Veteran athletic trainer Jeff Bray, left, works on Ava Wilburn during a Keuka College women's soccer home game in the fall of 2011.

By John Boccacino/Sports Information Director

Jeff Bray is an avid motorsports fan, and when he arrived in scenic Keuka Park to accept a job as Keuka College’s head athletic trainer/assistant athletic director in the summer of 1992, he figured he was just making a pit stop.

Nearly 20 later, the man who came to campus on a two-year plan can’t imagine working anywhere else.

As he reflects on two decades of dedicated service to the Storm’s student-athletes, Bray can’t help but wonder how he ended up as the second-longest tenured member of the College’s athletics department.

To quote the Grateful Dead anthem, “Truckin’,” what a long, strange trip it has been for Bray.

Born in Sterling, Kansas, a small town that Bray said possesses a similar down-home feel to Keuka, Bray essentially grew up on his parent’s gas station before enrolling in Kansas State to study athletic training.

Bray has taped hundreds of professional athletes during a career that, among other stops, has seen him work the sidelines of NFL games, alongside pit crews for assorted auto racing events across the world, and behind the bucking chutes at top-flight bull riding competitions.

During a four-year stint in the NFL working as an athletic trainer with the Philadelphia Eagles — three as a summer intern and one as a paid professional — Bray taped Hall-of-Famer Reggie White, was part of a team that helped dynamic quarterback Randall Cunningham recover from various knee injuries, and worked alongside talented coaches such as Buddy Ryan, Jeff Fisher and Wade Phillips, to name a few.

Tom Coughlin, the Waterloo native who will lead the NFC champion New York Giants into battle against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI Feb. 5, was also a part of those Eagles’ coaching staffs during Bray’s time with the team.

Jeff Bray has worked as an athletic trainer for numerous auto races, including an open wheel race when he met Helio Castroneves, an IndyCar driver and three-time Indy 500 champion.

Bray worked alongside legendary actor/race car driver Paul Newman and the drivers of his Newman/Haas Racing Team when working in the Champ Car Racing Series. Division I schools, including Bray’s alma mater Boise State, have sought his expertise in the field of athletic training, making enticing job pitches in an attempt to land Bray’s services.

But through an athletic training career that has spanned more than three decades — the last two of them spent at Keuka — there is no place Bray would rather call home than picturesque Keuka College.

“One of the reasons it’s been easy to stay here is because Keuka’s just been a good place to be, with good people who provide a great college experience, be it coaches, parents, administrators, or the student-athletes. Coach Dave Sweet has been an outstanding mentor and has taught me all about the world that is Division III athletics,” said Bray, who became interested in physical training after watching his mother, Nettie, battle back from a debilitating stroke when Bray was 15.

“I really appreciate getting to know the families of the student-athletes here. At a Division I school you never really have any dealings with parents. Keuka is special from that standpoint, and as my kids get older that [relationship with the parents] means more to me, because not too far down the road it’ll be me handing my kids off to a college and I’ll want to feel as comfortable sending my kids off to college as the parents of our student-athletes feel when they send their children to Keuka.”

However, that opinion of Keuka took some time to formulate for Bray, who currently resides in nearby Penn Yan with wife, Kristen, and son Tyler, 15, and daughter Kelly, 13.

When Bray was offered the Keuka position, he had his reservations. Sweet, Keuka’s athletic director and head coach of the women’s basketball team, had been on campus for nine years and was working diligently to transform the Storm from a predominantly women’s sports-based program into a well-rounded, co-ed athletics department that produced championship-caliber teams on the playing fields, and accomplished students in the classroom.

Additionally, Bray had only worked with professional and Division I athletes at his previous jobs, and Keuka was a tiny Division III school smack-dab in the middle of rural Upstate New York.

The Storm didn’t even have a football team, a fact Bray felt was a prerequisite for any potential job. He previously had worked passionately with football teams at every stop along the way: from his student athletic trainer days at Kansas State, to his graduate work at Boise State, through his four-year stint with the Eagles, and his time spent as Illinois State’s head football trainer.

In the end, while the decision was Bray’s to make, his future wife Kristen held the ultimate card. She had grown up in the Buffalo area and was a successful basketball player at Canisius College. Even though the couple wasn’t yet married, Bray realized it was important for Kristen to be closer to her family.

So the couple came to an agreement. Kristen and Jeff would relocate and Bray would try out the Keuka position for two years, and if Bray was unsatisfied at the end of the two-year trial period, Kristen would relocate anywhere in the country as her husband searched for his dream job.

