Elmira College : Athletics : Soaring Eagles Teams : Women's Volleyball

The Elmira College Women’s Volleyball team completed a tremendous season which included 28 wins and just eight losses on the way to earning the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. Under the guidance of Coach Rhonda Faunce in her 24 ^th season the Soaring Eagles won the Empire 8 regular season title with a conference record of 6-1. Faunce, a recent inductee into the Ithaca College Hall of Fame for her achievements as a player, reached an impressive coaching milestone, eclipsing the 500 win mark as she has now amassed 506 wins.

Faunce’s players were equally as successful this season as Sasha Zavadska(Bratislava, SVK -- The British School) was named Empire 8 Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. Zavadksa averaged 4.5 kills per set and hit .340 in conference play as the Soaring Eagles won six of seven conference matches. She led all players with 113 kills and added 55 digs in Empire 8 play. Zavadska, who was named the EC Invitational MVP, tallied the eighth most kills in a single season in EC history this season with 490. She sits fourth in career kills with 1,446 in just her third season in the Purple and Gold. The All-American was also named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region (New York) team for the third straight season. Zavadska also eclipsed the 1,000 career dig mark this season as she currently ranks 10 ^th in digs with 1,117.

Middle hitter Brittany Raykoske ’12 (Johnstown, NY -- Gloversville), a second-team selection last year, was named to the All-Conference First Team this season. She hit .363 in conference play, averaging 3.3 kills per set. Raykoske, also an AVCA All-Region First Team selection, finished tied for second in conference play kills with 82. She rounds out a remarkable career, finishing in the top three in a number of career statistical categories. Raykoske currently ranks third in kills (1,447), third in aces (209), third in assisted blocks (166), and fifth in total blocks (316).

Transfer Molly Short ’13 (Sterling, CO -- Sterling) was named to the All-Conference Second Team. Short was the catalyst for the Soaring Eagle offense as she tallied 230 assists in conference play alone. She was responsible for 80 percent of the Purple and Gold’s assists and averaged 9.58 assists per game in Empire 8 play. Short’s 2011 performance ranks her fifth all-time in single-season assists with 1,219. That number also puts her at seventh in career assists at EC.

Second year player Taryn Rumsey ’14 (Mansfield, PA -- Mansfield) received All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades. Rumsey pounded out 52 kills and tallied a team-high 68 digs in conference competition. She proved to be precise with her serve, as she led the team in service aces with 75 this season.

Francene Cicia ’13 (Sunderland, MA -- Frontier Regional) represented Elmira on the Sportswoman of the Year team, playing with honor and integrity. Cicia finished second on the team with 14 service aces and also added 25 digs in E8 play.

The Elmira College Women’s Volleyball program has shown it is one of the premier programs in Division III and on the rise with two straight 28 win seasons. This year the Soaring Eagles made their second straight appearance in the Empire 8 Championship match and brought home its second ECAC Championship under Coach Faunce. With a solid base, including two returning AVCA All-Americans and a fountain of talented youth, EC will be a team to be reckoned with for years to come.

Elmira loses Raykoske to graduation.

2011 Women's Volleyball Season Wrap-Up