2006 Women’s Volleyball Notes
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May 2, 2007
Fussell earns top honor at end-of-year banquet
San Rafael, Calif. — The Dominican University of California held their annual Athletics banquet Monday night. More than 170 of Dominican's student-athletes, coaches, and administrators gathered at the Conlan Recreation Center to celebrate Dominican's athletic achievements for 2006-2007.
The Penguins had plenty to be proud of during the 2006-2007 season,
garnerning numerous honors, including 21 Cal Pac Player of the Week
Selections, 18 Cal Pac All-Conference Selections, 1 Cal Pac Newcomer of
the Year, 1 Cal Pac Freshman of the Year, 1 NAIA Region II Player of
the Week,1 NAIA National Player of the Week, and 14 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
Senior Jenna Fussell was named the 2006-2007 Dominican Women's
Co-Athlete of the Year for her outstanding play and leadership on the volleyball court. Fussell earned Cal Pac All-Conference honors all four seasons and finishes her career with 308 kills.
Women's soccer players Tina Ghirarduzzi was named the Women's Co-Athlete of the Year with Fussell. Men's soccer and lacrosse captain Todd Seech was named the Men's Athlete of the Year. Soccer players Beverly Kitt and Eric Hughes were named the Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
Last season, men's basketball player David Moore and men's soccer player JP McCarvel were named Co-Athlete of the Year for setting scoring titles in their respective sports.
"We're very proud of our student-athletes, coaches, and all those
involved in and supportful of Dominican Athletics," said an appreciative
Roger Goodwin, Dominican's Director of Athletics.
January 1, 2007
Four Lady Penguins named NAIA Scholar-Athletes
Olathe, KS — The 2006 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes have been named for women's volleyball. Dominican University of California seniors Jenna Fussell and Ashley Wells and juniors Amanda Deely and Bridget Gengler have been recognized with the honor for their excellence on and off of the field. A complete list of the 2006 women's volleyball Scholar-Athletes can be found here.
Other 2006 Dominican Scholar-Athletes include men's soccer players Eric Hughes and Patrick Jackson, as well as women's soccer players Jennifer Jackson, Bev Kitt, and Sara Trudeau.
November 13, 2006
Four Dominican seniors earn Cal Pac honors
Atherton, CA — The 2006 California Pacific Conference Volleyball All-Conference team was announced yesterday. Senior outside hitter Jenna Fussell and middle blocker Maren Dermody were both named to the All-Conference First Team. Senior setter Ashley Wells was named to the Second Team while libero Rose Chavez rounded out the nods with an Honorable Mention. The Lady Penguins finished the season with a 14-11 record and finished in second place in the Cal Pac, with a 12-2 mark.
November 12, 2006
Dominican wins final game, finishes season in second place
San Rafael, CA — The Menlo College Oaks defeated the Dominican women in five games on Friday, capturing Menlo's third consecutive Cal Pac championship. In that span, Menlo has accumulated a 45-1 record. Dominican lost only it's second match of conference play, both of which came at the hands of Menlo. The Lady Penguins fell just short, again pushing the match to five games, this time losing 17-15 with two chances at match point. Jenna Fussell had an 11 kill and 19 dig performance while Maren Dermody had 10 kills. Senior libero Rose Chavez contributed 30 digs while Ashley Wells had 36 assists and 11 digs. Crystal Davis also had 11 digs for the Black and Gold.
On Saturday, the Dominican women finished the season with a win over visiting Bethany University. The Lady Penguins got off to a strong start with a convincing 30-18 win and never looked back. The 2006 Lady Penguins finished the season with a 12-2 conference mark, finishing in second place behind Menlo College.
November 7, 2006
Chavez, Wells earn weekly Cal Pac honors
San Rafael, CA — Seniors Rose Chavez and Ashley Wells earned California Pacific Conference Libero of the Week and Setter of the Week, respectively, for their efforts in last week's sweep of Pacific Union. Chavez earned her third honor of the season, digging 7 balls. Wells earned her second straight honor, recording 16 assists. The setter’s offense helped Dominican outscore their opponent by 31 total points. The win was the Lady Penguins' sixth straight, helping them remain in second place in the Cal Pac with an 11-1 conference record. The Lady Penguins face first-place Menlo College on Thursday, November 9 and will honor their five seniors before their last regular season game on Friday, November 10 against Bethany. Both games are at home at the Conlan Recreation Center and are set to begin at 7:00 p.m.
