Women's Volleyball
Annaloro Returns to NDNU as Head Volleyball Coach
The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball program has a new leader as Nicole Annaloro has taken over for Devin Grant. Annaloro is a familiar face at NDNU after she graduated from the school in 1997 and was an assistant for two seasons.
Coach Annaloro was a staple in the Argonauts lineup during her four years at NDNU, earning MVP honors as a senior and being named a team captain three times. She also ranks third in school history in career assists.
Previously, Annaloro coached at Truckee High School for four years. At Truckee she compiled a 91-16 overall record while posting a 46-4 league record from 2007-2009. Annaloro was names Nevada 3A State Coach of the Year three times while leading her team to a state title in 2009. Truckee also reached the State Championships in 2007 and 2008 while winning the Northern Nevada League in 2007 and 2008.
Prior to Truckee, Annaloro was the Head Coach at Notre Dame HS for seven seasons while also helping out with the NDNU program in 2001 and 2002.
Coming into the season, Annaloro knows she has some work to do after the Argos finished last season 11-22 and lost over half of their starting line-up.
“This is a year of transition for NDNU volleyball with more than 50% of the team being new to the program and an entirely new coaching staff.” Annaloro said. “We are small in numbers, but we have talented players and good chemistry as a team. I think we will surprise a lot of people and we are very optimistic about the year. “
Pair of Argos Earn All-PacWest Recognition
November 19 – Senior Caitlin Torres and sophomore Christina Villamayor each took home Pacific West accolades after being named Honorable Mention All-Conference on Thursday.
Torres (San Jose, CA / Leigh HS), a middle blocker in her final season at NDNU turned in the best season of her career, leading the team in kills, points and blocks. She registered 329 total kills to rank third in the conference while her 81 total blocks ranked sixth. Torres also finished ninth in the conference in points-per game-with 3.28.
Villamayor (Poway, CA / Poway HS) repeated as a PacWest Honorable Mention after garnering recognition as a freshman last season. As a sophomore, Villamayor was even better, ranking fifth in the PacWest in total kills with 313, seventh in kills-per-game at 3.07 and seventh in total points. She also finished second on the team in kills and third in digs.
The Argos finished the 2009 season with an 11-22 record, an eight game improvement from the previous season. NDNU also picked up six conference wins to place 6th in the PacWest.
Argos Drop Season Finale to Dixie State
November 14 – The Notre Dame de Namur women’s volleyball team closed out their season with a tough three set loss to Dixie State. The Argos finished the year at 11-22, an eight game improvement over last season.
Both teams came out strong in a very tight first set before Dixie took the final two points to prevail 25-23. The Argos and Red Storm each racked up 16 kills in the set and hit above .200. The second set was all Dixie State as the Red Storm led from start to finish to win 25-15. The visitors recorded 5 kills and committed just two errors.
The third set seemed to be headed NDNU’s way before an 11-1 run put the Red Storm back on top at 18-13. Dixie would then go on to take the final three points and complete the sweep with a 25-20 victory.
Christina Villamayor led the Argos with 10 kills and 15 digs while seniors Caitlin Torres and Breanna Morales combine for 16 kills in their final match. Fellow senior Joanna Gresh closed out her career with 28 assists. BOX SCORE
Argonaut Comeback Falls Short
November 3 – The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team nearly completed an incredible comeback before falling to CSU Monterey Bay in five sets. The Argos, who were facing match point in the third set stormed back to force a fifth game but ultimately dropped the match to the Otters.
CSU Monterey Bay controlled the first two sets, winning 25-21 and 25-19 respectively. The Otters racked up 15 kills in the first set and did not commit an error while hitting .303 to take the second set.
In the third, CSUMB rallied back from a big deficit to force match point at 24-22. However, the Argonauts fought back, using a Breanna Morales kill and a Sharol Mae Kahawaii ace to come back and win 26-24. The Argos continued their hot play in the fourth set, taking it 25-13 and racking up 16 kills.
The fifth and final set was all Otters as the visitors recorded seven straight points after falling behind 1-0. NDNU could not get anything going offensively as CSUMB sealed the match with a 15-4 win.
Four Argonauts reached double figures with three topping 15 kills for the first time this season. Morales led the team with a career high 17 kills while Christina Villamayor and Ashley Fox tacked on 16 each. Alayna Galeai registered ten kills with Kahawaii leading all players with 27 digs.
