University of Albany's Karlijn van Dijsseldonk Chosen America East Field Hockey Rookie of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2011

Cambridge, Mass. - University at Albany's Karlijn van Dijsseldonk was named America East Conference Rookie of the Week in field hockey, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

In the season opening 5-0 win over Robert Morris, van Dijsseldonk notched her first career goal just after the second half began. The goal came off a pass just inside the arc through the middle, van Dijsseldonk sent the blast into the left side of the cage. She also registered two shots in the match as a starter.

A native of Eindhoven, Netherlands, van Dijsseldonk was a member of the national league team and played in several international competitions

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

University of Albany's Chrissy Klepper Named America East Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2011

Cambridge, Mass. - Senior midfielder Chrissy Klepper was named the America East Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.

Klepper, a team captain, was instrumental in leading UAlbany to a 3-2 overtime victory against Sacred Heart in the 2011 season opener for the Great Danes on Friday afternoon. Klepper set up the Great Danes' second goal of the day, passing the ball off to sophomore Aubrey VanGorder who found the back of the net to put UAlbany up, 2-0. In the overtime period, Klepper took a long pass from Rebecca Lee and redirected it into the left side of the goal with just 18 seconds remaining on the clock, giving the Great Danes the sudden victory. The goal was the fifth of Klepper's career.

Courtesy: UAlbany Athletics

University of Albany's Christina Patrick Leads Field Hockey to Victory Over Robert Morris in Opener - UAlbany Sports 2011

Spring City, Pa. - Senior forward Christina Patrick scored one goal and recorded two assists to lead UAlbany to a 5-0 win over Robert Morris in the first game of the 2011 season on Saturday afternoon at The Training Center.

Daphne Voormolen started off the scoring for the Great Danes, tallying the game's first goal just 4:15 into play. The sophomore forward converted the unassisted goal with a reverse stick shot from just inside the left side of the circle. Patrick doubled the score before halftime, poking the ball into the cage after a penalty corner attempt in the 33rd minute.

Freshman Karlijn Dijsseldonk scored her first collegiate goal to kick off the second half, taking an assist from Patrick at 43:21. Patrick, who inserts the ball on UAlbany's penalty corners, notched her second helper of the day in the 54th minute, assisting Corrine McConnville, along with Katharina Helling for the Great Danes' fourth tally. Amy Nicklin wrapped up the scoring just over a minute later on an unassisted goal.

UAlbany outshot Robert Morris, 17-0, and held an 8-1 advantage on penalty corners. Erin McKenzie and Paige Neat split time in the cage for the Colonials, making three and two saves, respectively. Kristi Troch went the distance in the cage for the Great Danes, playing all 70 minutes without having to make a save.

UAlbany (1-0) will return to action on Wednesday, Aug. 31, hosting Stanford to open up the home season at Alumni Turf Field at 5 p.m.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

University of Albany Women's Soccer Defeats Sacred Heart 3-2 in Overtime - UAlbany Sports 2011

Albany, N.Y. - Senior Chrissy Klepper took a long pass from Rebecca Lee and redirected it into the left side of the goal with 18 seconds remaining in overtime to give UAlbany a 3-2 victory in the first women's soccer game of 2011, on Friday afternoon at Varsity Field.

The Great Danes scored two early goals in the first half. Sophomore Aubrey VanGorder tallied her first goal of the game just over five minutes into play, collecting a failed clear by the Sacred Heart goalkeeper and finding the back of the net. Van Gorder added her second tally of the day five minutes later, taking a pass from Klepper into the box, and putting a shot over the keepers head into the right side of the goal.

Sacred Heart responded in the 17th minute, getting an unassisted goal by Ashley Moore to cut the Pioneers' deficit to one. Amanda Stiles tied the game at 2-2 with just 45 seconds left in regulation, as Maggie O'Callaghan connected with Stiles on a corner kick that slipped past UAlbany goalkeeper Dani Britt.

The teams battled through most of the overtime until Lee found Klepper wide open up the field. Klepper collected the pass and redirected the ball past Sacred Heart's Talia Schwartz to give the Great Danes the sudden victory.

UAlbany outshot Sacred Heart, 22-8, while the Pioneers recorded an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks. Sydney Judkins, who started in net, made two saves, while Schwartz played the remainder of the game between the pipes, also stopping two shots for Sacred Heart (0-1). Britt went the distance for UAlbany, making three saves in goal.

