For the second year in a row, the Drew University women's volleyball team will compete in the postseason when the No. 6-seeded Rangers visit No. 3 seed Elizabethtown College in the first round of the Landmark Conference Championships on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
In just the team's fourth year of existence, the Rangers shook off a 1-4 start in Landmark Conference play by winning three of their last four conference matches to capture the final playoff spot. Highlighting the stretch was an epic 3-2 come-from-behind win over Moravian University on Senior Night in which the Rangers rallied after dropping the first two sets.
Drew also earned Landmark Conference victories over Goucher College (3-0), Wilkes University (3-0), and Lycoming College (3-1) this season.
The winner of Tuesday's match will advance to the Landmark Conference semifinals and visit No. 2-seeded University of Scranton on Thursday. In the other first-round match, No. 5 Catholic University will visit No. 4 Susquehanna University, with the winner to face No. 1 seed and top-ranked Juniata College.
The semifinal winners will meet in the conference championship match on Saturday at the highest remaining seed. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Championships.
In their regular-season matchup back on Oct. 18, the Rangers won the opening two sets but the Blue Jays rallied for a 3-2 victory at Elizabethtown.
Drew will be seeking its first-ever postseason victory, as the Blue Jays claimed a 3-0 decision when the two sides met in the first round of last year's Landmark Conference tournament.
Under first-year Head Coach
Amanda Rachwal, junior
Teeya Desgoutte has led the Rangers in kills this season with 2.83 per set, a mark that ranks her fourth in the Landmark Conference. Sophomore
Alyssa Rachwal paces the team and is fourth in the conference in assists (7.34 aps) while senior
Genevieve Sarinelli is tops among the Rangers in both digs (4.04 dps) and aces (0.41 aps). Senior
Alyssa Baron is the team leader in blocks (0.80 bps).
