Three-Peat: Women's Volleyball Secures Trifecta in NJCAA Region III Championship
SANBORN, N.Y. - Lakers women's volleyball made history Sunday afternoon, clinching their third straight NJCAA Region III Championship. The Lakers bested the SUNY Broome Hornets by a score of 3-1 at Niagara County Community College.
Freshman Payton Stoddard (Bloomfield, N.Y./Bloomfield) was the cornerstone of the Lakers' offense in the match, finishing with a game-high 41 assists. Beyond assists, Stoddard was a force on the defensive end, racking up 22 digs in the match. Teammate Jordan Winton (Sherburne, N.Y./Sherburne-Earlville) put together one of her strongest performances thus far this season, leading the attack with 14 kills and capitalizing on her opportunities in the biggest match this season for the freshmen.
Freshman Kiane Wells (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) was pivotal to the Lakers' offense and defense, adding 8 kills while leading the Lakers' defense with 8 blocks. Freshman Michelina Williams (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) who was named the NJCAA Region III Defensive Player of the Year the day prior, lived up to her title, leading the backcourt defense with an impressive 25 digs on a flurry of opportunities for the SUNY Broome Hornets offense.
The 2023 NJCAA Region III Player of the Year, Brooke DeGroff (Castile, N.Y./Letchworth) had another standout match with 13 kills and 5 blocks; finishing with 16 points for the day. Teammates Bridget Miller (Seneca Falls, N.Y./Mynderse) and Leah Williams (Olean, N.Y./Olean) played crucial roles in the victory, with 9 kills each. Miller's 11 digs and 2 services aces, along with Williams' 10.5 points for the day were key to the Lakers victory.
After the match, Sophomore Brooke DeGroff was named the NJCAA Region III Tournament Most Valuable Player while freshman teammates Payton Stoddard, Michelina Williams, and Bridget Miller all earned NJCAA Region III All-Tournament honors for their consistent play over the 2-day tournament.
With the win, the Lakers will advance to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament hosted at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The tournament will begin on Wednesday, November 9th for the Lakers who will make their third straight appearance. In the past two seasons, the Lakers have drawn the #10 seed in the national tournament twice, but after a dominant regular and postseason, the team will look to climb the rankings to earn their highest draw yet in program history and continue their historic run.
Visit the NJCAA Division III women's volleyball championship page here: https://www.njcaa.org/championships/sports/wvball/div3/index
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