UAlbany (1-0) was scheduled to return to action on Sunday at Rhode Island, but that game has been postponed due to Hurricane Irene. Rescheduling information for that game can be found on www.ualbanysports.com. The Great Danes' next scheduled match is Friday, Sept. 2 at St. John's.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

UAlbany Announces 2011-12 Basketball Non-League Schedule; Women Travel to Iowa & Florida

Albany, N.Y. - University at Albany Vice President and Director of Athletics Lee McElroy announced on Thursday, Aug. 25 the school's women's basketball non-conference schedule for the 2011-12 season. The team will host five non-conference opponents at SEFCU Arena in the early part of the season, while also making trips to Iowa, Ohio and Miami, Fla. as a participant in a tournament hosted by Florida International.

The Great Danes open up the season on Nov. 11, visiting Fordham. The home slate begins on Sunday, Nov. 13, welcoming LaSalle to the 4,538-seat SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes then embark on a three-game road swing, venturing to Iowa City on Wed., Nov. 16, for a match up with Big Ten Conference opponent Iowa before visiting Brown in Providence, R.I. on Sat., Nov. 19. UAlbany wraps up the swing with a trip to Toledo on Nov. 22. The Great Danes return to their home court on Sun., Nov. 27, hosting St. Francis (N.Y.) and finish off the month of November with a contest at Long Island on the 30th.

UAlbany takes the short drive to downtown Albany's Times Union Center on Dec. 3 to take on crosstown-rival Siena. Two straight home games follow, as the Great Danes host Niagara (Dec. 6) and Sacred Heart (Dec. 18) in return games from last season's schedule. Before breaking for the holidays, UAlbany will visit Canisius on Dec. 22. The Great Danes will close out 2011 portion of the schedule at Florida International's Sun and Fun Classic, where they will face off against the host Panthers on Dec. 29 and either Auburn or Charlotte on Dec. 30.

Head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson returns all-conference performers Ebone Henry and Julie Forster from a team that finished the 2010-11 campaign with a record of 16-14, capping the highest win total in 14 years and the most in its Division I history. Nine of these wins were achieved during America East Conference play, another record number for the program. Henry, an America East Conference first-team member, was the league's defensive player of the year after finishing third in the conference in scoring, averaging 14.4 points a game, and second in the conference in steals with 2.6 per game. Forster led the America East Conference in rebounds, averaging 9.8 boards a game, and was ranked as high as 15th nationally in that category.

Courtesy: UAlbany Athletics

UAlbany Chosen First in 2011 America East Conference Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll

Cambridge, Mass. - University at Albany, the defending America East Conference regular-season and tournament champion, has been chosen first in the 2011 Preseason Poll, as announced on Thursday, Aug. 18 by the league office. The Great Danes, who claimed their fifth title in the last seven years a year ago, earned three first-place votes and 33 total points, just edging out last season's runner-up UMBC, who also garnered three first-place votes and 31 points.

Binghamton took home the final first-place nod to earn the third position in the poll with 25 points, followed by Stony Brook in fourth with 23 points. New Hampshire (15 points), Hartford (14 points) and Providence (6 points) rounded out the seven-team poll.

UAlbany finished 22-9 overall last season with a 10-2 record in conference play, plus advanced to NCAA Tournament play. The Great Danes lost 2010 Player of the Year Teresa Coppiellie, but return the previous season's Player and Setter of the Year Brooke Stanley, who will return to the court after missing all of last season with a knee injury. Senior middle blocker and all-conference first-team member Casey Wright is also back after leading the America East with a .344 hitting percentage while averaging 3.30 kills and 1.04 blocks per set. Three-time Defensive Specialist of the Year Laurie Gonzalez, a preseason COBRA All-America selection, averaged a league-high 5.16 digs per set last fall.

The top four teams during the regular season will compete at the 2011 America East Volleyball Championship on either November 18-19 or 19-20 at the top seed's home court. The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship.

UAlbany will kick off the 2011 season on Friday, Aug. 26 at the Florida State Invitational with matches against Kentucky, Tulsa and the host school.

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2011 America East Conference Preseason Volleyball Poll
1. UAlbany (3), 33 points
2. UMBC (3), 31 points
3. Binghamton (1), 25 points
4. Stony Brook, 23 points
5. New Hampshire, 15 points
6. Hartford, 14 points
7. Providence, 6 points
first-place votes in parentheses


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

UAlbany, Defending America East Champions Ranked 17th in Kookaburra/NFHCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll 2011

Albany, N.Y. - University at Albany has been ranked in the 2011 preseason Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, as announced on Tuesday by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. The Great Danes are No. 17 in the poll.

