CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: Women’s Volleyball Meets Maine Maritime in NAC Finals Saturday

The Eastern Nazarene College women's volleyball team treks to Maine Maritime for the North Atlantic Conference championship match Saturday. Both squads claimed the top seed in their respective division and captured the divisional title to advance to the NAC Tournament finals.

BASICS:
Date: 11/11/23
Location: Smith Gymnasium | Castine, Maine
Time: 1:00 pm
Follow: Live Stats | Live Video

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Eastern Nazarene sports a 27-2 overall record and clinched the No. 1 seed in the NAC West Division after posting a 10-0 mark in league action. The Lions defeated SUNY Delhi and SUNY Morrisville to claim the NAC West Division crown.

Maine Maritime boasts a 21-5 record on the year and earned the No. 1 seed in the NAC East Division with a 10-0 conference record. The Mariners topped UMaine-Presque Isle and Vermont State Johnson to capture the NAC East Division title. Maine Maritime is making its 15th consecutive trip to the NAC Championship match and is seeking its seventh straight league crown.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:
In its fifth straight postseason appearance, Eastern Nazarene is making its fifth-consecutive trip to the conference championship match. The Lions advanced to the New England Collegiate Conference four years in a row prior to joining the North Atlantic Conference this fall.

ENC vs. MAINE MARITIME – ALL-TIME SERIES:
Eastern Nazarene and Maine Maritime have met three previous times with the Mariners holding a 3-0 lead in the all-time series. The Lions and Mariners last squared off in 2015.

ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES:
Senior Piper Bolner (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) was named the North Atlantic Conference Co-Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year and head coach Derek Schmitt was voted the North Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year. Maria Clarabuch (Sant Cugat Del Valles, Spain) and Telma Zelaya (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) both garnered All-NAC first team honors. Andrea Aceituno (Tegucigalpa, Honduras), Amanda Pierce (Johnston, R.I.), and Shantte Siliezar (Puerto Cortes, Honduras) were selected to the All-NAC second team while Eliana Baran (Beaumont, Calif.) earned a spot on the All-NAC third team. Junior Nareichka Melendez (Worcester, Mass.) represented Eastern Nazarene on the NAC Sportsmanship Team.

DEALING ACES:
Eastern Nazarene ranks third in NCAA Division III with 337 service aces on the season and seventh with 3.34 aces-per-set. Telma Zelaya (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) ranks seventh in the nation with 80 aces and eighth in Division III with 0.82 aces-per-set.