills and 3 blocks.  The player of the match was Chanice Sears for her impact on all facets of the game.

EAGLES LET ONE SLIP AWAY

CSE gave their fans an amazing match on Saturday against College of New Rochelle but came up 2 points short of a victory.  The Eagles got off to a slow start in set #1 but won key, crucial points, coming from 6 points down early, to win 25-23.  Set #2 was a far different set, mainly because the CSE offense remained unproductive and the team couldn't overcome that deficiency with its serving in this set.  The Eagles fell 25-17.  In set #3,  the Eagles' offense had its best production of the year, clicking for 10 kills behind an outstanding performance by freshman  Kareemah Muhammad.  That burst of offensive production was enough to derail College of New Rochelle 25-17 in the set.  The Eagles were 1 set away from their first victory of the year and seemed ready to take that opportunity.

Set #4 saw the Eagles have a similar start to the first set and the team this time could not rebound as they had in set #1.  College of New Rochelle build up a 15-7 lead and never looked back.  Set #4 went to CNR 25-17.

CNR must've thought that the 5th set was theirs after the first 6 points in the 5th set.  CNR led 5-1 and the Eagles' offense looked as anemic as ever.  However, the serving of Co-Captains Carmela Sellitto and Chanice Sears brought the Eagles back and the team held the lead 8-7 at the halfway point of set #5.  The Eagles could not sustain momentum though as key hitting errors hurt their cause.  CSE trailed 14-11 late but the Eagles' defense held tough and with CNR still up 14-13 late in the match, the Eagles looked like they had tied it at 14-14.  However, after a discussion with a linesperson, the head referee overturned the earlier decision and the Eagles fell 15-13.

The Eagle disappointment was palpable but the team had many breakthrough performances.  Kareemah Muhammed had the first double digit kill total for the season (10K).  Carmela Sellitto and Chanice Sears were stellar from the service line, hitting for 10 aces and led the defensive efforts of the Eagles by totaling 27 digs.  As a team,  the Eagles seemed to find their offense over the last 3 sets.  The Eagles hit for 23 K to only 11 Errors.  That effectiveness in the best of any 3 set total by the Eagles during this season.  The Eagles will try to better their fortune on Wednesday night at home versus Cedar Crest College.

EAGLES' PLAYERS SHINE AT NEAC WEEKEND BUT THE TEAM COMES UP SHORT

The Eagles flew to Penn State- Abington to take on division foes PS-Harrisburg, Gallaudet University, PS-Abington and PS-Berks.  The weekend brought out some stellar performances out of individual CSE players but those performances were just not enough to push the Eagles over the hump.

In match 1 versus PS-Harrisburg,  the Eagles were out-killed 20-12 but in other areas the Eagles did well. The Eagles hit for 7 aces while Harrisburg hit for 10 and the Eagles outdug Harrisburg 18-17.  Unfortunately,  the match came down to first ball kill production and Harrisburg's offense proved to be too potent for the Eagles.  CSE loses 25-12, 25-8, 25-12.  Captain Chanice Sears was key in the match, leading the team in kills, aces and reception %.

Match 2's opponent for the Eagles was Gallaudet U.  Gallaudet proved to be superior in many facets of the match but the Eagles put on a tremendous effort and showed their grittiness as they wouldn't give in to the apparent athletic and size advantage of Gallaudet.  CSE's inability to convert passes to kills was glaring versus the talented Gallaudet' defense but the Eagles' defense was stellar itself which created some exciting rallies between the squads.  The Eagles succumbed to the relentless pressure 25-4, 25-9, 25-19 but showed drastic improvement in each set and actually ended up with a 29-17 lead in digs for the match.  Unfortunately, the 28-6 kill advantage for Gallaudet was too much too overcome. Captain Carmela Selitto was stellar in serve receive while Chanice Sears, Samantha St. Germain and Kareemah Muhammad anchored the defense with 20 of the team's digs.  Subhana Wrights had a good day out of the MB position, getting 5 blocks on the match.

