2013 RECORD BREAKING YEAR FOR SCREAMING EAGLES AND ITS PLAYERS

CSE ends 2013 as #21 in the country in aces/set with 2.70 aces/set and the best of NJ DIII schools in the category.  Katie Cooper finishes the year as the 17^th best in the country in the same category and freshman Nicole Morera as the 49^th best in the country.  

CSE finishes with a 17W-16L record (.515 winning %), 2^nd best in program history.

18 Individual Season Records fell in the 2013 season as multiple Eagles had banner years.  Here are the top 5 records broken this year:

TOP 5 SEASON TOTAL RECORDS BROKEN

Katie Cooper #1 total aces – 89 (broke record that had stood since 2007)

Katie Cooper # 4 aces/set – 0.72 (17^th ranked nationally)

Katie Cooper #1 in total digs – 461

Katie Cooper #5 in digs/set – 3.75

Subhana Wrights #2 in total kills – 319

Subhana Wrights #4 in kills/set – 2.59 (top MB in CSE history)

Subhana Wrights #1 in attack % - 27.1% (also holds #2 spot)

Subhana Wrights #2 in total blocks – 83 (also holds #1 and 3 spot)

Subhana Wrights #3 in blocks/set – 0.63 (also holds #1 and 5 spot)

Cheyenne Grant #3 in total assists – 501

Cheyenne Grant #3 in assists/set – 6.11

TOP 5 SINGLE MATCH RECORDS BROKEN

Amy Cooper #1 total aces – 12 (broke record that stood since 2007)

Amy Cooper #2 in total assists - 41

Amy Cooper #1 in 5 set total assists – 41

Subhana Wrights #1 total blocks – 8

Subhana Wrights #2 in total kills – 19

Subhana Wrights #2 through #5 in attack % - 46.4%/44.4%/43.8%/43.5%

Subhana Wrights #1, #3,#4 in 4 set total kills – 19/18/15

Katie Cooper #2 & #3 in 4 set digs – 29

Cheyenne Grant #5 in total assists – 40

Cheyenne Grant #5 in 4 set total assists – 34

Cheyenne Grant #5 in 5 set total assists - 40

Nicole Morera #5 in 5 set total kills – 16

TEAM BEST SINGLE MATCH TOTALS

#1 TOTAL ACES –
26 VS. JOHN JAY COLLEGE (A)

#2, #4 TOTAL DIGS –
78 VS. COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE (N)

71 VS. SUNY COBLESKILL (H)

#1, #3 4 SET DIGS –
78 VS. COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE (N)
69 VS. COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND (A)

#2 5 SET DIGS - 71 VS. SUNY COBLESKILL (H)

#1, #2 TOTAL KILLS –
52 VS. SUNY COBLESKILL (H)

52 VS. WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY (H)

#2, #3 4 SET KILLS –
48 VS. COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE (H)

47 VS. VALLEY FORGE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE (H)

#1, #2 5 SET KILLS -
52 VS. SUNY COBLESKILL (H)

52 VS. WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY (H)

#2, #3, #5 TOTAL ASSISTS –
46 VS. SUNY COBLESKILL (H)

46 VS. WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY (H)

45 VS. VALLEY FORGE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE (H)

#2 3 SET ASSISTS –
38 VS. THE KING’S COLLEGE (H)

#1,#2,#3 4 SET ASSISTS -  
45 VS. VALLEY FORGE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE (H)

45 VS. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY – NEWARK (H)

45 VS. COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE (H)

#2 5 SET ASSISTS – 46 SUNY COBLESKILL (H)

