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• 2009 Roster
• 2009 Schedule
• 2009 Statistics
• Program Notes 2009
• Head Coach Brett Allen
• Recruiting Form
• Past Seasons
• Slide Show
• All-Americans
• Year-by-Year Records

• American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Page

Program Notes 2009

Tess Dokus '10

With 11 postseason appearances, including four ECAC crowns, and three AVCA All-America players, Bates College volleyball has a proud history.

The Bates volleyball team gives student athletes the opportunity to play in one of the most competitive NCAA Division III conferences in the nation. Team members are expected to be committed to excellence both on the court and in the classroom.

The regular season consists of an approximately 30-match schedule, including at least 10 matches against New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) opponents. The top eight teams in the regular-season standings qualify for the NESCAC Championship, with the winner earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship.

2008 Recap

A nice mix of veterans and rookies made for a 2008 season of great strides for the Bates College volleyball team. The Bobcats recorded their first berth in the eight-team NESCAC Championship, as well as their finest record, since the 2004 season, finishing 15-18 after falling to the top-seeded Tufts Jumbos in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC playoffs.

Among the first-years, Grace Haessler (Portland, Ore.) stepped into the starting setter's role from the first day of the season and turned in an impressive rookie season, passing out 8.43 assists per set, good for sixth in the conference, while also notching a team-high 57 service aces. Middle blocker Olivia Schow (Costa Mesa, Calif.) emerged as the second-most efficient attacker on the team, notching 1.78 kills per set with an attack percentage of .243. Right side Chrissy Gee (San Francisco, Calif.) was also a promising contributor.

Among the veterans, senior middle blocker Beth Billington (St. Paul, Minn.), junior outside hitter Tess Dokus (Salem, Conn.) and junior middle blocker Avery Masters (Mill Valley, Calif.) all turned in arguably the best seasons of their careers. Billington led the Bobcats and ranked sixth in the NESCAC in hitting percentage (.301) and fifth in blocks per set (0.80). Dokus led the squad in kills per set (2.25), hitting at a solid .236 rate, and Masters was close to the same numbers, with 1.90 kills per set and a .219 hitting percentage. Junior Liz Leberman (Concord, N.H.), a team co-captain along with Billington, proved to be a consistent presence on serve reception, taking over one-third of all receiving attempts at a solid .888 percentage, while also ranking second on the team in digs (2.89/set) and second in kills per set (2.07). Junior Kira Kramlich (San Francisco, Calif.) paced the back row with a team-high 3.14 digs per set.

The Bobcats will miss the talents and leadership of Billington, who was nominated to play in the 2008 New England Women's Volleyball Association Senior Classic, but should return everyone else and look forward to making even greater improvements in 2009.