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ALBANY - The College of Saint Rose, coming off its first postseason appearance since 2015, looks to return to the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament this fall. The Golden Knights, which open at the Mercy Tournament on Friday, return eight players from last season's playoff squad.
 
"We're looking at always doing one step better than our previous year," said Saint Rose Head Coach Vanessa Volpe-Rivera. "We would like to finish at the top of the NE10 this fall."
 
Co-captains senior libero Tina Ceriello and junior middle hitter Kyla Archie are among the returnees.
 
Ceriello, a two-year co-captain, led the NE10 with 5.60 digs per set last fall en route to being named second-team All-Conference. The Google Cloud Academic All-American® registered 25 or more digs on nine occasions last season.
 
"Tina has been a staple in our defensive system the past two years and we have high expectations of her for her senior season. She is a leader on and off the court and will be looked upon to lead the defense," said Volpe-Rivera.
 
Archie took major steps forward as a sophomore, helping the Golden Knights lead the league in blocking for the second-consecutive autumn. She finished third on the circuit with 0.98 blocks per set, while putting down 2.23 kills per set.
 
"Kyla will be a weapon for us in middle, both offensively and defensively," commented Volpe-Rivera.
 
Defensive specialist Madison Gerace and outside hitter Stevie Schweitzer are back for their final campaigns. Gerace will help the team defensively while Schweitzer topped the squad with 3.12 kills per set last season.
 
"Stevie will bring her consistency and court experience to the game," said Volpe-Rivera. "She will be a role model to the underclassmen. Madison brings a lot of defensive knowledge to the table and is able to assist in making adjustments on the fly. She'll continue to assist the team when needed both in serving and defensively."
 
Adding to the team's defense are experienced sophomores Nadia Lau and Megan Mayer. Mayer appeared in 28 of the 29 matches last year, with Lau seeing time in 27 of them.
 
Up front, junior Victoria Fogg also is back.
 
"Nadia has a high volleyball IQ and showed strong serving and serve receive skills last fall," said Volpe-Rivera. "Megan will help our defense with her quickness, while Tori is able to move the ball around as needed."
 
The Golden Knights did lose major contributors in right side Grace Campbell, setter Sam Kubik, and middle hitter Shayna Webber to graduation.
 
Webber, who received an honorable mention from the AVCA for its All-East team, topped the league with 1.15 blocks per set last fall. The first-team All-NE10 pick registered 2.91 kills per set on .343 hitting.
 
Kubik, a two-year captain, dished out 1,019 assists, 9.70 per set in her final season. She graduated second in Saint Rose history with 2,777 career assists.
 
Sophomore Macey Drezek gets the first call to replace Kubik at running the Black and Gold attack. She played in all 29 matches in the back, while serving as a second setter at times.
 
"Macey was a key defensive player last year but will now be looked at to help run the offense in a setting position," said Volpe-Rivera, who enters her fourth season.
 
Volpe-Rivera has added six players to the program: junior middle hitters Anna Maggiolo and Cassidy Smith, freshmen setters Allison Sellers and Valeria Jorge and freshman outside hitters Elizabeth Johnson and Ele'sia Williams. The new faces should help fill in the gaps caused by graduation.
 
 "Our six newcomers all come from very strong backgrounds," said Volpe-Rivera. "That, along with the core of eight returning players, should help for a smooth transition."
 
The Golden Knights have a challenging non-conference schedule in place this fall, before the always rigorous NE10 slate commences. The slate includes seven squads that earned NCAA Tournament bids last season.
 
Saint Rose, picked to finish ninth in the NE10 in the preseason coaches' poll, has its home opener on Tuesday, September 10^th vs. Post. The non-conference match is slated for a 7:00 pm start. Sign up for our E-Newsletter for the latest news by clicking here, and for information on the Golden Knights Club, click here. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.