TEAM BEST SEASON TOTALS

#1 - TOTAL KILLS – 1111                                

#1 TOTAL ASSISTS - 920

#1 – ATTACK % - 14.2%                                    

#1 TOTAL POINTS – 1580.5

#1 – TOTAL ACES – 331                                    

#2 WINNING % - 51.5%

#2 – TOTAL BLOCKS – 138                              

#2 BEST RECORD – 17W-16L

#2 – TOTAL DIGS – 1446

CAREER RECORDS FALL AT THE FEET OF TALENTED GRADUATING SENIORS

At the conclusion of 2013, six players will be departing the program due to graduation.  Kristiana Thrash, Taisha Colon, Cheyenne Grant, Amy Cooper, Kareemah Muhammad and Subhana Wrights had key contributions that propelled the team to another successful season in 2013.  Three of these players, Kareemah, Subhana and Amy, have been at the core of the success of the Eagles Volleyball program over the last 3 seasons, the most successful in the program’s history.

Amy Cooper finishes her career as the all-time total ace leader  with 180 aces and is second all-time in aces per set at 0.75 aces/set.  Amy reached the top 50 rank in the NCAA in aces/set every year she played, reaching as high as #14 in the country in her junior year.  Amy is also #3 all-time in total digs and 5^th in digs/set.  Amy also leaves the program as #8 in total kills, #9 in kills/set and #3 in attack %.  Amy also places 5^th all-time in total blocks and #5 in blocks/set.

But most importantly, Amy led the best offense ever to play at St. Joseph’s and the best 3-year record ever achieved by the program as Amy departs the program as the all-time leader in total assists and the all-time leader in assists/set.

Kareemah Muhammad finishes her career as one of the most accomplished hitters and servers ever to play at CSE.  Kareemah ends her career as #6 all-time in total aces and #10 in aces/set.  Kareemah also finishes #6 in total digs.   Kareemah’s mark though, comes on the offensive side of the ball as this talented outside hitter ends her career as #2 all-time in total kills, #3 in kills/se and #4 in attack %. 

Cheyenne Grant entered her senior year as a sub on the volleyball team and due to injuries suffered throughout the squad, Cheyenne found herself in a major role sooner than she expected.  This talented senior took over the setter position from Amy Cooper and led the team to a 9W-2L finish to the season that guaranteed the Eagles a third consecutive season with a record of at least .500.  In her brief career, Cheyenne finishes #4 all-time in total digs and #2 in assists/set. 

Subhana Wrights ends her stellar career as the all-time leader in total kills with 840 kills.  Subhana is #2 all-time in kills/set and is the all-time leader in attack % with a 19.8%, taking the #1 slot from Irena Moore who held the record of 19.3% for her work from the 2006-2009 season.  Subhana ends her career as the all-time leader in total blocks with 258, shattering the previous career record of 136 held by Irena Moore.  Subhana will also end her career as the all-time leader in blocks/set with a 0.65 blocks/set, shattering Irena Moore’s former record of 0.48. 

Congratulations to the senior class for their hard work and success!

2013 SEASON IN REVIEW

The Screaming Eagles persevered through an exceptionally trying 2013 campaign and came out of it playing their best volleyball despite losing some key players throughout the season, the most significant of whom was their quarterback, their setter, Amy Cooper, who only set for the team a handful of matches before a shoulder injury sidelined her for the season.

The Eagles had a great opening to the season, going 7W-4L during the first 11 matches of the campaign despite losing Amy Cooper and Kiana Cunningham during this stretch.  The team hit for 392 kills and had a .188 hit %, both numbers well ahead of pace of last year's squad's performance.  Thanks to the early performance by Amy Cooper, the Eagles were serving at 90% and had already garnered 135 aces (over 3 aces/set) and were one of the best teams in the nation in that category.  Amy at this time was in the top 10 nationally for that stat.  The blocking had been slow to develop as Subhana Wrights and Ireyah Stevens struggled to find consistency in their defensive game but the backline defense was outstanding as Katie Cooper's 158 digs and consistent serve receive had already earned her an NEAC Defensive Player of the Week Honors.  

