ELMIRA, NY– Elmira College Head Volleyball Coach
Rhonda Faunce won her 400
th career game at the helm of the Soaring Eagles on
Saturday afternoon. Elmira defeated Hamilton 21-30,
30-25, 27-30, 30-24, and 15-12 to give
Faunce the milestone victory.
Jess Mezei '07 recorded a total of 19 kills and 36
digs in the game. Fourth year middle hitter
Jackie Clark '07 led the team in kills with 21,
while her younger sister
Susan Clark '09 finished second in digs with
34. First year setter
Amanda Weaver '10 led the team in overall assists
tallying 49 in the game. For her career,
Faunce is currently 400-263 in eighteen
seasons.
Her list of achievements over the past eighteen years includes
three NCAA tournament appearances, an Empire 8 Championship and ten
New York State Women’s Collegiate Association (NYSWCAA)
tournament invitations. In 2000
Faunce was named the Empire 8 Coach of the Year
and the AVCA Northeast Region Co-Coach of the Year.
That same season,
Faunce was presented the prestigious NYSWCAA
Service Award for outstanding contributions to New York State
Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics.
During
Faunce’s tenure, the Soaring Eagles
have become a perennial post-season contender, as the Purple and
Gold have recorded a .500 or better record for ten straight seasons
and fourteen out of the last fifteen. Six players have earned
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Regional All-America
honors. In addition, two Soaring Eagles have been named Academic
All-Americans, and two have been named NYSWCAA
scholar-athletes.
A native
of Great Bend New York,
Faunce earned a bachelor’s degree in
Physical Education from Ithaca College in 1985, and a
master’s degree from Ithaca in Teaching Behaviors and
Sport Psychology two years later.
In
addition to her volleyball duties at Elmira College , Faunce is the
Head Softball Coach, Director of Physical Education, and
Coordinator of the Chemung Canal Fitness Center and the Locke
Pool.