DOMINANT PLAYERS RULED THE DECADE AS BULLDOG VOLLEYBALL UNVEILS ALL-DECADE TEAM

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's volleyball program announced its All-Decade Team Monday afternoon, honoring 12 standout players who led the Bulldogs to success over the past 10 years.

The past decade saw the Bryant women's volleyball team average 26 wins per season, go on a 50-game winning streak in conference play and qualify for eight-consecutive NCAA tournaments. Bulldog volleyball has been one of the most successful programs in the school's history and has seen seven players inducted into the Bryant University Athletics Hall of Fame.

The Bulldogs have seen dozens of top-tier athletes come through their ranks over the decade's 10 seasons, but 12 stand out above the rest. The members of the All-Decade Team have enjoyed a combined 29 all-conference selections, 43 all-region picks and nine All-American nods. Four times they have been named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year. Among these 12 athletes are six NE-10 Setter of the Year selections, three Freshman of the Year choices and two Northeast Region Rookie of the Year nominees.

Seven members of the All-Decade Team have reached the 100-win plateau, but no team has been more dominant than Bryant volleyball's Team of the Decade: the 2003 Bulldogs.

The program enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in team history in 2003, winning a school-record 37 matches (37-7 overall), going undefeated in Northeast-10 play en route to the league regular-season and tournament titles. The team qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament, advancing to the Northeast regional final and on to the Sweet 16. It was a year that saw head coach Theresa Garlacy named Northeast-10 Coach of the Year, as the 2003 edition put up numbers that rank it among the top-3 in the Bryant team record books in kills, kills per set, attack percentage, assists, assists per set, aces, digs, block assists, total blocks, blocks per set, points, points per set, sets played and matches played. The 2003 Bryant side stands as the team single-season record holder in kills (2412), assists (2123) and points (3236.0).

Four selections to the All-Decade Team were members of the 2003 squad, but there were others who elevated their teams to heights just great, none more so than the first selection, Bunmi Akinnusotu.

Bumni Akinnusotu ('03)

1999-2002: Olubunmi "Bunmi" Akinnusotu ('03)
Inducted into the Bryant University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, Bunmi Akinnusotu, a middle hitter for the Bulldogs from 1999-2002, was a dominant force at the net and is near the top of several Bryant career records. Akinnusotu won Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year in 2002 and was a three-time all-conference first team and AVCA All-Northeast Region team choice (2000-02). She also earned Daktronics All-Northeast Region First Team selections in 2001 and 2002 and was a second team choice in 2000. Akinnusotu received several awards from Bryant, including the Female Athlete of the Year Award in 2001 and the 2003 Omar Shareef Spirit Award (as selected by fellow student-athletes) and Bryant Intercultural Center Jim Thorpe Athletic Award.

Akinnusotu's name is prevalent throughout the Bryant volleyball record books. The middle hitter sits at fifth in Bulldog history for career kills (1434), first in attack percentage (.355), second in block assists (339) and total blocks (499), third in solo blocks (160), fourth in total points (1776.5) and fifth in blocks per set (0.93). She also ranks in the career top-10 in such categories as kills per set, attack attempts, points per set, and sets and matches played.

The 2003 graduate holds the single-season record for attack percentage, boasting a .408 success rate in 2002, and also owns the No. 2 and No. 10 spots in the category, converting on .381 of her attack attempts in 2001 and .320 in 2000. She resides at the top of a number of single-season marks, most notably in total blocks, where she sits in second (170 in 2002) and fourth (161 in 2001), block assists, where she lands at fifth (117 in 2002) and sixth (116 in 2001), and solo blocks, where all four of her seasons rank in the top-20, led by her 53 solo stuffs from 2002 that are good for fifth all-time. She ranks second and fourth in blocks per set in the single-season Bryant marks, as well, but her name is known not just throughout the Bryant volleyball community, but also within the NE-10 volleyball circle. Over her four years donning the black and gold, Akinnusotu amassed a career hitting percentage that still ranks second in NE-10 history, while her nearly 500 total blocks rank eighth and her more than 1400 career kills are good for ninth.