But the next 11 matches saw the Eagles lose Amy permanently, lose backup setter Cheyenne Grant for a spell of 4 matches and, even though Kiana Cunningham returned to the lineup late in this stretch, Nicole Morera was then lost for over a week (3 matches).  The loss in personnel was devastating to the team's prospects and despite solid contributions from role players Ayesha Brannon, Natasia Wilson, Amanda Inacio and Taisha Colon, the Eagles could not overcome the experience and firepower lost through the injuries and netted only 1win out of the next 11 matches.  The team hit only 309 kills and had a mere .102 hit %.  The ace production dropped to 87 while the errors had the Eagle serving % at 84.5%. Although Ireyah Stevens and Subhana Wrights had begun to be a force at the net, improving by  nearly 20 blocks over the first 11 matches, the backline defense had seen their production drop off due in large part to the different systems the team had to run on defense and offense as the injuries mounted.

But characteristic of this team's heart during the past 3 years, just when the season or match seem to be lost, the Eagles fight their way out of the adversity and produce some amazing results.  The last 11 matches had both Kiana and Nicole back in the line-up and Cheyenne Grant getting more and more comfortable in running the offense.  Despite losing both Amanda Inacio and Taisha Colon for stretches during this time, the Eagles were fairly injury free for the majority of these 11 matches.  The result was a steadier and more consistent performance in all facets of the game which produced yet another strong finish by a squad that just refused to accept losing.  

In 2010, the team finished on a 7W-3L run to even their record at 16W-16L, the best ever at that point.  In 2011, CSE closed the season on a 10W-1L run that propelled the squad to the best record ever at CSE at 22W-7L. This season wasn't any different as the Eagles rode the improved play of Cheyenne Grant -who ran the offense flawlessly during this stretch- and the dominance of Subhana Wrights offensively to put together a 9W-2L run (6W-0L run at the end) that secured another finish over .500 for the Eagles.  CSE hit for 409 kills during this stretch and had improved their hit % to .189.  The ace production was yet again at 104 and the team's serving % had climbed back up to 87%.  Katie Cooper and Nicole Morera climbed to the top 25 and 40 nationally in aces/set to spearhead the effort. Defensively, the team had over 500 digs with Katie Cooper leading the way with 176 of them.  Subhana Wrights and Ireyah Stevens were ferocious at the net, combining for 36.5 blocks during this stretch and shutting down other teams' best offensive weapons. 

A tremendous end to a chaotic season that sees the departure of the only two players left from the 1W team in 2010, Subhana Wrights and Kareemah Muhammad, who became two of the leaders on this team and who were the building blocks for the success this team experienced over the past 3 seasons.  2013 may also be the end for a 3 year starter and captain, Amy Cooper, who was poised to take a run at the top spot nationally in aces/set and who was in charge of the best offensive output the team had ever produced in the last three years prior to her injury.  The season also closes a chapter in the playing career of an important role player, Taisha Colon, who anchored a service rotation that had lost its efficiency with consistent serves when the squad most needed it.  2013 was also the debut, the trial by fire and the amazing success of one of the most exciting players to step on the court for the Eagles as Cheyenne Grant took over the reins of the team from an injured Amy Cooper and led the team to another great closing stretch.  Her infectious energy and emotion carried the squad during tense moments and lifted the spirit and the performance level of her team.  And last, but not least, 2013 was the debut of Kristiana Thrash who improved greatly during the season and took a chance on being part of a team and a sport completely foreign to her.  We commend her for her work, her effort, her dedication and her love of this sport.

CONGRATULATIONS 2013 SCREAMING EAGLES! YOU MADE THIS COACH EXCEPTIONALLY PROUD!

SCREAMING EAGLES FEND OFF MACCABEES TO NOTCH 17TH WIN

CSE earned its 17^th victory of the season and guaranteed the program a 3^rd consecutive record of .500 or better with a solid 3-0 win versus the Yeshiva Maccabees (25-15, 25-22, 25-16).  The win was the Eagles’ 6^th in a row and closed out the season for CSE after an impressive 9W-2L last third of the season. 

