Seawolves Set to Take On BYU in the NCAA Tournament

STONY BROOK, N.Y.- The Stony Brook volleyball team is set for its second NCAA Tournament appearance as it takes on fourth-seeded BYU. The Seawolves are coming off of their second straight America East Championship after sweeping Hartford in the semifinals, and outlasting Albany in five sets in the title game. Scouting BYU The Cougars are coming off their only loss of the season, which came against Loyola Marymount in three sets. In the regular season, BYU finished with an overall record of 27-1 and 17-1 against the West Coast Conference. The Cougars are led by senior outside hitter Roni Jones-Perry, who is averaging 4.71 kills per set, giving her a total of 419 for the season so far. Senior setter Lyndie Haddock-Eppich also has a huge influence on the team's success. The Longmont, Colorado native averages 11.09 assists per set, and has a total of 1,009 for the season. Last Time Out In the America East Championship game, the #1 seeded Seawolves knocked off the #2 seeded Albany Great Danes in a five set battle. In the victory graduate student Emily Costello (Webster, N.Y.) led the way with 17 kills. Senior McKyla Brooks (Blasdell, N.Y.) and junior LeAnne Sakowicz (Wauconda, Ill.) also had solid performances in the match. Brooks notched 13 kills and five blocks, and Sakowicz tallied 54 assists and 16 digs. Back-to-Back Last year, Stony Brook won its first America East Championship in program history. The team won it again this year making it back-to-back titles. Undefeated Regular Season Champs! After the five set victory against UMBC on November 9, the Seawolves clinched the America East Regular Season title. Stony Brook then swept Binghamton on November 11 and finished the regular season undefeated against the America East. The conference did not have an undefeated regular season champion since 2009. Keep the Streak! Since the five set loss to Bryant on September 14, the Seawolves have gone 17-0 in which 14 wins were against conference opponents. The 17 game winning streak is a program record as Division I. All-Championship Team After the five set victory in the America East Championship against Albany, Sakowicz, Costello and sophomore Kiani Kerstetter (Cardiff, Calif.) were named to the All-Championship team. Costello was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the America East Championship. In the Ranks The Seawolves are ranked 47th in the nation in match W-L percentage, and 46th in hitting percentage. Sakowicz is ranked 45th in the nation in assists per set averaging 10.71. Freshman Sabrina Patriciello (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) ranks 89th averaging .35 aces per set.