Twenty years later and, the rest is history. Bray said he “fell in love” with the job and the students, and while other colleges and universities have called for Bray’s services, the answer has always been the same: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“I had a unique opportunity at a very young age to reach the pinnacle of our profession,” said Bray, who still carves out time in his busy schedule to work between 5-10 auto races a year as an athletic trainer.

“There are thousands of young athletic trainers, student athletic trainers that aspire to work in pro sports, and only a few get there. I had the opportunity and while I enjoyed my time in the pros, long-term I didn’t know if it was for me. After a lot of thinking, when this job became available I took it and while I couldn’t believe I was at this small college with no football, I owed it to Keuka to give it my best. After all these years this is where I’m supposed to be.”

To achieve peace of mind with his decision about his future, Bray turned to an important part of his past, Otho Davis, his mentor in the athletic training field. Davis was the long-time trainer in the NFL who had worked with the then-Baltimore Colts and was Bray’s boss with the Eagles when Bray secured a summer internship to study under the legendary Davis, who at the time was considered among the best trainers in all of professional sports.

Davis, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2000, was instrumental in swaying Bray to take the job with the Storm. While he was the influence who got Bray into professional sports, Davis also warned Bray of the dangers of working in an industry where off days are few and far between and the average work week could range from 80 to 100 hours.

Davis, who had four sons, rarely got to see his family due to the rigors and demands of the job, a factor Bray considered heavily when debating the pros and cons of the Keuka position.

As Keuka's head athletic trainer, Jeff Bray is responsible for attending to all injured players, whether they play for the Storm or the opposition.

In the end, the chance to help deserving Division III athletes won out. Now, fast-forward 20 years and Bray’s presence has become part of the fiber of a student-athlete’s life. Bray and his staff of athletic trainers work all Keuka College sporting events, ready on the sidelines should an injury befall a member of the Storm or the opposition.

“When I’m asked why I’m still at Keuka, ‘I say why not?’ If our point guard, [Jessica Bandrowski], sprains her ankle and is going to potentially miss some big games coming up, she’s as valuable to her team as [Boise State star quarterback] Kellen Moore is to his team,” said Bray, who used his NFL connections to secure the New York Jets old athletic training equipment when the NFL franchise decided to purchase new equipment in 1998.

“Sure, it’s not going to be in the USA Today or make ESPN that Bandrowski sprained her ankle and might miss a game, but she deserves to be treated like a professional athlete, too. But also, if I go to coach Sweet and say Bandrowski can’t play tomorrow, I’m not going to get the screws put to me [to get her ready to play] to the point that my ethics are pushed and her best interests are questioned in order to get a win.”

Bray’s influence on Keuka’s student-body is not limited to the various playing fields for the Storm’s 16 varsity sports teams. Bray also serves as an adjunct instructor and teaches two sports management classes.

Each fall, as part of their senior class projects, Bray’s sports management students organize the annual Storm Madness pep rally, a raucous affair that provides a first look at the men’s and women’s basketball teams to the campus and neighboring communities.

“Jeff has been my right-hand man for all these years, and he is immensely talented and certainly has a lot to offer to any college,” said Sweet, who credits Bray’s communication skills, problem-solving ability, and self-starter mentality as some of his best personality traits.

“He’s tuned-in well with the needs of our student-athletes and understands what we’re trying to accomplish as a small Division III college athletics program. We’re not all about wins and losses; we try to educate the student-athletes on the overall collegiate experience and Jeff has been extremely helpful, not only to the college but to me in particular.”

Applauding Keuka’s unique Field Period as one of the most beneficial aspects of a Keuka education, Bray backs the college’s required annual 140-hour long internship program that offers real-world work experience to students each year they’re on campus.

“Professionally, if you’re trying to get somewhere, don’t always think you’re going to get somewhere on your own,” said Bray, who originally learned of the Eagles’ summer trainer position through Jim Rudd and Hank Fijalkowski, his bosses while Bray was a student athletic trainer at Kansas State.

“There are people that can and will help you if they know where you want to go. I am a firm believer in our Field Period because I lived the internship route, that’s how I got into the NFL. Jim and Hank, my mentors, told me I needed to do an internship in the NFL, and at the time I was probably too stupid to ask questions. But if Otho, Jim or Hank told me to do something, I knew that was what I needed to do. Our students need to get out and have those workplace experiences, but students can’t have a broken want-to. You can’t be the one pushing them; they need the drive and motivation to succeed.”