The Eagles raced to a 4-0 lead behind the serving of Katie Cooper and a Subhana Wrights kill and never looked back as CSE kept the pressure on the Maccabees throughout the set and expanded their lead to 20-11 after a kill by Wrights.  Three service points by Taisha Colon led to three hitting errors by Yeshiva and closed out the set 25-15.

The second set saw a spirited Maccabees team push the Eagles squad. Yeshiva’s tough serving had the Eagles out of system struggling to score.  Yeshiva held a 14-8 lead when CSE ripped off the next 8 points to jump ahead 16-14 behind Katie Cooper’s serving and the outstanding net presence of Subhana Wrights who notched 3 blocks in the run. Yeshiva kept fighting back, tying the score at 18 but CSE kept ahead of the Maccabees with a 4-0 run behind Kiana Cunningham who notched a couple of kills in the run.  The Eagles closed out the set 25-22.

The Eagles jumped out front 10-5 early thanks to Katie Cooper and Nicole Morera’s serving and seemed in control of the set.  But credit Yeshiva for their fighting spirit as the Maccabees closed to gap to within 1 at 13-12 before the Eagles responded with a 7-3 run that extended the lead back to 5 at 20-15.  Although the Maccabees broke serve, the Eagles, behind kills by Ireyah Stevens and Katie Cooper, closed out the set on a 5-0 run to close out the set and match 25-16.

The Eagles hit .295 with 28 kills and hit for 11 aces (5 by Katie Cooper).  Defensively, the team notched 24 digs in this, CSE’s 17^th victory. 

CSE RUNS WINNING STREAK TO 5 WITH 3-0 SWEEP VS. YORK

The Screaming Eagles took to the court this past Sunday looking to pick up 2 wins and finish the season at .500 or above for the 3^rd consecutive year.  CSE started off slowly but soon found their legs and overwhelmed the York Cardinals 25-16, 25-8, 25-10 to notch their 16^th victory of the season.

The Eagles trailed found themselves in a tight game as set 1 opened up with both teams unable to generate much offense due to key passing and hitting errors.  With the score tied at 5, the Cardinals went on a 5-1 run that had the Eagles on their heels at 6-10.  York continued pressuring the Eagle pass defense and expanded their lead to 5 (7-12) after a kill from their outside hitter.

CSE relied on their serving and offensive diversity to snap out of their doldrums as Nicole Morera tallied 2 straight kills and Katie Cooper pounded out 2 aces to turn the tide of the set and give the Eagles a tie at 13-13.  Morera followed Cooper’s example and put the Cardinal offense in a bind as her serves kept forcing York to settle for low % attacks that gave the Eagles control of the set at 18-14.  Morera, Kiana Cunningham and Kareemah Muhammad notched 4 kills and Subhana Wrights added a block to close out the set on an 18-4 run that gave the Eagles set #1 by a 25-16 score. 

The Eagles carried this momentum into the second set as CSE opened up a 10-3 lead that it would never relinquish behind 4 aces from Cooper, Morera, and Colon in the early part of the set.  An Ireyah Stevens kill later in the set pushed the lead to 16-4 and Cheyenne Grant even got into the action with a kill and an ace that had CSE up 23-7 in route to an easy 25-8 set 2 victory.

The third set was much of the same as the Eagles seemed to have drained the life out of the York squad with their 43-12 point advantage from the mid-point of set 1.  Kills by Morera, Cunningham, Muhammad and Wrights had the Eagles rolling to a 10-3 lead early.    After a brief run by the Cardinals, Wrights, Muhammad and Stevens pounded out 4 kills to regain control of the match at 17-7.  Muhammad finished York off with 3 straight aces to give the Eagles a 25-10 final set victory.

To earn their 16^th win, the Eagles hit .355 for the match with 29 kills as 4 different players had at least 5 kills in a balanced and effective offense.  CSE had a fantastic day from the service line as the Eagles pounded out 14 aces to only 7 errors and suffered only 3 aces against for the match.