In match 3,  Eagle miscues late in each set cost the team the victory versus Abington.  The Eagles played Abington nearly even in every statistical category but the errors came at the wrong time for the Eagles and allowed Abington to pull away late in 3 of the 4 sets and seal CSE's fate.  CSE lost a heartbreaker 25-18, 25-21, 22-25 and 25-22.  In the 4th set, the Eagles stormed back from a 21-14 deficit to take the lead 22-21 behind the serving of Maria Machuca but it turned out to be too little to late for CSE.  Chanice Sears led the way with 8 kills while Samantha St. Germain continued her masterful defense and offensive distribution with 16 assists and 7 digs while also proving herself to be the most dangerous server in the match with 6 aces.  Chanice led the team with 11 digs while Co-Captain Carmela Sellitto turned in 10.

The 4th and final match featured PS-Berks and it was soon evident that the mental drain of the Abbington match had taken a toll on the Eagles.  Berks' offense was putting down kills at will and the Eagles could not find a defensive answer and could not respond offensively themselves.  The Eagles went weakly 25-10, 25-12 and 25-8.  In a match featuring few positive performances,  Samantha St. Germain led the team again in digs with 6 and distributed 6 assists.

The star player of the weekend was, without a doubt, Captain Samantha St. Germain for her consistency in effort and performance throughout the 4 matches.

GOOD CROWD WELCOMES THE EAGLES BACK TO THE NEST

The Eagles returned home to face off against William Paterson.  There was a large crowd present to welcome the Eagles and they were treated to a great home spectacle.  The live singing of the national anthem and the live performance from the dance troupe pumped up the crowd and created a great atmosphere.

The Eagles initially seemed to feed off the crowd's energy and stayed with William Patterson through the first six rotations but the inability of the Eagles to put away attacks proved costly as the WP side slowly started to convert their chances and pull away.  The Eagles dropped the first set 25-12.

The second and third sets saw the Eagles not give up the quick aces but the team could not convert their attack attempts into kills while WP was having good success putting away their attacks. The match really turned on that stat alone.  The Eagles passed well and attempted to put pressure on WP with their serving but WP outgunned the Eagles on attacks and were able to control the match from the front.  WP won the match in 3 sets and had a 28-6 advantage in kills for the match.

The Eagles were led defensively by Captain Carmela Sellitto with 7 digs and Captain Chanice Sears with 5.  Captain Samantha St. Germain  had the most service points, the sole ace for the team and chipped in 2 assists, 1 kill and 1 dig.

The Eagles go on the road on conference weekend to Abbington to take on 4 of their Conference foes.  Go Get Them Eagles!

EAGLES SHOW FIGHT AGAINST ST. JOE'S

The Screaming Eagles felt confident after the Keystone match but the St. Joe's serving created numerous miscues by the young CSE guns and their confidence was shaken.  The first 2 sets (9-25 and 10-25) were underwhelming.  The Eagles struggled to get into any rhythm and couldn't seem to find the chemistry on the court that would help them find success. But after a spirited coach's meeting with the team in between sets 2 and 3, the Eagles seemed to find their heart.  Maria Machuca led the spark with some outstanding serving, creating an early lead for the Eagles (9-2).  Leading 12-5 after Luz Campoverde's serving, the Bears went on 7-1 run that brought them to within 1 at 13-12.

The match went back and forth but the Eagles pulled ahead (20-16) late behind the serving of freshman Kareemah Muhammad and key kills by the vastly improved Subhana Wrights out of the middle.  The Eagles jumped to a 21-18 lead but saw that evaporate quickly and trailed 22-21 late in the set.  Subhana Wrights' key kill gave the serve back to the Eagles who proceeded to close out the set (25-23) behind the serving of Machuca and Campoverde.

Although the Eagles fell to the Bears in the 4th set,  the set was a highly competitive affair with both teams going on runs throughout the course of the set.  The Bears pulled away late to close out the set 25-19 but Chanice Sears, Jacqulyn Scott and Maria Machuca were key in keeping the match close most of the way.