October 31, 2006
Two Lady Penguins garner Cal Pac honors
San Rafael, CA — Senior Ashley Wells and sophomore Amanda Wagner earned Cal Pac Setter of the Week and Player of the Week, respectively, for their play last week against Holy Names and Mills. This is Wells' third honor this season and the first of Wagner's career. Ashley Wells had 49 assists, 18 digs, 6 aces, and 4 block assists on the weekend. Wagner recorded 10 kills and 3 aces against Holy Names. She had an astounding run of 18 straight serves in the second game against Mill College, where she racked up 7 service aces. The Lady Penguins are 10-1 in the Cal Pac and remain one game behind first place Menlo College.
October 30, 2006
Lady Penguins follow sweep of Holy Names with sweep of Mills on All-Sports Day
San Rafael, CA — The Lady Penguins defeated arch-rival Holy Names, allowing the Lady Hawks no more than 26 points in a games. Jenna Fussell and Amanda Wager led the Dominican offensive with 10 kills apiece. Setter Ashley Wells added 27 assists and 15 digs. Libero Rose Chavez and freshman Lorel Grande had 14 and 13 digs, respectively, despite Dominican being outdug 75-74.
On Saturday, Dominican's All-Sports Day was capped off by a sweep of Mills College by the Lady Penguins, defeating the Cyclones 30-13, 30-19, and 30-17. Wagner led the way again with 18 straight services that included seven service aces. She has a team-high 25 aces in conference play. Freshman Jacqueline Woodall had 15 assists in one game of work. Fussell had 10 more kills for a team-leading 85 while Chavez completed her weekend with a team-leading 21 digs, giving her a team-high 151 digs in conference play.
The Lady Penguins hit the road for one last time during the regular season on Saturday, November 4 to face Pacific Union College at 7:00 p.m.
October 25, 2006
Women face off against Mills on All-Sports Day
San Rafael, CA — It will be a busy Saturday on the Dominican campus, as five athletic events are set to take place for the day. Saturday has been deemed all sports day by the the university's student government, ASDU. The culmination of All-Sports Day will be the women's volleyball game at 7:00 p.m. against Mills College. The 8-1 Lady Penguins will look to beat Mills for the second time this season.
In celebration of All-Sports Day, free t-shirts will be given to Dominican students and there will be a free raffle to win a new iPod nano. Tickets may be received by attending each of the five sporting events on Saturday. Students must have a valid ID to receive their t-shirts and raffle tickets.
All-Sports Day Schedule, October 28
11:30 a.m. — Women's Soccer Senior Day Pregame Presentation
12:00 p.m. — Women's Soccer vs. Holy Names University
1:00 p.m. — Men's Basketball vs. Alumni
1:30 p.m.* — Men's Soccer Senior Day Pregame Presentation
2:00 p.m.* — Men's Soccer vs. Holy Names University.
3:00 p.m. — Women's Basketball Scrimmage vs. Santa Rosa JC
7:00 p.m. — Women's Volleyball vs. Mills College
*time subject to change due to length of women's soccer game
October 23, 2006
Dominican beats Jessup, Simpson on road
San Rafael, CA - The Lady Penguins returned to campus with two more wins under their belts after they defeated William Jessup University in three games Friday night and Simpson in four on Saturday. Jenna Fussell led with 7 kills on Friday while Maren Dermody had 13 on Saturday against Simpson. On Saturday, senior setter Ashley Wells had 34 assists. Fussell led the team with 23 digs, libero Rose Chavez had 19, and sophomore Amanda Wagner stepped up with 14 digs. Dermody also had 3 block solos and 3 block assists against the Red Hawks. Dominican is home on Friday against Holy Names. Gametime is set for 7:00 p.m.October 14, 2006
Dominican beats UC Santa Cruz in dramatic fashion
Hayward, CA - The Dominican women dropped their first three matches of the CSU East Bay Tournament but salvaged their last match of the tournament in dramatic fashion as Dominican went on to defeat UC Santa Cruz in five games. A week after losing to UC Santa Cruz, the Lady Penguins came out firing, winning the first game 30-27 before dropping the second game 24-30. They battled back in the third game, winning 30-26 and faltered in the fourth game 20-30. Maren Dermody fired down 12 kills and freshman Lorel Grande added 9 as Dominican came back to win in the fifth game 15-9. Senior libero Rose Chavez had 20 digs, while Grande had 13 and Jenna Fussell had 10. Bridget Gengler made huge solo blocks down the homestretch with 3 in the match, while Dermody added 3 solos and 1 assist of her own. With the win, the Lady Penguins improved to 8-10 on the season. They travel to Cal Pac opponents William Jessup on October 20 and to Simpson on October 21.
