Gulls Begin Title Defense

August 31, 2007

Aug. 31, 2007

BEVERLY, MA - Coming off their most successful season in program history, the 2007 Endicott College Gulls look to raise the bar even higher as they set out to repeat as Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Champions for the third time in the last four years.

Entering his 8th season at the helm of the Endicott College women's volleyball program, head coach Tim Byram is poised to lead his squad back to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Commonwealth Coast Conference has belonged to Coach Byram's Gulls, as the squad has posted a 26-1 Conference record over the past three seasons. The 2006 Gulls flew to an undefeated CCC record (9-0) and advanced to the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament after the program's first-ever NCAA victory; a 3-2 win over Eastern Connecticut State University.

The Gulls will once again be led by CCC Player of the Year Meghan Hall (Santa Cruz, CA/Aptos), who looks primed for her senior season. Hall led the entire Conference a year ago as she racked up 1200 assists, for an average of 9.68 per game. The Endicott setter enters her final campaign as the programs all-time assists leader, as she has compiled 3,618 assists in just three seasons as a Gull.

Sophomore Steph Wiese (Higganum, CT/Haddam-Killingworth) looks to build upon one of the most complete freshman seasons in program history as the outside hitter accumulated 342 kills while contributing 432 total points. The All-CCC Second Team selection is expected to continue progressing into one of the elite players in the TCCC.

Upperclassmen Hayley Janelle (Madbury, NH/Oyster River) and Brittany Nolan (Monroe, CT/Masuk) will continue to play a vital role for the Blue and Green in 2007. The pair of juniors excelled last season as Nolan set a program record for digs, averaging over five per game (5.01). Not to be outdone, Janelle used her size and strength to become a force at the net for Endicott, turning in a program-best 119 total blocks in '06.

A pair of immediate impact freshmen arrive on the Endicott campus with NCAA dreams in their head. 6'2" Amy Grigg (Vernon, CT/Rockville) looks to establish herself in the middle for the defending CCC Champions. Brittany Phillips (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln Sudbury) makes the transition from the middle (where she was an All-State selection at Lincoln Sudbury) to the outside hitter spot to further strengthen the Gulls upfront. Allison Murphy (Gilford, Guilford) and Lauren Glavin (Billerica, MA/Billerica) will also add depth to the most talented roster in program history. Coach Byram believes that all 13 players will make significant contributions this season.

"I am very excited about the caliber of the team we have pulled together for this season," said Coach Tim Byram. "Our practices so far have been as spirited and competitive as any team I have ever coached. We have set some aggressive goals and will need to push ourselves for daily improvements from everyone if we are going to achieve them."