Chanice Sears led the team in kills and aces (6) while Maria Machuca had 5 aces of her own. Subhana Wrights had her best day of the season with 3 kills and 2 blocks while Kareemah Muhammad led the team defensively with 5 digs.

The team hosts William Paterson in Morristown at 7pm on Tuesday, 9/21.

SHORT-HANDED EAGLES GIVE THE FUTURE AN OPPORTUNITY

The Eagles traveled to Brooklyn to take on Keystone College and St. Joe's of Brooklyn.  CSE opened with Keystone in a rematch of the Cougar Classic but unfortunately the results were eerily similar.  After being competitive for the early portion of each set,  Keystone was able to pull away and finish each set rather easily thanks to offensive and passing miscues.

However, the major difference this time is that the Eagles were on the floor with a primarily freshman team for most of the match.  Ibby Sesay took over the full reins of the offense due to Captain Samantha St. Germain's absence and led the Eagles to one of their most successful offensive days of the season.  Jen Landin and Luz Campoverde (in her debut) were productive and influential in the Eagles' performance.  Maria Machuca continued her stellar development as a defensive player and was one of the ace leaders on the team today.

The Eagles fell 25-15, 25-20 and 25-9 but seemed to find their stride with all the new players getting more comfortable as the match wore on.  Chanice Sears led the Eagles in both kills and aces and was instrumental in the success of the serve receive patterns the Eagles employed.

EAGLES TAMED BY PANTHERS

The Eagles took a trip to the eastern end of Long Island to face a tough 4-0 Old Westbury College team that had just won their own tournament this past weekend.  CSE was still missing their Libero and added Kean Tournament’s All-Tournament Selection Luisa Solano to the “not available” list due to an ankle injury suffered in the last match of the Cougar Classic. 

The Eagles were sluggish and lacked confidence in the first set as numerous passing errors resulted in a relatively easy 25-5 Set 1 victory for Old Westbury College.  Set #2 saw a much more spirited and competitive Eagles squad although Old Westbury’s double quick offense gave the Eagles young players a lot of trouble on defense.  Old Westbury wore down the Eagles midway through the set and pulled away for a comfortable 25-15 Set #2 victory.  Although the Eagles made some adjustments and cranked up their offense in Set #3, the overpowering offense and serving of Old Westbury was too much on this day for the Eagles.  Set #3 and the victory went to Old Westbury 25-11.

Captain Chanice Sears and Kareemah Muhammad combined for 15 of the team’s 26 digs in the loss while Captain Samantha St. Germain led the offense with 3 kills and adding 4 digs of her own.  Sam also tallied a solo block in the match.  Freshman MB Jannet Chaudry also chipped in 3 kills in the match.

The squad goes to St. Joe’s in Brooklyn for a tri-match versus St. Joe’s and Keystone this upcoming Saturday,  September 18.

THE EAGLES LAND AT THE COUGAR CLASSIC

DAY 1

CSE vs. Cooper Union Lost 22-25, 23-25 and 22-25

CSE vs. Kean Lost 8-25, 12-25 and 5-25

DAY 2

CSE vs. Southern Vermont Lost 23-25, 8-25 and 11-25

CSE vs. Keystone Lost 21-25, 21-25 and 10-25

The CSE Volleyball Team competed this past weekend in the Cougar Classic hosted by Kean University. The Eagles were without the services of Libero and Tri-Captain Carmela Sellitto which forced the team to change their entire offensive lineup for the weekend matches but it also provided the opportunity for some of the young players to gain vital match experience in her absence.

The first match versus Cooper Union was a back and forth battle that was decided on the late passing miscues of the Eagles. Tri-Captain Chanice Sears led the offense with 6 kills while newcomers Luisa Solano and Kareemah Muhammad combined for 14 aces out of 19 serves with only 1 error to keep CSE close most of the match.

