United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Volleyball - Rostowfske Named NEWMAC Player of the Year

NEW LONDON, CONN.--(11/7/06)--Senior co-captain Christine Rostowfske was named the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Volleyball Player of the Year while head coach Patty Giannattasio earned Coach of the Year honors as the NEWMAC champion Bears took two of the three major awards in voting by the league’s 10 head coaches.

Sophomore Nicole Gurr was also named to the first team while junior co-captain Corinne McCormack earned second team honors.

Rostowfske, a second team All-conference selection last season, led the NEWMAC with 12.6 assists per game. She is the Coast Guard Academy all-time leader with 4,027 career assists. Rostowfske also earned a spot on the first team for the first time in her career.

Gurr, the 2005 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year and a first-team selection a year ago, earned first team honors for the second straight season. She leads the NEWMAC in kills per game (5.46), is third in aces per game(0.76), fourth in hitting percentage (.283), fourth in blocks (.851) and is the only player to earn NEWMAC Player of the Week honors more than once, she won it twice this season.

McCormack, a NEWMAC first team selection in each of the last two seasons, was named to the second team. She is third in the NEWMAC in kills per game (4.11), third in hitting percentage (.300) and second in aces per game (0.805). She is third on the Coast Guard Academy all-time kills list with 1,119 in her career.

Giannattasio, who recorded her 200th career win this season, earned NEWMAC Coach of the Year honors for the second time in three years as she also won the award in 2004. Giannattasio has record of 208-98 in 10 seasons at Coast Guard.

Coast Guard (23-2), the top seed in the NCAA New England regional which begins on Thursday at MIT, has won a school-record 19 straight. The Bears open NCAA Tournament play on Thursday vs. eighth-seeded Mount Ida.