Throughout the years, Bray’s dedication toward Keuka College and the Storm’s student-athletes has never wavered, and he is just as passionate about his job and this campus as he was July 1, 1992, the day he first reported for duty at Keuka.

“I think you’re missing the boat of life if you’re not passionate about something,” Bray said. “To this day, I’m still doing something I’m passionate about and that’s pretty cool.”

Senior Hannah Doody recorded 25 digs in Keuka College's four-set loss to Penn State-Berks Saturday in the NEAC semifinals (Photo by Lauren Schreyack, Keuka College Sports Information Department).

BOXSCORE

Keuka College’s women’s volleyball team recorded the second-highest single-season win total in school history, but the Storm’s 2011 season ended Saturday during the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) semifinals.

The Storm (20-10), seeded fifth in the tournament, challenged top seed Penn State-Berks (22-7) before falling in four sets by scores of 21-25, 23-25, 25-16 and 25-20.

Sophomore Paige Golden (Kent, NY/Albion) posted her 10th double-double of the season with 16 digs and 14 kills, giving her a team-high 419 digs and 277 kills. Freshman Devan Curtis (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente) also recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs and sophomore Jill Nolan (Johnson City, NY/Maine-Endwell) added 38 assists and 12 digs for Keuka.

Senior Hannah Doody (Tully, NY/Tully), the NEAC’s inaugural Defensive Player of the Year, added 24 digs for Keuka, which ends the season having won 11 of its last 15 matches spanning the regular season and postseason, including getting nine three-set sweeps during the winning streak.

“I’m very proud of this team. We never gave up,” said Ben Guiliano, Keuka’s first-year head coach. “Berks is a solid team, we were just a couple of plays (away) from going five sets. All in all I think we had a very good season. I haven’t seen a team play harder, and in the end that’s the important part.”

Sophomore Taylor Smith (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) had 17 digs while senior Rachael Perry (Nichols, NY/Tioga) added 13 digs and five kills for the Storm, which had six players reach double-figures in digs.

Penn State-Berks advanced to face No. 2 Gallaudet in the NEAC championship match, and the Bison ended up claiming the NEAC championship and the conference’s automatic qualifying berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.

The 2011 Storm tied the 2006 team for second-most wins in school history and came one win shy of the 2004 team’s school-record 21 wins in a season.

Freshman Devan Curtis had 12 kills and 11 digs as the Storm women's volleyball team rallied to defeat Lancaster Bible College in the NEAC quarterfinals (Photo by Lauren Schreyack, Keuka College Sports Information Department).

BOXSCORE

In the days leading up to its postseason women’s volleyball match with Lancaster Bible College, the members of the Keuka College Storm insisted they knew how to beat the Chargers, who on Sept. 18 handled the Storm in four sets.

Turns out the women were right, as the fifh-seeded Storm (20-9) rallied after dropping the first set to upend the fourth-seeded Chargers (12-18) in four sets Friday night, winning its North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) semifinal by scores of 24-26, 25-18, 25-21 and 25-23.

Sophomore Paige Golden (Kent, NY/Albion) posted a double-double with 23 digs and 11 kills, junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) added 12 kills, 3 digs, 2 aces and 2 blocks as Keuka rallied from late-set deficits in the fourth set to advance into the semifinals.

The Storm trailed 19-13 and 21-15 in the fourth before the Keuka attack, led freshman Devan Curtis (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente), bounced back to tie the score at 23. Curtis clinched the match with an ace.

Curtis, one of four Storm players to earn All-NEAC honors, finished with a team-high 12 kills, 11 digs and 3 aces while sophomore Taylor Smith (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) added 22 digs. Smyder won six straight service points in the third as the Storm took a 2-1 lead in sets.

Senior Hannah Doody (Tully, NY/Tully), the NEAC’s inaugural Defensive Player of the Year, added 35 digs for Keuka, which has now won 11 of its last 14 matches spanning the regular season and postseason, including getting nine three-set sweeps during the winning streak.

Sophomore Amie Pizura (Prattsburgh, NY/Hammondsport) added 38 assists and 13 digs for the Storm. This was a rematch of the Sept. 18th match when, as part of the first NEAC crossover competition, Keuka fell the Lancaster Bible in four sets, losing a back-and-forth match by scores of 23-25, 25-15, 21-25 and 21-25. Doody tied a career-high with 36 digs in that match, and finished with 71 digs in two matches with the Chargers this year.