Akinnusotu's single-match records include six of the top 11 all-time hitting percentage performances, a pair of 10-block outings and six showings that rank within the top-10 in solo and assisted blocks. She is the only Bulldog on the list to be inducted into the Bryant Athletics Hall of Fame.

Maria Scocca ('12)

2008-Present: Maria Scocca ('12)
Maria Scocca, just a junior at Bryant University in 2010, quickly established herself at middle hitter as one of the top offensive weapons of the decade. Through the end of October – with less than three complete seasons under her belt – she already ranks near the top of nearly every major offensive statistic, already standing in fourth all-time with 383 total blocks, 10th with 1034 career kills, 1353.5 career points and 68 solo blocks, third with 315 block assists and ninth with a .864 serve percentage. While her numbers still may change before the end of her playing career, Scocca currently leads all players in blocks per set, averaging 1.07 per frame entering the final four matches of her junior season, and is seventh overall in points per set, eighth in kills per set and 12th in career attack percentage.

The junior middle put up 136 block assists in 2009, good for third for an individual in a single season (she also ranks ninth and 20th in the category), and all three of her seasons rank in the top-20 for total stuffs (sixth, 10th and 20th). Scocca finished the 2009 season with 1.21 blocks per set, good for third in a single campaign, also ranking 10th and 11th on the list.

The only member of the All-Decade Team to play in the Division I Northeast Conference and one of just three to play in the Division era, Scocca holds 20 top-20 single-match rankings so far in her career, including setting new program records for block assists (14 at Brown on Sept. 10, 2009) and total blocks (15 in same game). Scocca recorded 34.5 points against Providence College on Sept. 5, 2009, good for third all-time and tops in the decade, and holds NEC records for kills in a match (29 vs. PC) and total blocks in a match (15 at Brown), both set as a sophomore.

In 2009, Scocca was named the All-Independent Division I Player of the Year and First Team selection and was also awarded a spot on the All-Northeast Conference Second Team, becoming the first Bulldog volleyball player to garner postseason honors since Bryant joined the Division I ranks.

Michelle Muniz ('06)

2002-05: Michelle Muniz ('06)
The only four-time all-conference first team selection in Bulldog volleyball history, Michelle Muniz remains one of the most dominant outside hitters on record in the Northeast-10. One of the most decorated athletes to ever don the black and gold, she has more conference player of the year honors than anyone in program history, garnering the award in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Muniz is a three-time AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honoree – the only Bulldog to earn such a distinction on multiple occasions – but the recognitions don't stop there.

Muniz won NE-10 Freshman of the Year accolades in 2002 and was named to the NE-10 First Team all four seasons. She was named to both the Daktronics and AVCA All-Northeast Region teams every campaign throughout her four-year career and was named Bryant University's Female Athlete of the Year in 2005.

But numbers truly speak for themselves when it comes to a player such as Muniz, who holds an array of records with both the school and the Northeast-10 Conference. The 2006 graduate sits at second in the NE-10 career books with 2320 kills, third with 1982 digs and fourth with 315 service aces. Her career numbers place her first in Bryant history in kills, kills per set (4.67), attack attempts (5437), points (2796.5) and points per set (5.63), earn her the No. 2 slot in digs and digs per set (3.99, best in the decade) and rank her third in aces and aces per set (0.63). She owns top-10 career rankings in attack percentage, block assists and total blocks, and is among the top-20 for solo blocks, blocks per set, and sets and matches played.

Muniz holds the top-four single-season records in points per set, among her 12 top-5 single-season marks, while her 32 kills against Bentley on October 18, 2005 ties the all-time mark.

Carola Pierluisi ('05)

2001-04: Carola Pierluisi ('05)
A Daktronics All-America First Team selection as a senior – the only Bulldog in history to earn first team honors – libero/defensive specialist Carola Pierluisi was a key to Bryant's success in the first half of the decade. Pierluisi stands atop the program all-time record books and second in NE-10 history with 2035 career digs and is seventh in program history with 204 career service aces. Her 3.94 digs per set are good from third in the all-time records, and the 2005 graduate has played in 153 career matches (ninth) and 517 career sets (10th). She picked up 799 digs in 2004 to take break her own record for digs in a season (716 in 2003) and averaged a program-leading 6.10 digs per set in the same year.