October 5, 2006
Chavez named to "Slugfest" All Tournament team
Santa Cruz, CA - Despite losing all three matches in the UC Santa Cruz "Slugfest" tournament, senior libero Rose Chavez was one of seven players named to the All Tournament team. Coach Roger Goodwin is very pleased with his senior's play, "Rose gives it her all every game and has a great attitude. She's been a big reason for our success this season." The senior from San Bruno also recently earned her second Cal Pac Conference Libero of the Week honor of the season for the week of September 18 to 24. Chavez and the Lady Penguins take on Menlo College on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in a game of undefeateds for sole possession of first place in the Cal Pac.
September 26, 2006
Aces lead the way as Dominican topples PUC in three
San Rafael, CA - The Dominican women continued their roll as they improved to 5-0 in Cal Pac play with a sweep of Pacific Union on Tuesday night. Gabby Pecora led the charge with 11 kills and 7 service aces. Zoe Bagala added 6 kills. The Lady Penguins combined for 19 service aces, with Aly Pence and Amanda Wagner each adding 3. Cal Pac Setter of the Week Ashley Wells had 22 assists and split time with freshman Jacqueline Woodall, who assisted 13. Dominican travels south on Friday and Saturday to the land of Banana Slugs to play in the UC Santa Cruz Tournament.
September 26, 2006
Chavez and Wells earn Cal Pac Honors
San Rafael, CA - The California Pacific Conference announced the player of the week honors for the week of September 18 to 24 on Tuesday. Dominican senior Rose Chavez earned Libero of the Week for the second time this season for her 15 dig effort in a sweep of arch-rival Holy Names while senior Ashley Wells earned Setter of the Week for her 15 assists against Mills College and 35 assists against Holy Names.September 25, 2006
Dominican's rolls to 4-0 start with two weekend wins
San Rafael, CA - The Dominican women hit the road on Friday and Sunday and came home with two wins. Dominican defeated Mills College in three games and stunned arch-rival Holy Names on Saturday in three games. Senior Maren Dermody connected for 16 kills against the Hawks, while blocking five balls. Freshman Gabby Pecora also recorded 11 kills for the Lady Penguins and tied a team-high with 15 digs. The other player with 15 digs was senior libero Rose Chavez, who turned in a dazzling defensive performance on her twenty-first birthday. With the win, Dominican improved to 5-3 overall and 4-0 in conference play while Holy Names dropped to 2-11 overall and 2-3 in conference. The Lady Penguins face Pacific Union at home on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
September 18, 2006
Dominican's Wells earns Cal Pac Setter of the Week
San Rafael, CA - Ashley Wells earned the California Pacific Conference's Setter of the Week for the week of August 11 to 17. The 5'11" senior setter had 74 assists, an average of 10.57 per game, in two matches. Her play helped catapult the Lady Penguins to a 2-0 Cal Pac Conference start. Wells also chipped in 22 digs, 6 kills, and 2 service aces. Wells earned Setter of the Week five times in 2005.