With the win, the Storm advances to face the NEAC’s top seed, Penn State-Berks (10-0 NEAC) at 11 a.m. on Saturday. No. 2 Gallaudet (9-1) and No. 3 SUNYIT (8-2) square off in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting up in the NEAC championship match at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

Whichever team captures the NEAC championship earns the conference’s automatic qualifying berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.

Keuka's women's volleyball team earned the No. 5 seed in the NEAC tournament and will face No. 4 Lancaster Bible College at 6 p.m. Friday night.

Confidence is high among the 16 members of Keuka College’s women’s volleyball entering the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) postseason tournament, which kicks off when the fifth-seeded Storm (19-9 overall, 6-4 NEAC) travels to Lancaster Bible College (7-3 NEAC) on Friday night for a 6 p.m. NEAC quarterfinal match against the fourth-seeded Chargers.

Keuka wrapped up the regular season with a pair of three-set sweeps on Senior Day as the Storm defeated Utica College and Morrisville State Saturday afternoon inside the Weed Physical Arts Center. Keuka has now won 10 of its last 13 matches entering postseason play, including getting nine three-set sweeps during the winning streak.

This will be a rematch of the Sept. 18th contest when, as part of the first NEAC crossover competition, Keuka fell to the Chargers in four sets, losing a back-and-forth match by scores of 23-25, 25-15, 21-25 and 21-25.

Senior Hannah Doody (Tully, NY/Tully), who along with classmate Rachael Perry (Nichols, NY/Tioga) has served as Keuka’s captains during the 2011 season, expects a different outcome when the two schools square off Friday night inside Penn State-Berks’ Beaver Community Center.

With Keuka needing to play well and win every match down the stretch to solidify its postseason chances, the Storm has been in playoff mode for much of the past month, a factor that Doody said will serve the Storm well in the NEAC tournament.

“Every game is do-or-die now,” said Tully, who recorded a season-best 36 digs during the loss to Lancaster Bible College.

“Every point, every ball that comes over the net is do-or-die, and we’re just going to give it our all because these are our last games. … We’re right where we wanted to be in the seedings for NEAC’s. We’re ready to face Lancaster Bible again, we’re pumped up for that. It was real close last time.”

If Keuka wins its quarterfinal matchup, the Storm gets to take on the NEAC’s top seed, Penn State-Berks (10-0 NEAC) at 11 a.m. on Saturday. No. 2 Gallaudet (9-1) and No. 3 SUNYIT (8-2) square off in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting up in the NEAC championship match at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

Whichever team captures the NEAC championship earns the conference’s automatic qualifying berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Chargers, who went 12-17 overall, have lost 11 of their last 12 matches and are led by a pair of All-NEAC players. Junior Lauren Heliger had 132 digs and 121 kills in 10 NEAC contests to earn a spot on the All-NEAC first-team while freshman Lauren Donato added 99 digs and 78 kills in NEAC play to garner second-team All-NEAC honors. Heliger totaled 441 digs and 354 kills and Donato added 286 digs and 215 kills for the season while Rachel Olson (113) and Brittney Becker (111) also surpassed 100 kills in the season.

Junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) led the Storm with 13 kills, Doody added 36 digs and sophomore Paige Golden (Kent, NY/Albion) added 24 digs and nine kills during the four-set loss to Lancaster Bible.

Freshman Devan Curtis (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente) chipped in 23 digs and nine kills, Perry added eight kills and setters Jill Nolan (Johnson City, NY/Maine-Endwell) and Amie Pizura (Prattsburgh, NY/Hammondsport) combined for 31 assists for the Storm during its previous loss to Lancaster Bible.

Keuka boasts four All-NEAC players: Golden earned first-team honors after leading the Storm in digs (392), kills (260) and service aces (43). Golden, who led the team with 2.89 kills per game and 4.36 digs per game, netted the NEAC’s Defensive Player of the Week award twice and earned two all-tournament team selections.

Smyder, the reigning NEAC Women’s Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week, led the Storm with 73 total blocks and was second in kills (250), kills per game (2.81) and aces (40) to garner second-team All-NEAC honors. Smyder posted double-digit kill totals in 10 matches, including a streak of six times in seven matches from Sept. 17-Oct. 2. Nine times she finished a match with a hitting percentage of .400 or better.

