Widener’s volleyball and field hockey teams are ready to do battle as they approach their respective Commonwealth Conference semifinal matches on Wednesday.
The volleyball team (21-14, 5-2 CC) is the fourth seed for the conference tournament and will visit top-seeded Lebanon Valley (29-2, 6-1) at 7:00 pm in Annville, PA. The field hockey squad (11-5, 4-3) also is a number four seed and travels to top-ranked Messiah (17-0, 7-0) for a 4:00 pm game in Grantham, PA.
Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for students and those under age six are admitted free.
The volleyball squad is in the tournament a third straight year and notched its seventh 20-win season in school history. It is the first time the team has consecutive 20-win years since posting four straight from 1988-91.
Widener has a strong unit that includes senior hitter Devan Green (Monroe Center, IL), named first team all-conference last season. She is fifth in the league this season with a .265 hitting percentage and ninth with 2.37 kills per set.
Sophomore setter Jamie Ballew (Media, PA), last season’s conference Rookie of the Year and second team all-league pick, is third in the conference with 8.66 assists per set. Freshman Angela DiMaria (Warrington, PA) is eighth in the league with 2.42 kills per set and senior Danielle Wetling (Upper Darby, PA), picked second team all-league last season, is 10th at 2.27 kills per set.
The other semifinal pits second-seeded Elizabethtown hosting No. 3 seed Messiah. The conference final is Saturday at the highest remaining seed.
The field hockey team is back in the tournament a second consecutive year and has won at least 10 games in seven of the last nine years.
Senior Jackie Elliott (Upper Darby, PA) is ninth in the conference with nine goals and first on the team with 19 points. Junior Megan Scarpinato (Sewell, NJ) and sophomore Natalie Gifford (Morton, PA) each are tied for second on the squad with seven goals and 17 points.
Junior goalkeeper Megan Purcell (Perkasie, PA) has had another impressive season, sitting third in the league with 5.87 saves per game and fourth with a 2.63 goals-against average. She was tabbed second team all-league a season ago.
The other semifinal has second-seeded and seventh-ranked Lebanon Valley entertaining No. 3 seed Elizabethtown. The winner also plays in Saturday’s conference final.
The conference champions earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.