The Argos are back in action next Thursday when they travel to San Francisco to take on Academy of Art. BOX SCORE
Argos Rally to Defeat CSU East Bay
October 27 – The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team up their winning streak to three matches with a four set victory over CSU East Bay. Since returning to the mainland the Argos are 3-0 and upped their record to 11-17 on the season.
The match did not start out well for NDNU as the Pioneers cruised to a 25-17 after hitting .406. In the second set, the Argonauts defense picked up, forcing CSUEB into ten errors and a negative hitting percentage. NDNU on the other hand managed 11 kills and went on to even the match with a 25-20 victory.
The Argos led the third set from start to finish, opening up a 21-15 lead at one point. However, after NDNU took a 24-20 advantage the Pioneers made it interesting with three straight points. With the score 24-23, CSU East Bay committed an attacking error to give NDNU a 2-1 lead.
In the fourth and final set, the Pioneers appeared to be heading towards evening the score as they jumped out to a 16-12 lead. The Argonauts stormed back and forced a deadlock at 19-19 before taking the next three points to give themselves a cushion. After the teams traded a few points, the set was once again 24-23 with NDNU needing one point to seal the match. On the final point, Ashley Fox crushed a middle set to give the Argos the win.
Both teams racked up 52 kills in the match with NDNU hitting nearly one hundred points higher at .240 to .154.
Fox had a team high 11 kills to pace NDNU while Breanna Morales added ten. Christina Villamayor and Caitlin Torres each picked up nine kills and Joanna Gresh recorded a match high 31 assists.
Ariel Ajagu led all players with 15 kills while Sukhjit Athwal and Krystal Robinson tacked on 11 and 10 respectively.
The Argos are return to conference play on Friday and Saturday when they travel to Phoenix to take on Grand Canyon. BOX SCORE
Argos Sweep Dominican
October 23 – The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team was clicking on all cylinders are they hit .353 in a three set sweep of Dominican. The Argos evened their PacWest record at 6-6 with a 49-26 kill advantage over the Penguins.
NDNU came out strong taking the first set 25-21 behind 20 kills and a .294 attack percentage. Ashley Fox and Caitlin Torres combines for ten kills in the set and just one error. The second set was much of the same with NDNU cruising to a 25-15 victory. The Argos hit .289 for the set with 14 kills to just nine from the Penguins.
In the third set, NDNU saved their best for last, recording 15 kills and not committing an error on their way to a .556 attacking percentage. The Argos won the first ten points of the set before eventually sealing the match with a 25-11 win.
Caitlin Torres was the only player to reach double figures in kills with 15 while Ashley Fox, Alayna Galeai and Sarah Steria combined for 20 kills while committing just one error. Joanna Gresh recorded a match high 40 assists with Sharol Mae Kahawaii leading all players with 17 digs.
The Argos continue their season on Tuesday when the host CSU East Bay in a non-conference match. BOX SCORE
Argos Outlast Otters in Five
October 20 – The Notre Dame de Name volleyball team rebounded from a tough trip to Hawaii with a come from behind victory in five sets against CSU Monterey Bay. The Argos overcame a two set deficit to rally back and win the final three to improve to 9-17.
The first two sets were very close throughout with the Otters winning both 27-25 in extra points. CSUMB combined for 30 kills in the two sets while the Argos racked up 26. The third set was all NDNU as the Argos outkilled the Otters 17-8 on their way to a 25-20 win.
The fourth set once again saw the team’s battle into extra points with NDNU prevailing 26-24 to force a decisive fifth set. In the fifth, the Argos continued their hot hitting, recording 12 kills in a 17-15 victory.
The Argos hitting percentage increased in each game as they started out at .125 in the first before finishing at .370 in the fifth.
Four Argonauts reached double figures in kills with Christina Villamayor leading the way with 14. Ashley Fox added 12 while Breanna Morales and Caitlin Torres added ten kills each. Joanna Gresh had a match high 34 assists and Sharol Mae Kahawaii led all players with 34 digs.
NDNU returns to PacWest play on Friday when they host Dominican at 7:00 pm. BOX SCORE
Argos Win Fourth Straight, Topple Holy Names
October 7 – The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team continued their hot play with a four set victory over Holy Names. The Argos improved to 8-13 on the season and upped their winning steak to four matches.