Pierluisi received several honors in her time at Bryant, including another pair of All-America honors (a 2004 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selection and a 2003 Daktronics All-America Second Team nod). She was recognized by the Northeast-10 twice, earning a first team all-conference selection in 2004, and was a 2004 AVCA All-Northeast Region pick and a two-time Daktronics All-Northeast Region First Team nominee (2003, 2004). Pierluisi also served as a true fire at the heart of the team, named volleyball's Bulldog Award winner as a senior.

Britta Beckman ('04)

2000-03: Britta Beckman ('04)
Arguably the top setter in school history, Britta Beckman paved the way for standout setters to come in a program known for its rich history of stellar play at the position. Beckman established numbers that topped the Bulldog and Northeast-10 Conference history books, dishing out more than 6,000 assists across her career.

Her numbers as a setter – 6,274 assists and 11.47 helpers per game – ranked her above not just any other Bulldog, but every other setter in the conference as well, holding the top spot until 2007. Beckman remains the all-time Bryant record holder for assists in a season, registering 1749 in 2003.

The 2004 grad currently holds the No. 2 slot in both assists and assists per game in both the Bulldog and NE-10 record books and is currently ranked fifth among all Bryant players in career aces (283). She is in the top-5 in both sets and matches played and holds top-15 spots in attack percentage, digs and total blocks. Her 78 assists against Bentley in November of 2003 rank second all-time in a single match and are the most of any setter this decade.

Beckman garnered many honors in her four years as a Bulldog, becoming the first Bryant athlete to win a trio of NE-10 Setter of the Year awards (2000, 2002 and 2003), and was a three-time first team all-conference selection, a 2003 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and an AVCA All-Northeast Region pick all four years.

Tiffany Garry ('08)

2004-07: Tiffany Garry ('08)
The only player to trump the phenomenal numbers of Beckman, three-time NE-10 Setter of Year and 2007 All-America Honorable Mention honoree Tiffany Garry is considered among the top quarterbacks in the history of Bryant volleyball.

With numbers glaringly similar to her predecessor, Garry, who was a starter from her very first match, claimed the top career assists spot in the history books in her final set as a Bulldog, picking up nine helpers to close out a 36-assist performance in the NCAA regional championship to bump her career total to 6278 – just four more than Beckman. Garry averaged a program-high 11.56 assists per game during her tenure and leads the all-time record books with 396 service aces and 0.73 service aces per set. Her totals for assists and aces are also both good for first in NE-10 history.

During her time on the team, Garry led Bryant to three years of undefeated conference records and four-straight NCAA tournament berths. In her senior season, Garry helped the team to the NCAA Northeast regional final and recorded 108 service aces – the second-best season total in Bryant history. Her 12 aces against Southern Connecticut on Oct. 26, 2007 tied a school record.

Garry earned several honors in her time at Bryant. She was a four-time All-NE-10 selection, appearing on the first team as a junior and senior, and was recognized as an AVCA All-Northeast Region team member all four seasons. She was also recognized by her coach as one of the team's most prominent and essential players, twice being honored as the program's Bulldog Award winner. Garry served as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs in 2009.

Likica Grceva ('08)

2006-07: Likica Grceva ('08)
A transfer student who joined the Bulldogs as a junior, Likica Grceva made the most of her two years at Bryant. Grceva earned a bevy of recognitions as a senior in 2007, including selections as an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, an All-Northeast-10 Conference First Teamer and both an AVCA and Daktronics All-Northeast Region member.

In just two seasons, Grceva finished her career ranked 13th in kills (974), fourth in kills per set (3.61), seventh in serve percentage (.908), 14th in points (1086.0) and fourth in points per set (4.02). Grceva's senior year remains one of the best seasons of any team in school history, as she helped her squad to the NCAA Northeast regional final with 659 kills (good for third in the single-season kill marks) and 728.5 points (fifth in a single season) on the 2007 campaign.