The second match was less competitive on the scoreboard although the Eagles fought hard and played outstanding defense against a much taller and skilled Kean team. The Eagles were led by Luisa Solano who tallied 9 digs in defeat and another newcomer, Maria Machuca who chipped in with 6 digs in the loss.

The second day began on a very positive note as the Eagles had an outstanding set #1 versus the Mountaineers of Southern Vermont. The set was never secure for either team as the passing, defense and offensive skill of each team seemed to be fairly even. The slight edge in offense for the Mountaineers and CSE's late set struggles in serve receive proved to be the difference in the set and the eventual demise of the Eagles in the match. Luisa Solano yet again was perfect from the service line while Tri-Captain Samantha St. Germain handed out 5 assists while also leading the offense with 5 kills. Newcomer Ibby Sesay had her best defensive outing of the year with a team high 12 dig performance while also adding 3 kills of her own.

The closing match saw the Eagles square off against the #2 team in the Cougar Classic, Keystone College. The Eagles regrouped nicely after the loss to the Mountaineers and used a near perfect serving performance (44 of 46 serves in) and a much improved serve receiving effort to continuously keep Keystone off-balance and unable to run their best offensive sets. The Eagles couldn't put away their chances late in the match while Keystone was able to convert their opportunities to fend off a possible upset by the Eagles. The third set began as competitive as the previous two sets but the loss of Luisa Solano to an ankle injury early in set #3 took the wind out from under the Eagles' wings and Keystone rolled to an easy set #3 victory. Luisa finished the tournament perfect from the service line, #3 in digs and #2 in aces on the team for the weekend despite not having played for most of the 3rd set of the last match. Tri-Captain Chanice Sears found her hitting form in this match and tallied her weekend high 7 kills while Tri-Captain Samantha St. Germain led the way defensively with 9 digs.

Luisa Solano was selected to the Cougar Classic All-Star Team for her consistency on defense and her outstanding serving prowess over the two day tournament.

The Screaming Eagles fly over to SUNY College at Old Westbury on Wednesday for their next match.

CSE HOSTS MEDGAR EVERS AND COLLEGE OF NOTRE DAME

The dawn of new season brought a ton of excitement to the team in its first weekend versus two very athletic and determined teams. Although the team prepared well and felt pretty comfortable, there was no doubt that the first year players felt the pressure and the nerves of playing in their first collegiate match.

The Eagles fell 15-25, 10-25 and 18-25 to Medgar Evers in the first match and the story of the match was that the Eagles' great passing led to no offensive output. The Eagles managed only 11 kills to 22 errors which helped seal their fortune. Carmela Selitto and Chanice Sears led the Eagles with an astounding 94% passing efficiency off serve receive. Chanice also led the Eagles in kills for the match.

The second match saw the Eagles take on the College of Notre Dame who earlier had beaten a game but overmatched Medgar Evers squad. Anyone having seen the Eagles would not have thought that the CSE squad would've had a chance but the team rallied in between the two matches under the leadership of one of their tri-captains (Samantha St. Germain) and the young players got rid of their nerves to put on a pretty solid effort for their fans. Although the team lost 12-25, 18-25 and 17-25, the difference in the quality of their play was drastic. The Eagles struck for 13 kills while only committing 12 errors in this match, a drastic improvement over their earlier match. The Eagles faced a much tougher serving squad in Notre Dame which led to a few more passing errors but overall, the Eagles were still able to run a few more successful offensive sets than their earlier match.

Carmela Selitto led the Eagles in reception attempts and had nearly a 90% efficiency while also leading the team in digs and aces. Regine Jerome and Chanice Sears provided most of the offense, combining for 9 kills in the match.

The team plays next on Friday and Saturday (9/10-11) at Kean University's Tournament.

WE'RE OFF AND RUNNING

This is the first post of many from me and I will try to convey some of my thoughts and reactions after matches, highlight some players and generally let you know what's going on at the "Eagle's Nest". Also look for entries where the players let you know what they think about the season, a specific match, etc. "Talk" to you soon! Gotta go play with my 5 and 2 year old before they destroy the house!