Doody, the NEAC’s Defensive Player of the Year, earned third-team All-NEAC honors after playing in 89 of a possible 94 games and was second on the Storm with 382 digs, an average of 4.29 digs per game. Doody was honored by the NEAC as its Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week once during the fall season.

Curtis, named to the third-team, was third in both kills (217), kills per game (2.44) and aces (30), and was fourth on the team in digs (201) and digs per game (2.26). Curtis recorded seven matches with 10-plus kills, including a career-high 13 kills during wins over Hilbert College on Sept. 10 and Alfred University on Sept. 22.

For Perry, the chance to compete one last time with her teammates, with a NEAC championship at stake, is a rewarding experience.

“This feels great to be in the tournament, we wanted to build up a winning streak heading into NEAC’s so we had some momentum going into the postseason,” Perry said. “We know what we have to do to beat Lancaster.”

Check back to www.KeukaStorm.com Friday night for a recap of the Storm’s NEAC quarterfinal match.

Senior Hannah Doody was one of four Keuka women's volleyball players to net All-Conference honors. Doody was named the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year in the NEAC (photo by Lauren Schreyack, Keuka College Sports Information Department).

Under first-year head coach Ben Guiliano, the Keuka College women’s volleyball team qualified for the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) postseason tournament and won 10 of its last 13 matches. The Storm (19-9 overall, 6-4 NEAC) also placed four on the year-ending All-NEAC teams and senior Hannah Doody (Tully, NY/Tully) was recognized as the inaugural NEAC Defensive Player of the Year, the NEAC announced Wednesday.

Sophomore Paige Golden (Kent, NY/Albion) was named to the first-team All-NEAC, junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) earned second-team All-NEAC while Doody and freshman Devan Curtis (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente) were selected to the third-team All-NEAC.

Doody played in 89 of a possible 94 games and was second on the Storm with 382 digs, an average of 4.29 digs per game. Doody, one of Keuka’s two captains, recorded 18 matches with double-digit digs, including a career-best 36 digs during a four-set loss to Lancaster Bible College on Sept. 18. She was honored by the NEAC as its Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week once during the fall season.

Golden earned two all-tournament team honors during the 2011 season and led the Storm in digs (392), kills (260) and service aces (43). Golden started the year strong, recording double-digit dig totals in 15 of Keuka’s first 16 matches, and she finished with six 20-plus dig performances, including a season-high 26 during a five-set win over Shenandoah University on Oct. 8. Golden, who led the team with 2.89 kills per game and 4.36 digs per game, netted the NEAC’s Defensive Player of the Week award twice, including for the week ending Oct. 3 when she recorded 58 digs, 34 kills, 12 service aces and 2 blocks as the Storm went 3-1. Nine times Golden posted a double-double in digs and kills, including a 20-dig, 17-kill effort during a four-set home win over Hilbert College on Sept. 10.

Smyder, the reigning NEAC Women’s Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week, led the Storm with 73 total blocks and was second in kills (250), kills per game (2.81) and aces (40). Smyder posted double-digit kill totals in 10 matches, including a streak of six times in seven matches from Sept. 17-Oct. 2. During a three-set sweep of Morrisville State on Oct. 1, Smyder had a season-high 16 kills with only three errors in 21 attempts for a .619 hitting percentage. Nine times she finished a match with a hitting percentage of .400 or better.

Curtis broke onto the Keuka scene and was an impact contributor from the first match. She was third in both kills (217), kills per game (2.44) and aces (30), and was fourth on the team in digs (201) and digs per game (2.26). Curtis recorded seven matches with 10-plus kills, including a career-high 13 kills during wins over Hilbert College on Sept. 10 and Alfred University on Sept. 22.

To view the entire All-NEAC teams, click here.

Brittany Smyder helped the Keuka women's volleyball team earn a spot in the NEAC tournament, and the junior was selected by the NEAC as its Women's Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week.

Junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) compiled 26 kills with only six errors on 52 total attempts (a .385 hitting percentage) as the Keuka College women’s volleyball team closed out the regular season with three wins and clinched a spot in the NEAC tournament.

After another consistent week’s worth of games, Smyder was selected as the North Eastern Athletic Conference’s (NEAC) Women’s Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week for the week ending Oct. 31.

Facing Cazenovia at home Wednesday night in a must-win game where the winner earned a spot in the NEAC tournament and the loser’s season was finished, Smyder delivered with eight kills and a .412 hitting percentage as the Storm swept Cazenovia by a score of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-19. With the win, Keuka secured the fifth and final NEAC playoff spot.