The match did not start off well for NDNU as Holy Names came out strong to take the first set 25-23. The Argos recorded 13 kills to just ten from the Hawks but committed nine errors. The second set looked to be headed the same way as HNU led 20-15 late in the set. However, the Argos responded to take seven of the next eight points and lead 22-21. After the Hawks took a 23-22 lead, Ashley Fox picked up two big kills to give the Argos the win.
The two teams battled again in the second set with the score remaining tight throughout. With the score tied at 22-22, Caitlin Torres smashed three straight kills to give NDNU a 2-1 advantage. The fourth set was all Argos as they jumped put to an early lead and never looked back. Christina Villamayor led NDNU with five kills in nine attempts to seal the victory,
Torres tied a career high with 18 kills while Ashkey Fox tacked on 13 kills and hit .458. Despite only playing the final two sets, Villamayor finished with nine kills and eight digs. Joanna Gresh recorded a match high 31 assists with Sharol Mae Kahawaii leading all players with 19 digs.
The Argos return to conference play next Tuesday when they travel to Hawaii to face first place Hawaii Hilo. BOX SCORE
Argonauts Sweep Again
October 5 – For the second straight match, the Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team pulled of a sweep of a PacWest foe. This time, the Argos handled Chaminade in three sets to move to 5-2 in conference play and extend their winning streak to three matches.
All three sets remained close throughout with the Argos making a run at the right time. In the first set, NDNU racked up 20 kills, including seven each from Caitlin Torres and Christina Villamayor.
The hot hitting continued in the second set as NDNU registered 14 kills while the Silverswords picked up 11. Torres continued her torrid pace and finished with six kills. Through the first two sets, Torres recorded 13 kills and zero errors in 18 attempts.
In the third and final set, the Argos once again pulled away at the end. After the Silverswords tied the score at 22-22, NDNU rattled off three of the final four points to seal the match.
Torres finished with a match high 17 kills and led all players with a .500 hitting percentage. Christina Villamayor tacked on 12 kills while Alayna Galeai and Ashley Fox combined for 17 kills and just two errors. Joanna Gresh recorded 39 assists and Sharol Mae Kahawaii added 14 digs and three aces.
The Argos are back in action on Wednesday for a non-conference match against Holy Names. BOX SCORE
Argos Sweep Hawaii Pacific
October 2 – The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team improved to 4-2 in PacWest play with an impressive sweep of Hawaii Pacific. The Argos overcame deficits in all three sets to comeback and topple the Sea Warriors.
In the first set, NDNU found themselves down 14-7 but rattled off five straight points to pull within two. Breanna Morales had three kills during that stretch to help ignite the Argonauts offense. After the two teams battled to a 20-20 tie, NDNU won four of the next five points to force set point. On the second attempt, Caitlin Torres slammed home a kill to give the Argos a 25-22 victory.
The second set was very similar as the Sea Warriors jumped out to a 10-7 lead. The Argonauts once again turned it up forcing a 14-14 tie before rattling off six of the next seven points to go up 20-15. HPU made things close, pulling within one at 23-22 but NDNU closed out the set on a pair of kills from Ashley Fox.
The Argos pulled off another comeback in the third set, rallying back from a 13-7 deficit to take a 17-16 lead. NDNU then used two aces from Stephany Newland and a pair of kills from both Morales and Christina Villamayor to finish off the Sea Warriors.
Morales led the Argonauts with 11 kills while Caitlin Torres added 10 kills and hit .450 for the match. Joanna Gresh had a match high 32 assists with Sharol Mae Kahawaii adding 17 digs.
The Argos are back in action Monday night when they square off against Chaminade in another PacWest Conference match. BOX SCORE
Argos Rally Back Twice to Down Chaminade
September 30 – The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team overcame two deficits to storm back and defeat Chaminade in five sets. The Argos moved to 3-2 in PacWest play while winning their first five set match since 2006.
The Silverswords started off strong, taking the first set 25-23 behind 12 kills and seven Argonaut attack errors. NDNU responded to even the match with a 25-17 victory in the second set. The Argos forced Chaminade into eight hitting errors and went on a 12-1 run midway through the set.
Chaminade seized control back in the third with 19 kills and a .567 hitting percentage but the lead would not last long. The Argonauts responded once again with a 25-23 victory as they racked up 16 kills to 11 from the Silverswords.
The Argos completed the comeback in the fifth with a 15-8 victory behind Caitlin Torres’s five kills. Torres recorded the five kills on six attempts to hit .833 for the set.
