Jacksonville, Fla. ? The Stetson volleyball team (5-23, 2-18 Atlantic Sun) wrapped up a long and difficult 2008 season in the best way possible Saturday afternoon, defeating conference rival North Florida on the road in four sets. Senior outside hitter Rebecca Orzechowicz (Miami, Fla.) recorded 11 kills and 18 digs while senior libero Melanie Boyer (New Holland, Ill.) led all players with 21 digs in their final career matches. Set scores were 25-21, 25-20, 18-25, 25-22.
In the course of today's victory, Orzechowicz moved past Tina Voss '92 and finished her Stetson career in second place on the school's career dig list with 1,094. She also ended up seventh in career kills with 1,114 and is one of only five players in Hatter history to reach 1,000 in both categories. Today's match marked her 106th appearance in a Hatter uniform, tying the school record set by Tanya Roe in 1996. Boyer completed her two-year tenure with Stetson with 589 career digs, coming up just one shy of having 300 this season.
Sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Canfield (Panama City, Fla.) registered 11 kills in today's match for Stetson while freshman setter Jennica Hagberg (Niceville, Fla.) notched another double-double with 29 assists and 17 digs. Hagberg tallied 12 double-doubles in her rookie year. Freshman middle blocker Sam Freeman (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) was a force up front for the Hatters in the victory, collecting five kills without an error, hitting a team-high .333 and recording eight blocks. Stetson pounded out 15.5 team blocks to UNF's 5.0 in the match. The Hatters hit .200 as a team and raised their record to 4-1 when hitting at a .200 or higher clip.
Kaley Read led four Lady Ospreys in double figures with 14 kills, adding 19 digs, four aces and three blocks. Julie Fye had 50 assists and 11 digs while Lizzy Manno notched 18 digs. North Florida fell to 11-16 overall and 9-11 in the A-Sun.
Hagberg and Freeman are part of a cast of eight letterwinners scheduled to return in 2009. Junior middle blocker Laura Boyd (La Crescenta, Calif.), who paced the team with 76 blocks and whose 154 kills will lead all returners, Canfield and freshman outside hitter Kaylee Ream (Venice, Fla.), who racked up a team-high 23 service aces, will all be back next season for the Hatters.