Smyder added 8 kills, 6 service aces 5 total blocks during a three-set sweep of Utica and had 10 kills with only one error in 17 attempts (.529 hitting percentage) with 3 aces and 3 solo blocks during a three-set sweep of Morrisville State Saturday on Senior Day.

Smyder currently leads the Storm in total blocks (73) and is second in kills (250) and service aces (40).

The Keuka College women's volleyball team picked up wins over Utica College and Morrisville State Saturday on Senior Day.

UTICA BOXSCORE
MORRISVILLE BOX

The Keuka College women’s volleyball team wrapped up the regular season with a pair of three-set sweeps on Senior Day as the Storm (19-9 overall) swept Utica College and Morrisville State Saturday afternoon inside the Weed Physical Arts Center.

Freshman Devan Curtis (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente) and junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) each had eight kills while Smyder added a season-high six aces as the Storm swept Utica 25-16, 25-6 and 25-17.

Senior Rachael Perry (Nichols, NY/Tioga) added 7 digs, 3.5 blocks and 3 kills while sophomore Taylor Smith (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) had 13 digs and senior Hannah Doody (Tully, NY/Tully) added nine digs for the Storm. Sophomore Paige Golden (Kent, NY/Albion) chipped in with eight digs and five kills and sophomore Rachel Parker (Chaumont, NY/Thousand Islands) added 13 digs in Keuka’s win over the Pioneers (2-31).

In the nightcap, the Storm rolled past Morrisville State (4-24) by scores of 25-10, 25-12 and 25-11. Smyder recorded 10 kills with only one error on 17 attempts (a .529 hitting percentage) and added 3 blocks and a dig while Golden added 6 kills, 5 digs and 3 aces for the Storm. Perry and Curtis each had five kills while Perry added four digs and freshman Shante Paulo (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) had six kills and two digs as Keuka picked up its 15th three-set sweep of the season.

Keuka, which finished 6-4 in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) to earn the fifth seed, will play No. 4 Lancaster Bible College (7-3 NEAC) in the NEAC quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday night. The winner of that quarterfinal takes on the No. 1 seed, Penn State Berks (10-0 NEAC), in the semifinals at 11 a.m. on Nov. 5. Gallaudet (9-1) and SUNYIT (8-2) square off in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting up in the NEAC championship match, at 3 p.m. on Nov. 5.

The winner of the NEAC’s postseason tournament earns the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.

Paige Golden (No. 4) recorded 20 digs with nine kills as Keuka's women's volleyball team earned a spot in the NEAC tournament with a sweep of Cazenovia College Wednesday night.

BOXSCORE

With its 2011 postseason dreams coming down to one match, the Keuka College women’s volleyball team responded with an all-around solid effort and swept Cazenovia College to earn the fifth and final playoff spot in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) tournament.

Sophomore Paige Golden (Kent, NY/Albion) had nine kills and 20 digs, her sixth match with 20-plus digs, and junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) added eight kills and just one error on 17 attempts (a .412 hitting percentage) as the host Storm (17-9, 6-4 NEAC) defeated Cazenovia by a score of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-19 Wednesday night inside the Weed Physical Arts Center.

In a win-or-go-home match versus the Wildcats (10-16, 5-5 NEAC), freshman Devan Curtis (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente) added eight kills and two solo blocks, sophomore Taylor Smith (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) had 12 digs and classmate Jill Nolan (Johnson City, NY/Maine-Endwell) added 30 assists as Keuka picked up its 13th three-set sweep of the season.

Freshman Danielle Alred (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) finished with 4 kills, 3.5 total blocks and 3 digs for the Storm, which will face fourth-seeded Lancaster Bible College (12-16, 7-3 NEAC) at 6 p.m. Nov. 4 in the quarterfinals of the NEAC tournament.

“I thought our execution was great tonight and I thought it was good that we were switching up hitters and not just going outside, but we ran a lot of back sets which I thought really worked against their blockers, tiring them out,” said senior Hannah Doody (Tully, NY/Tully), who added eight digs in the win.

“We tried siding out at every point to get the win. If we gave them a point, we tried to side out and get the point back on the next play instead of letting them go on a run.”

In a back-and-forth first set, Keuka trailed by three points several times in the early going but found itself tied at 19-all on a big block from Smyder. With Smyder serving, the Storm closed out the set on a 6-0 run, aided by kills from Curtis and Alred, and an ace from Smyder.

