RCC Volleyball Wins Conference Title

NANUET, NY - From Rockland Community College: The Rockland Community College volleyball team won the Mid-Hudson Conference Tournament by defeating Orange, 3 games to 1, in Tuesday night’s final at the RCC Fieldhouse. This is the first conference championship for the Hawks in 13 years.

Now 19-3 on the season, Rockland heads into the Region XV tournament on a nine-match winning streak. RCC students and the general public are invited to come support the third-seeded Hawks on Thursday at 6:00 as they host #6 seed Suffolk at the Fieldhouse in the quarterfinal round. Admission is free.

Region XV quarterfinal – Rockland vs. Suffolk

• Thursday, October 26
• 6:00 pm
• RCC Fieldhouse

The winner of Thursday’s match moves on to the Region final four, which will take place Saturday at SUNY Orange.

RCC won the Mid-Hudson regular-season title on a tiebreaker, but its tournament championship was more convincing. The Hawks earned a three-game sweep in the semifinals Tuesday, rolling past Westchester 25-20, 25-16, 25-20 to reach the finals. Shannon Thomas led the way with 16 kills while Nicole Polanco recorded three aces.

In the final, Rockland defeated third seed Orange (which upset #2 Ulster in the other semifinal) 25-21, 15-25, 25-21, 25-17. Thomas added 13 more kills, plus 24 digs and four blocks in a strong all-around performance. Polanco contributed 10 kills and 20 digs, while Cha-Neice Gordon had a breakout performance with nine kills.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” said coach Erik Ellingsen. “These amazing young ladies take on any and all obstacles as a team, which is why we’ve had such a successful season.”

The Hawks won’t have much time to savor their conference championship, with the challenging Region XV tournament straight ahead. RCC will be seeking its first-ever Region title in volleyball. The winner of that tournament also earns a trip to the NJCAA Division III national championship, November 10-11 in Minnesota.

Image via Rockland Community College