September 18, 2006
Dominican opens conference play with two wins
San Rafael, CA - The Lady Penguins began Cal Pac play with wins over William Jessup and Simpson University on Friday and Saturday nights. Zoe Bagala led the Penguins with 8 kills over WJU while libero Rose Chavez had 10 digs in the 3-0 win. After dropping the first game to Simpson 30-27, Dominican surged back with 30-25 and 30-24 wins. The Lady Penguins came back from a seven point deficit to win the fourth game 30-28. Freshman Gabby Pecora exploded for team highs with 22 kills on 51 attempts and 35 digs. Jenna Fussell added 16 and Maren Dermody had 13. Setter Ashley Wells had 51 assists. Dominican improves to 3-3 on the young season and hits the road Friday, September 22 to face the Cyclones of Mills College at 7:00 p.m.
September 6, 2006
Chavez, Pecora earn season's first Player of the Week honors
San Rafael, CA - Senior libero Rose Chavez earned the Cal Pac's first Libero of the Week this season for her performance in the Concordia of Irvine Tournament over the Labor Day weekend. Chavez had 44 digs in four matches, averaging just under three per game. She had two service aces and played in 15 of the 16 games over the weekend. Her 21 digs against San Diego Christian College helped lift the Lady Penguins to a 3-2 come-from-behind win. Chavez earned Cal Pac Libero of the Week four times last season.
Freshman outside hitter Gabby Pecora earned Player of the Week for her 29 kill weekend, setting a career high with nine kills against SDCC. She had 23 digs in that match, with another 18 against The Master's College. The freshman out of Justin Sienna also dug 56 balls, averaging just under five per game.
Dominican student-athlete Tina Ghirarduzzi also earned Women's Soccer Player of the Week for her goal and assist against Concordia of Irvine.
September 4, 2006
Dominican Volleyball goes 1-3 in Concordia Tournament
Irvine, CA - The Lady Penguins trip to Irvine was highlighted by a come-from-behind win over San Diego Christian College on Saturday. Dominican lost the first two games 25-30 and 22-30 but Jenna Fussell and Gabby Pecora combined for 19 kills to rally back to win the third game 30-22, followed by 30-24 and 15-13 wins to clinch the first win of the season. Dominican is off until September 15 when the Lady Penguins begin conference action against William Jessup University at home at 7:00 p.m.
June 28, 2006
Dominican Volleyball schedule announced
San Rafael, CA - Head Women's Volleyball Coach Roger Goodwin today announced the 2006 season schedule. The Lady Penguins, who finished third in the Cal Pac Conference last season, will look to capture their first title since 2001. Goodwin has a core of returning players including All-Conference players Jenna Fussell, Maren Dermody, Ashley Wells, and Zoe Bagala. Goodwin also has additional new talent added to the mix including Justin Sienna standout Gabby Pecora. Click here to download the schedule in PDF format.
April 27, 2006
Outside hitter Pecora signs letter of intent
Gabby Pecora signed a letter of intent to play at Dominican on Wednesday afternoon. Pecora has been an outside hitter for the Justin Sienna Varsity volleyball team the past two years and has earned All-Marin County Athletic League and All-Napa County honors while there. She led the varsity squad in digs, kills, and serves received her senior season. Pecora will be majoring in Digital Art while at Dominican.
February 1, 2006
Dominican volleyball players recognized as 2005 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the 2005 Daktronics-NAIA Volleyball All-America Scholar Athletes yesterday. Student-Athletes must be nominated by their head coach, be a junior or above in academic standing, and maintain a 3.5 or higher cumulateve GPA. Those Dominican University of California athletes awarded this honor for the 2005 season are juniors Jenna Fussell and Ashley Wells.
Fussell, a senior academically, is a left side hitter from Vacaville, California studying Biology. Fussell played in 53 of Dominican’s 69 games. She led the team with 158 kills (2.98 k/g) and was tied for the lead with 16 service aces. She was also second on the team with 3.74 digs per game. Fussell was named to the California Pacific Conference All-Conference First Team.
Wells, who is studying Biology, hails from Maxwell, California and has been Dominican’s starting setter the past two seasons. Wells played in 52 of the Lady Penguins’ games, was Dominican’s assist leader with 562 assists on the season (10.81 a/g), and was third on the team in digs and blocks. Wells earned numerous other awards during the season, including being named to the California Pacific Conference All-Conference Second Team, being named Cal Pac Setter of the Week five times and Cal Pac Player of the Week once.