Keuka once again trailed in the early portion of the second set as Cazenovia jumped out to a 9-5 lead before a Curtis kill swung the momentum back towards the Storm. With Nolan serving, Keuka went on a 7-0 run to take a 12-9 lead. The Wildcats pulled even at 15 before Perry won four straight service points to take a 19-15 lead on a Golden kill, and Curtis and Golden added big kills down the stretch as the Storm won the second set.

During a see-saw third set, neither team led by more than three points until Nolan won a service point to put the Storm up 12-8. The teams traded points before Cazenovia went on a mini-run to claw within 20-18 before Curtis delivered a punishing kill for a 21-18 lead. Curtis added a kill for a 23-18 lead and served up the winning point on match point to clinch Keuka’s sixth straight NEAC tournament appearance.

Last year, Keuka, the NEAC’s No. 1 seed, fell to Penn State-Berks in a five-set match in the semifinals.

“We had some momentum heading into tonight’s match. We knew what we had to do, we played our game, played our defense and hit really well tonight,” said senior Rachael Perry (Nichols, NY/Tioga), who had four digs and one kill for the Storm.

“This feels great to be in the tournament, we still have some big games to play this weekend that we want to win, so we want to build up a winning streak going into the tournament, and we know what we have to do to beat Lancaster.”

The NEAC tournament runs Nov. 4-5 at top seeded Penn State-Berks (18-6, 10-0 NEAC). The top five teams in the 13-team NEAC qualify for postseason play. Gallaudet University (24-6, 9-1) earned the second seed, followed by SUNYIT (19-12, 8-2) and Lancaster Bible College.

Whoever wins between Keuka and Lancaster Bible College earns the right to face top-seed Berks in the semifinals at 11 a.m. on Nov. 5. Gallaudet and SUNYIT will meet at 11 a.m. Nov. 5 in the other semifinal, with the NEAC championship match taking place at 3 p.m. Nov. 5.

The winner of the NEAC postseason tournament earns the conference’s automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Division III tournament.

“Every game is do-or-die now,” Doody said. “Every point, every ball that comes over the net is do-or-die, and we’re just going to give it our all because these are our last games.”

Before Keuka competes in the NEAC tournament, it will wrap up the regular season with two matches on Saturday. The Storm hosts Utica College at 11 a.m. before taking on Morrisville State at 3 p.m. on Senior Day.

Sophomore Paige Golden, center, earned her second all-tournaent team honors of the year after the Keuka women's volleyball team finished up 2-2 at the annual Continental Classic at Hamilton College.

HAMILTON BOXSCORE

Keuka College’s women’s volleyball team picked up another split on day two of the Continental Classic, held Saturday at Hamilton College, as the Storm finished with a 2-2 record at the two-day competition.

Keuka (16-9 overall) swept SUNY Cobleskill in three sets before falling to host Hamilton College in four sets inside the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.

The Storm defeated SUNY Cobleskill (8-20) by scores of 25-14, 25-12, 25-19. In the second match, Hamilton (16-10) claimed a back-and-forth first set 28-26, Keuka pulled even in the second, prevailing 25-23 before Hamilton closed out the match by winning both the third and fourth sets 25-13.

Sophomore Paige Golden (Kent, NY/Albion) continued her consistent season and earned her second All-Tournament team selection. Over the four matches, Golden compiled 48 kills (an average of 3.69 kills per game) and posted her fifth 20-plus dig match of the year when she led the Storm with 22 digs during Saturday’s loss to Hamilton College.

Golden finished with 15 kills while freshman Devan Curtis (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente) added 10 kills and four aces during the Storm’s win over Cobleskill. Sophomore Taylor Smith (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) added 17 digs, senior Hannah Doody (Tully, NY/Tully) had 13 digs and sophomore Jill Nolan (Johnson City, NY/Maine-Endwell) finished with 21 assists for the Storm, which posted its 12th three-set sweep of the year.

Sophomore Rachel Parker (Chaumont, NY/Thousand Islands) added eight assists and classmate Gina Ferruzza (Penfield, NY/Webster Schroeder) had two blocks as Keuka improved to 6-0 against Cobleskill .

Facing the red-hot Hamilton Continentals, who entered with a five-match winning streak, Golden had 15 kills, Curtis and junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) each added nine kills while Smith had a career-high 28 digs. Golden added 22 digs, Smyder finished with five blocks and sophomore Amie Pizura (Prattsburgh, NY/Hammondsport) served up 27 assists for the Storm.

