Stockton University Athletics

Ospreys Reclaimed NJAC Title & Reached NCAA Second Round

Volleyball | 12/10/2019 1:58:00 PM

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The Stockton volleyball team had a remarkable 2019 season, winning 31 matches, including a 23-match winning streak, and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Allison Walker, the NJAC Coach of the Year for the sixth time, guided a team with just two seniors to the school's 15th NJAC title and 13th NCAA Tournament berth.
 
The Ospreys came within one win of the school record of 32 victories. They led the NJAC in hitting percentage, kills and assists while placing second in blocks. Stockton also ranked seventh in NCAA Division III in winning percentage, 13th in kills, 15th in assists, 25th in hitting percentage and 26th in blocks.
 
Five players were selected NJAC all-conference, led by NJAC First Team selections Julie Kohlhoff and Emily Sullivan. Kohlhoff and Sullivan also were named ACVA All-America Honorable Mention and All-Northeast Region.
 
Kohlhoff, a junior, led the league in hitting percentage with a .408 mark that ranked seventh in Division III. A two-time NJAC Player of the Week, she ranked second in the conference with 105 blocks and fourth with an average of 0.79 blocks per set.
 
Sullivan set career highs in hitting percentage (.347, 4th in NJAC), assists (1,231, 9.19 aps, 3rd in NJAC), kills (202), digs (340) and blocks (54). A three-time NJAC Player of the Week, the setter also finished 12th in the nation in total assists and was one of 25 players in Division III to record multiple triple-doubles.
 
Sullivan's 1,231 assists were the sixth-highest season total in school history She moved into fourth all-time at Stockton with 2,860 career assists and seventh with 200 career aces.
 
Juniors Sarah Walsh and Charlotte Leon were selected to the NJAC Second Team while senior Natalie Miller ended her brilliant career with an NJAC Honorable Mention nod for her third all-conference accolade.
 
Walsh played well after missing 2018 with an injury, spiking 183 kills, scooping 69 digs and blocking 25 attempts while playing in just 18 matches due to a variety of ailments. An NJAC Player of the Week honoree once this season, the junior banged out a season-high 19 kills in each of her first two matches of the season.
 
Leon earned her first all-conference nod with an outstanding season. She averaged 2.55 kills per set while spiking a career-best 286 kills overall, second on the team, and adding 46 blocks. Leon smacked a career-high 24 kills against Springfield this season.
 
Miller led the back row with 544 digs, ranking third in the league, and averaged 4.39 digs per set (6th in NJAC) while also dishing 102 assists. She was named NJAC Defensive Player of the Week once this year and finished her career with 1,770 digs, ranking fourth all-time at Stockton.
 
The depth of the Ospreys was evident as Franceska Gustave finished third in the NJAC in blocks (80) and eighth in blocks per set (0.71) while also spiking 113 kills. Jocelyn Holobetz finished her career on a strong note with 138 kills, including 12 kills in the NCAA first round match against Penn State-Behrend to tie her career high.
 
Christie Louer showed her versatility with 59 aces, second in the NJAC, plus 322 digs and 145 kills. Sophia Marziello totaled 317 digs and 41 aces and earned one NJAC Defensive Player of the Week award this season.
 
Haley Green chipped in with 133 kills, with Caity Ullmer contributing 87 digs and 30 blocks. Grace Brandt added to the back row with 204 digs while sister Alice Brandt grabbed 104 digs and served 25 aces. Miller and Holobetz were the only seniors on the team, which means that Stockton could return 11 of its top 13 players next season as try to defend their NJAC title and return to the NCAA Tournament.