For the match, the two teams were almost dead even in hitting. The visitors had 56 kills and 25 errors while NDNU finished with 59 kills and 26 errors.
Torres once again had a match high 16 kills while three other Argonauts reached double figures. Sara Steria set a career high with 12 kills while Ashley Fox and Breanna Morales added 11 and 10 respectively. Alayna Galeai led all players with five service aces and 19 digs.
Three Silverswords reached double figures, led by Chauntelle Maduli’s 15 kills and 14 digs.
NDNU seeks revenge on Friday as Hawaii Pacific comes to Walter Gleason Gym for a 7:00 pm start. The Sea Warriors stormed back to topple the Argos in five sets on Tuesday night. BOX SCORE
HPU Storms Back on Argos
September 29 – After the first two sets it appeared that the Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team was on their way to a sweep of Hawaii Pacific. However, the Sea Warriors had a different idea as the visitors stormed back to take the final three sets and win the match.
The Argos dropped to 2-2 in PacWest play while HPU improved to a perfect 3-0. NDNU dominated the first set, forcing the Sea Warriors into eight attacking errors while the Argos hit .385 with 13 kills. The second set was closer as the Argos held a 14-11 kill advantage and went on to win 25-22.
The match changed in the third as NDNU looked to be on their way to a sweep. After taking a 19-17 lead late in the set, HPU rallied to take eight of the final ten points and win 25-21. The fourth was very similar as the Sea Warriors broke a 17-17 tie by scoring eight of the final ten points once again.
The fifth and deciding set was close throughout as each team swapped points on nearly every serve. The set featured nine ties and four lead changes before HPU took the final three points to close out the match.
Caitlin Torres racked up a match high 18 kills while Breanna Morales also reached double figures with 11. Joanna Gresh recorded 46 assists and Sharol Mae Kahawaii had 23 digs.
Three Sea Warriors reached double figures, led by Julia Gruszecka’s 12 kills. Sanoe Recca and Shawntell Jones added 11 and 10 kills respectively.
The Argos continue PacWest play tomorrow night when Chaminade come to Walter Gleason Gym for a 7:00 pm match. BOX SCORE
Dixie State Sweeps NDNU
September 26 – In a matchup of PacWest unbeatens, the Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team fell to Dixie State in three sets. The Argos moved to 2-1 in conference play while the Red Storm improved to 4-0.
The first set remained tight throughout as the two teams battled through six lead changes and ten ties. The Argos appeared to seize control at the end of the set, taking a 24-22 lead and serving for the game. However, after a side out by the Red Storm the visitors went on to win four straight points and take the set 26-22.
The final two sets were all Dixie State as the Red Storm won 25-13 and 25-16 respectively. After a first set that saw DSC hold a 17-16 kill advantage the Red Storm out killed the Argos 29-19 over the final two sets.
Ashley Fox and Christina Villamayor led the Argos with eight kills apiece while Alayna Galeai and Breanna Morales added seven each. Morales also recorded a match high 17 digs.
Katie Luna and Brita Noble paced the Red Storm with 26 combined kills.
The Argos continue PacWest play on Tuesday when Hawaii Pacific comes to Walter Gleason Gym for a 7:00 pm showdown. BOX SCORE
Argos Suffer Loss to CSU Stanislaus
September 22 – After the first set it appeared the Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team was on the way to their third straight victory. However, the Argos could not keep it up, dropping the next three sets to CSU Stanislaus.
NDNU started the match off strong, winning their seventh straight set after forcing the Warriors into ten hitting errors. The second set was a different story as CSUS hit .444 with 14 kills to tie the match. The Warriors continued their attack in the third and fourth sets taking them 25-15 and 25-17 respectively.
For the match, NDNU racked up 38 kills but also committed 30 hitting errors while CSU Stanislaus recorded 42 kills and just 22 errors.
Christina Villamayor led the Argos with 13 kills while Sharol Mae Kahawaii had a match high 18 digs.
The Argos return to PacWest play on Saturday when they face Dixie State at 2:00 pm. The Rebels and Argos are currently tied for first in the conference with records of 2-0. BOX SCORE
Argos Sweep Academy of Art
September 19 – For the second straight match the Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team was clicking on all cylinders, pulling off a sweep of Academy of Art. The Argos improved to 2-0 in PacWest play and have now won six straight sets.
The match started off very even with each team unable to pull away. After the Argos went ahead 24-22 the Urban Knights rebounded to tie the score and force extra points. Both teams kept battling before NDNU eventually won 36-34.