UAlbany will look to its two seniors, Christina Patrick and Erin Crosson, and seven other returnees to lead a large group of newcomers in the 2011 season. Patrick led the team in scoring (16 goals and 9 assists) and Crosson was a strong back for the Great Danes' defense. Among the returning are last season's America East Conference Rookie of the Year Corrine McConville and Goalkeeper of the Year Kristi Troch.

Added to the roster are graduate student Katharina Helling from Germany and Michigan State transfer Chantae Miller, both of whom will add to the offense. Having a rich history with Lehighton High School in Pennsylvania, this year's squad added two more graduates, midfielders Echo Bretz and Jordan Homyak, each coming off strong careers. International students, Karlijn van Dijsseldonk and Amy Nicklin, along with Alyssa Brand and Chloe Pachuilo are expected to contribute as well.

The season officially begins this coming Saturday, Aug. 27, as UAlbany meets Robert Morris for a 1:00 p.m. start in Spring City, Pa. The home opener will take place at Alumni Turf Field on Wednesday, Aug. 31 as the Great Danes host Stanford, ranked No. 20 in the NFHCA preseason poll.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Basketball Announces Non-League Schedule; Pittsburgh & Maryland Among Opponents

Albany, N.Y. - University at Albany Vice President and Director of Athletics Lee McElroy announced on Wednesday, Aug. 17 the school's men's basketball non-conference schedule for the 2011-12 season. Pittsburgh, last year's Big East Conference regular-season champion, and Atlantic Coast Conference member Maryland top the list of opponents. UAlbany plays in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off, beginning with the opening two rounds on Nov. 14-15.

The Great Danes will start their schedule on the road against a Big East Conference team for the third time in the last four years with a matchup at Pittsburgh on Friday, Nov. 11. The Panthers made their 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance last year, advancing to the third round and finishing with a 28-6 record. Head coach Jamie Dixon has an All-Big East guard returning in Ashton Gibbs, who averaged 16.8 points per game. UAlbany travels to the 12,508-seat Petersen Events Center for the second time, having previously played there on Nov. 28, 2003.

UAlbany meets an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent for the fifth time in the last six seasons with a trip to Maryland's Comcast Center, a 17,950-seat facility. The Terrapins, who posted a 19-14 record last year, have a new coach. Mark Turgeon, who previously coached at Texas A&M, has led three Division I programs to a combined 250 wins and five NCAA tournaments. Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin was a member of the 2011 All-ACC Freshmen Team. The Great Danes previously played ACC members Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke and Virginia.

In the NIT Season-Tip-Off, UAlbany faces Ivy League member Brown in the opening round on Monday, Nov. 14 as part of a doubleheader at Syracuse's Carrier Dome. The Orange, who twice has won the NIT Season Tip-Off, tangles with Manhattan, of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, in the other contest. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim led last year's squad to a 27-win campaign and the SU program to the NCAAs for the 34th time.

In the first-ever meeting between the teams, the Great Danes open their home schedule against Navy on Friday, Nov. 25. Former Penn State mentor Ed DeChellis has taken over the reins of the Midshipmen's program. UAlbany returns to SEFCU Arena two days later against Fairleigh Dickinson.

In addition to those two games, UAlbany has home dates against Colgate (Dec. 7) and Dartmouth (Dec. 23). The Great Danes and Colgate, of the Patriot League, are meeting for the second year in a row. The Big Green last traveled to the Capital Region on Dec. 30, 2004.

UAlbany and Siena will continue their crosstown-rivalry on Monday, Dec. 5 at Times Union Center in the 51st meeting. The two teams are tangling for the 11th time as Division I programs. UAlbany also travels to Cornell (Dec. 17), St. Francis, N.Y. (Dec. 19) and Mount St. Mary's (Dec. 31).

UAlbany coach Will Brown returns four starters from last year's squad. Logan Aronhalt and Mike Black, a pair of All-America East Conference guards, each scored in double figures. Luke Devlin, who led the team in rebounding, was voted to the conference all-rookie team. Blake Metcalf, a 6-foot-9 junior, and John Puk, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, bolster the baseline.

