Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Volleyball team opens the 2018 season with three matches at the Best Western Plus-Ground Round Classic hosted by Plattsburgh. The Knights will tussle with the host Cardinals on Friday evening before taking on Plymouth State and Sage to close out play in the event on Saturday.
 
At A Glance: The Knights welcome back 11 players from last season's squad, but are tasked with replacing First Team All-Skyline Conference libero Julimar Figueroa along with Megan Williams who totaled 125 kills and 44 blocks and Jackie Survilla who lifted 198 digs and totaled 48 service aces.
 
Outside Hitter: The Knights welcome back five players on the outside in 2018, including Madelyn Barberan (Fishkill, N.Y.), Ally Klesin (Glendale, N.Y.)  and Danielle Kralik (Bedford Hills, N.Y.) who each put away better than 100 kills. Barberan rounded out the season with 128 kills and added 187 digs and 28 service aces. Klesin put away 121 winners for the Mount and Kralik totaled 113 winners and was named the Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week each of the last three reporting periods of the season.
 
Also back among the position group are McKenna Cronin (Prospect, Conn.) and Renee Hydo (Bethpage, N.Y.). Cronin put away 10 kills and handed out 25 assists as a freshman, while Hydo added 67 kills and posted 23 service aces and 59 digs.
 
Newcomers Shannon Grogan (Levittown, N.Y.), who will also see time at opposite, and Catherine Cerbino (Highland, N.Y.) will look to support the offensive attack in their first collegiate seasons.
 
Middle: Junior Morgan Burke and senior Nicole Spinelli (Wantagh, N.Y.) highlight the group in the middle following productive 2017 seasons. Burke led the Mount with 180 kills and matched Spinelli with a team-high 51 total blocks. Spinelli was second on the team with 165 winners and paced the team as a junior with 61 service aces.
 
Danielle Guarasci (Plainview, N.Y.) and Ellen Luke (Amsterdam, N.Y.) join the group in 2018 and look to contribute from the start of their rookie seasons.


Right Side: Emily Mazzurco (Middletown, N.Y.) will serve as the Mount's primary opposite in 2018, appearing in 24 sets and putting away 20 kills as a sophomore.
 
Setter: Kim Gries (Hicksville, N.Y.) returns after earning Second Team All-Skyline Conference honors as a junior and is joined by newcomer Alyssa Barbara (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) to ignite the offense in 2018. Gries finished off her junior season with 727 assists, 146 digs and 26 service aces.
 
Defense: A trio of players, including two returners will look to match the production left by Figueroa. Senior Lauren LeGere (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) returns after appearing in 47 sets in 2017 and lifting 62 digs and Klaire Wall (Point Pleasant, N.J.) is back after appearing in 22 sets and lifting 39 digs as a rookie. Newcomer Jenny Picarillo (Troy, N.Y.) will add depth to the backline for the Knights in 2018.
 
Head Coach: Mike Strano returns for his 16^th season as the Mount's head coach and is the program's all-time leader in wins with 236. He was named the Skyline Coach of the Year in 2011 after leading the Mount to a 20-11 record, one of four 20-plus win seasons in his career.
 
Preseason Notes: The Knights found themselves ranked fifth in the Skyline Conference Preseason Poll that was released on Thursday afternoon. Defending champion USMMA was picked to repeat with Farmingdale State and the College of Mount Saint Vincent rounding out the top three.
 
The Schedule: The Knights will take part in a pair of early season tournaments, heading to New Paltz next weekend following their stay in Plattsburgh. The home opener is scheduled for September 11 against the City College of New York and the league opener is set for September 25 at Farmingdale State.