Teams: Women's Soccer: Press Releases

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

VOLLEYBALL CAPTAIN KATIE WYSHAM VOTED TO ALL-NEWVA SECOND TEAM

MEDFORD -- Senior captain Katie Wysham (Spokane, WA/St. George's School) of the Tufts volleyball team, one of the best blockers in the nation, was named to the 2007 New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) All-New England second team recently. By virtue of the vote, she was deemed one of the top 10 players in New England this fall.

Opposing offenses would have no qualms with that. Wysham was a pillar of power at the net for Tufts on defense this fall. Her 1.56 blocks per game was ranked sixth in the country according to the NCAA Division III Statistics as of October 21. The NCAA releases the volleyball stats every two weeks, so the latest rankings are due soon.  Wysham's average has moved up to 1.59 in the two weeks since the last release.

Wysham's 153 total blocks lead the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) by a wide margin. Middlebury College's Whitney Bean ranks second with 104 total blocks. Amherst and Williams still have matches remaining in the NCAA Tournament, but it's safe to say that Wysham will be the league's leading blocker in the end.

Her best match of the season came against Wellesley College when she recorded nine blocks (seven solo) in five games. one of Tufts' best victories of the season. Four times she recorded eight blocks in a match. During the Tufts Invitational on September 28, she produced the highlight of her volleyball career with four consecutive blocks on the same play against Elizabethtown.

Limited offensively at the net due to a shoulder injury this fall, she was still 14th in the NESCAC with a .256 hitting percentage (237 kills). She was also an effective server, racking up 23 service aces for fourth on the team.

Tufts finished fourth in the NESCAC with a 7-3 record this fall. The Jumbos had a 19-13 final record after starting 8-11. They won 11 out of 12 matches late in teh season before losing to Williams College in the semi-final round of the conference tournament. Wysham was unavailable for the NESCAC Tournament after injuring her self on Thursday prior to the start of the tournament.

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