Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Volleyball team heads to Keuka Friday to begin the 2021 season with three matches as part of the Keuka Invitational. The Knights, who will have gone 657 days between matches, will open the weekend on Friday at 6:00 p.m. against Wells before taking on the host Wolves and Hilbert Saturday afternoon. Live Stats and Video will be available for all three matches of the tournament.
 
Spectator Policy: Please following this link for important information on Keuka's spectator policy.
 
At A Glance: Friday's match will be the first for Mount Saint Mary since falling to the College of Mount Saint Vincent in straight sets in the First Round of the Skyline Conference Championship on November 5, 2019. The Knights earned the sixth seed in the 2019 event and rounded out the season with a 13-17 overall record and a 6-5 mark against Skyline Conference rivals.
 
Mount Saint Mary saw three members of the 2019 team earn All-Skyline Conference honors, including returners Grace Riddle (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Alyssa Barbara (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) who were named First and Second Team, respectively.
 
The Mount welcomes back four other players from the 2019 squad in addition to Barbara and Riddle, but has to replace the production of Morgan Burke, Danielle Kralik and Emily Mazzurco. Burke was a Second Team All-League pick in 2019 and graduated as the program's all-time leader in total blocks with 264. Kralik produced 162 kills and 139 digs in 2019, while Mazzurco paced the team in assists with 435.
 
Middles: The Mount welcomes back Middle Blocker Danielle Guarasci (Plainview, N.Y.) as well as Sabrina Romano (Glen Cove, N.Y.) who will also see time at Right Side.
 
Guarasci appeared in 89 sets in 2019 and totaled 57 kills to go along with 24 total blocks, good for third on the team in the category. Romano saw time in 25 sets in her first season with the program in 2019, posting seven blocks and nine kills.
 
Haley Houghton (Bellerose, N.Y.) and Stephanie Mele (Newburgh, N.Y.) join the position group and look to step in Friday to produce for the Knights.
 
Outside Hitter: Riddle headlines the outside hitter group and is joined by senior Renee Hydo (Bethpage, N.Y.) who will also see time on the right side.
 
Riddle burst on the scene during her freshman season in 2019 and led the Mount in kills with 334 and service aces with 68 while also producing 30 total blocks and 262 digs. Riddle closed her rookie season ranked fourth in the Skyline Conference in kills per set and fifth in service aces per set.
 
Hydo is back for her senior season with the Knights after posting an even 100 kills, good for fourth on the team in 2019, to go along with 36 service aces, 160 digs and 15 total blocks.
 
Head Coach Mike Strano adds Mary Milano (East Patchogue, N.Y.) and Jackie Wolf (Kings Park, N.Y.) to the outside group for their first season with the Knights.
 
Setter: Junior Fran Cammarata (Carmel, N.Y.) returns as the lone setter on the 2021 roster after a steady freshman season in 2019. Cammarata appeared in 80 sets as a rookie and handed out 307 assists, good for 3.84 helpers per set. She also chipped in six service aces and 99 digs for the Knights.
 
Defensive Specialist/Libero: Barbara anchors the backline for the Knights after earning Second Team All-Skyline Conference accolades in 2019. Barabra led the team with 408 digs, averaging just over four per set, and added 49 service aces, good for second on the team. Barbara finished the year ranked fourth in the Skyline Conference in digs per set.
 
Freshman KayLani Baynes (New Windsor, N.Y.) adds depth to the backline in her rookie season.
 
Head Coach: Mike Strano is back for his 18^th season with the Knights (19^th year overall) and has amassed 267 for the Mount, including a 113-43 record in conference play. He led the Mount to their first ever Skyline Conference Championship and berth into the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and has been named the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year in the same season.
 
Schedule: The Knights will again play a challenging non-conference schedule starting this weekend and continuing next week at the New Paltz Invitational. The Knights will also play three matches at the Ramapo Roadrunner Invitational to go along with non-conference matches against SUNY Delhi, William Paterson, Baruch, Montclair State, Hunter, Rowan and Brooklyn.
 
Skyline Conference play gets underway with a trip to the College of Mount Saint Vincent on September 18 with the Knights hosting league rivals Farmingdale State, Manhattanville, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, Old Westbury and Maritime.
 
The Skyline Conference Championship begins with the First Round on November 2 and continues on November 4 and 6.
 
Note: The schedule is subject to rapid change due to any new guidance or restrictions put into place.