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2011-12 UAlbany Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Nov. 11 (Fri.), at Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Nov. 14 (Mon.), Brown, Syracuse, N.Y. (NIT Season Tip-Off)
Nov. 15 (Tue.), Syracuse or Manhattan, Syracuse, N.Y. (NIT Season Tip-Off)
Nov. 21-23, Consolation or Championship Rounds (NIT Season Tip-Off)
Nov. 25 (Fri.), Navy, SEFCU Arena
Nov. 27 (Sun.), Fairleigh Dickinson, SEFCU Arena
Dec. 5 (Mon.), at Siena, Albany, N.Y.
Dec. 7 (Wed.), Colgate, SEFCU Arena
Dec. 17 (Sat.), at Cornell, Ithaca, N.Y.
Dec. 19 (Mon.), at St. Francis, N.Y., Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.
Dec. 23 (Fri.), Dartmouth, SEFCU Arena
Dec. 28 (Wed.), at Maryland, College Park, Md.
Dec. 31 (Sat.), at Mount St. Mary's, Emmitsburg, Md.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

UAlbany Chosen to Finish Second in America East Conference Preseason Field Hockey Poll

Cambridge, Mass. - University at Albany, the defending America East Conference champions, have been voted to finish second in the 2011 league standings as announced on Tuesday, Aug. 16 by the conference office. Despite receiving two of the five possible first-place votes, the Great Danes (21 points) were just two points behind the Terriers of Boston University, who garnered three first-place votes in the America East Preseason Field Hockey Poll.

Tied for third with 16 points are University of Maine and University of New Hampshire. The Wildcats, who captured last year's regular-season champion title, received the last first-place vote. Fairfield University and University of Vermont are tied at a fifth place finish with seven points each, completing the six-team poll.

The top-finishing team in the regular season will host the 2011 America East Field Hockey Championship on November 4 and 6. The league's top four teams will compete for the tournament title with an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship on the line.

Courtesy: UAlbany Athletics

Football Picked Fourth in NEC Poll; Three Great Danes on Preseason All-Conference Team

Somerset, N.J. - According to a preseason poll of Northeast Conference head football coaches, the University at Albany has been chosen to finish fourth in the 2011 standings. Central Connecticut State was selected to capture the NEC championship with five first-place votes. Duquesne had two first-place votes and was picked second, while defending champion Robert Morris took third in the poll. The results were announced during Wednesday's NEC media teleconference (Aug. 3).

"If you can't run the ball and can't stop the run, you will not be playing in December," offers head coach Bob Ford, the active NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) leader with 247 career victories. "We have an opportunity to make a run at the title. This will be a better football team."

The Great Danes, who have won or shared four NEC championships since 2002, have 14 starters, including seven on offense and seven on defense, returning. UAlbany finished with a 6-5 record last season to establish a program record with its fifth consecutive winning campaign.

The Northeast Conference champion will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. In 2010, the FCS playoff field was expanded from 16 to 20 teams. This season's national championship with be played in Frisco, Texas on Jan. 7, 2012.

In addition, UAlbany's Eddie Delaney, Ryan Kirchner and Paul Layton were voted to the NEC preseason all-conference squad. Delaney, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound defensive end from Holtsville, N.Y., was named to the all-conference second team for the second time in his career as a junior. He totaled 41 tackles, including 4.5 hits for a loss last year. Kirchner, a junior wide receiver from Rumson, N.J., had 50 receptions, the fifth-best mark in program annals, for 504 yard and one touchdown. He also averaged 10.4 yards per punt return. Layton, a sophomore punter from Burnt Hills, N.Y., averaged 40.1 yards per attempt last fall and ranked 31st among the FCS national leaders. He had 12 punts of 50 yards or longer.

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2011 Northeast Conference Football Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Connecticut State (5), 2. Duquesne (2), 3. Robert Morris (1), 4. Albany. 5. Bryant (1), 6. Monmouth, 7. Wagner, 8. Sacred Heart, 9. Saint Francis, Pa. ( ) - first-place votes.

Paw Prints: UAlbany's Herb Glass is one of 15 Division I FCS placekickers who have been nominated for the Fred Mitchell Award ... the Mitchell Award honors those kickers who have combined excellence on the field with community service ... Glass, a senior from Miller Place, N.Y., is among the school's all-time scorers with 164 points and is second in career field goals (26) ... UAlbany opponents Colgate, Central Connecticut State and Robert Morris are receiving votes in the College Sporting News 2011 Preseason Top 25 ... the FCS national championship game will be televised by ESPN2 on Jan. 7, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information