“At times today it was our best effort of the year,” said Ben Guiliano, Keuka’s first-year head coach.

On Friday, Keuka swept Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts before falling in three sets to Trinity (Conn.) College in the night match.

Smyder recorded 13 kills with six blocks, Golden added nine kills and nine digs, Doody had 13 kills and Nolan chipped in with 33 assists as Keuka won by scores of 25-13, 25-19 and 25-10.

Against Trinity, Golden and Smyder each had nine kills, Pizura added 25 assists while Smith contributed 16 digs for the Storm, which lost 25-17, 25-16 and 25-16.

The Storm continues its march to a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) postseason tournament berth with a crucial 7 p.m. home match Wednesday night against NEAC rival Cazenovia College. The NEAC tournament runs Nov. 4-5 at top seeded Penn State-Berks (18-6, 10-0 NEAC). The top five teams in the 13-team NEAC qualify for postseason play, and for Keuka its playoff hopes hinge on securing a win over Cazenovia. Both Keuka and Cazenovia are 5-4 and tied for fifth in the NEAC standings, so the winner of Wednesday night’s showdown will earn the fifth and final playoff berth.

“Our players understand the importance of the game. We’ll be focused on having a couple good practices prior,” Guiliano said of the team’s mentality heading into the match with Cazenovia.

“Right now we are executing the fundamentals of our system. We’re prepared to compete.”

Gallaudet University (24-6, 9-1) earned the second seed, followed by SUNYIT (19-12, 8-2) and Lancaster Bible College (12-14, 7-3). The winner of Keuka/Cazenovia will face fourth-seeded Lancaster Bible at 6 p.m. Nov. 4 in the quarterfinals, and the winner of that match earns the right to face top-seed Berks in the semifinals at 11 a.m. on Nov. 5.

Gallaudet and SUNYIT will meet at 11 a.m. Nov. 5 in the other semifinal, with the NEAC championship match taking place at 3 p.m. Nov. 5. The winner of the NEAC postseason tournament earns the conference’s automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Division III tournament.

Brittany Smyder and the Keuka College women's volleyball team earned its second 2-1 finish during this weekend's NEAC crossover competition. Keuka swept Penn State-Abington and Penn State-Harrisburg and fell to Gallaudet University.

ABINGTON BOXSCORE
GALLAUDET BOXSCORE
HARRISBURG BOXSCORE

The Keuka College women’s volleyball team traveled to Penn State-Harrisburg to compete in another North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) crossover competition, and for the second time during the 2011 season, the Storm emerged with a successful 2-1 mark during crossover play.

Keuka (14-7 overall, 5-4 NEAC) swept Penn State-Abington in three sets and got swept by Gallaudet University in three sets on Saturday before recording a three-set sweep of Penn State-Harrisburg on Sunday.

On Saturday, Keuka defeated Penn State-Abington in three sets, winning by scores of 25-7, 25-8 and 25-12. Junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) recorded nine kills with just two errors on 15 attempts for a .467 hitting percentage. Sophomore Paige Golden (Kent, NY/Albion) added six digs and five kills, senior Rachael Perry (Nichols, NY/Tioga) had five digs and three kills and sophomore Amie Pizura (Prattsburgh, NY/Hammondsport) added a match-high 25 assists in the win.

Against Gallaudet, Keuka fell by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-19. Smyder recorded 7 kills with 4 digs and 1.5 blocks, Golden added 10 digs and five kills, senior Hannah Doody (Tully, NY/Tully) chipped in with 13 digs while Perry had nine digs and sophomore Taylor Smith (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) added eight digs for the Storm.

During Sunday’s match, the Storm had no trouble against Penn State-Harrisburg, routing the Lions by scores of 25-9, 25-13 and 25-16. Smyder had another big performance, getting 13 kills with only one error on 23 assists for a .522 hitting percentage.

Freshman Devan Curtis (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente) added 12 kills with three errors on 25 attempts (.360 hitting percentage) with four digs while Golden added 12 digs and nine kills for Keuka. Pizura added a career-high 34 assists with nine digs while Perry (nine digs) and Smith (eight) combined for 17 digs and freshman Danielle Alred (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) had five service aces for the Storm.

Keuka will travel to Hamilton College for the annual Hamilton Classic Oct. 21-22. Keuka will face Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts at 4:30 p.m. and Trinity College at 6:30 p.m. on Friday before taking on SUNY Cobleskill at 10:30 am and host Hamilton at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.