The second set was all NDNU as the Argos racked up 15 kills and committed zero errors while hitting .600 for the set. With the score tied 20-20 in the third, the Argonauts won four straight to pull ahead before sealing the match with a 25-21 victory.
The Urban Knights recorded 47 kills on the night while NDNU was one behind with 46. However, the Argos committed just 10 hitting errors to 17 from AAU.
Christina Villamayor led the Argos with 16 kills while Sara Steria added a career high 11. Joanna Gresh finished with 32 assists.
Dan Yang led all players with 21 kills and Jelena Jakovljevic tacked on 11 to pace the Urban Knights.
The Argos are back in action with a non-conference match against CSU Stanislaus on Tuesday. BOX SCORE
Argos Topple Dominican in PacWest Opener
September 17 – The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team started Pacific West play off with a bang, earning a four set victory over Dominican University. The Argos rebounded from a slow start to take the final three sets and earn the win.
The Penguins came out hot, racking up 15 kills and hitting .444 to take down NDNU 25-17. However, the Argos offense picked it up in the final three sets combining for 44 kills. NDNU recorded 16 kills in both the second and third sets before finishing the Penguins off with a 25-21 win in the fourth set.
For the match, the Argonauts out killed Dominican 52-41 and held a .208 to .138 hitting percentage advantage.
Caitlin Torres led all players with 17 kills while freshman Sara Steria recorded a career high 10 kills and 14 digs. Ashley Fox also reached double figures with 10 kills and Joanna Gresh finished with 38 assists.
Gabby Pecora was the lone Penguin in double digits with 16 kills and also added a match high 22 digs.
The Argos continue PacWest play on Saturday night when they face Academy of Art of 7:00 pm. BOX SCORE
Argos Sweep on Day 2 of California Clash
September 5 – The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team rebounded from yesterday’s 0-2 performance by toppling a pair of CCAA schools during the final day of the California Clash. The Argos defeated both CSU East Bay and CSU Monterey Bay in four sets.
NDNU came out strong against the Pioneers in the first set, using an early 8-1 run to build a big margin. The Argos registered 14 kills in the first and took the set 25-17. CSUEB came back in the second with a 25-19 victory as the Argos committed 11 hitting errors. However, the NDNU offense returned for the third and fourth sets as they combined to record 31 kills and a 333 hitting percentage.
For the match the Argos held a 55-43 kill percentage and registered eight aces. Christina Villamayor led all players with 15 kills while Caitlin Torres and Ashley Fox registered 14 and 12 kills respectively. Joanna Gresh had a match high 43 assists and Sharol Mae Kawaii finished with 22 kills and 3 aces. BOX SCORE
The second match was very similar as the Argos once again to the first set with an impressive early run. This time, NDNU scored seven straight points to take a 19-13 lead and never looked back. They would go on to win the set 25-17 before the Otters evened the match with a 25-19 victory in the second set. The third featured one of the best hitting performances in recent history as the Argos finished with a .556 hitting percentage on 16 kills and just one error. NDNU was almost as good in the fourth and final set as they put away CSUMB with 14 kills.
Villamayor once again had a match high in kills with 19 while Torres and Fox both reached double figures for the second straight match. Torres racked up 11 kills with Fox tacking on 10. Anna Jayo finished with 38 assists. BOX SCORE
Argos Drop Two at California Clash
September 4 – The Notre Dame de Namur volleyball team battled hard on day one of the California Clash, but came away empty handed. The Argos dropped their opening match to Chico State in four sets before falling in five to Humboldt State.
NDNU fell behind Chico in the opening match before knotting the score at 1-1 with a 28-26 victory in game two. However, the Wildcats responded to take the final two sets 25-21 and 25-20 respectively. Caitlin Torres led the Argos with 17 kills and committed just two errors. Joanna Gresh recorded 29 assists while five Argos finished with double figure digs. BOX SCORE
In the second match, NDNU once again fell behind, dropping the first two sets to Humboldt State. The Argos would not go down quietly as they rallied back to take the next two sets to send the match to a deciding fifth. In the fifth, the Jacks scored six straight points to push ahead and take the match.
Christina Villamayor registered a match high 25 kills and added 13 digs. Torres and Ashley Fox also reached double figures in kills with 16 and 11 respectively. BOX SCORE
The Argos are back in action tomorrow at the California Clash when they take on CSU East Bay and CSU Monterey Bay.