Sarah Smith ('03)

1999-2002: Sarah Smith ('03)
Outside hitter Sarah Smith proved to be a key contributor all four years as a Bulldog. Smith, a three-time All-NE-10 Third Team selection (2000-02) and a Bulldog Award winner as a senior, sits eighth in Bryant history with 1261 career kills, fifth with 3385 attack attempts and sixth with 276 service aces and points (1687.5). She also ranks in the top-20 in several other categories, including kills per set, attack percentage, assists, digs, blocks, sets played and matches played. The .340 attack percentage she posted in 2002 remains fifth in the single-season record books, as are her 99 aces in 2000.

Smith has gone on to have a successful coaching career at Shepherd University and was recently named one of the AVCA's Thirty Under 30, a recognition given out to honor the 30 top up-and-coming young coaches across all levels of the volleyball world.

Allison Gunther ('03)

1999-2002: Allison Gunther ('03)
Allison Gunther was a top middle hitter for the Bulldogs for four seasons and was named Bryant's 2002 Female Athlete of the Year. Named to the NE-10 First Team in 2001 and Second Team in 2000, Gunther was also a two-time selection to the AVCA All-Northeast Region team.

Gunther is near the top on several career lists at Bryant. She claims the sixth spot in career kills with 1320 kills and is second with 169 solo blocks (most in the decade), 1.04 blocks per set and a .303 career attack percentage. Her 445 total blocks rank third while her 276 career block assists are good for fourth all-time. She is seventh in points, amassing 1643.0 over her four-year career. In a single-season, Gunther holds top marks for blocks (187 in 2001) and blocks per set (1.43 in 2001), and is second in solo blocks and block assists.

Currently, Gunther is the head coach of both the men's and women's volleyball programs at Division III Baruch College in New York.

Jessica Cegarra ('07)

2003-06: Jessica Cegarra ('07)
Jessica Cegarra stands out on a long list of top middle hitters who have suited up for the Bulldogs. After having an instant impact as a rookie, winning both NE-10 and AVCA Northeast Region Freshman of the Year accolades, Cegarra went on to earn all-conference honors each year, including a first team selection as a senior. Cegarra was a two-time AVCA All-Northeast Region selection as well and earned the RIAIAW Distinguished Student-Athlete of the Year award in 2007.

Cegarra's career totals are among the best in school history in several categories. She ranks first in total blocks (536), block assists (418) and matches played (162), is second in sets played (555), sits third in career kills (1802) and points (2224.0), ranks fourth in attack attempts (3912) and hitting percentage (.298) and holds the fifth slot in solo blocks (118), kills per set (3.25) and points per set (4.01). Her totals also place her in fourth in the NE-10's career kills and blocks lists. Cegarra is currently in her first season as an assistant coach with the Bulldog volleyball program.

Delia Glover ('09)

2005-08: Delia Glover ('09)
Libero/defensive specialist Delia Glover played a starring role in Bryant's success in the second half of the decade. Glover, a two-sport athlete and 2009 Female Athlete of the Year, was also named the RIAIAW Distinguished Student-Athlete of the Year and Bryant's NCAA Woman of the Year nominee as a senior. Glover helped to lead the Bulldogs all the way to the NCAA Northeast regional final in 2007 before taking a leading role in the program's transition up to Division I as a captain during the 2008 inaugural DI season.

Glover finished her career at Bryant third all-time in digs (1847), fourth in digs per set (3.58), fifth in serve percentage (.933) sixth in matches played (156), 11th in sets played (516) and 16th in career aces (162). She ranks eighth for the 583 digs she recorded as a senior in 2008, averaging 4.63 per set to earn her the No. 3 spot for digs per game in a single season. She is tied with classmate and fellow All-Decade selection Maureen Atkins with the most matches played in a campaign, appearing in 45 in 2007.

Maureen Atkins ('09)

2005-08: Maureen "Mo" Atkins ('09)
Libero/defensive specialist Maureen Atkins was a key to the success of the women's volleyball program both on and off the court in her four years at Bryant. After earning a spot on the NE-10 Third Team in 2007, Atkins was proving to be one of the top liberos in the conference before Bryant began the transition to Division I her senior year. Serving as a defensive specialist in 2008, Atkins played a huge role in helping her team to 16 wins in the program's first season competing against DI opponents and was given the Bulldog Award for her efforts and leadership. Atkins was also awarded the Omar Shareef Spirit Award by her fellow student-athletes as a senior.

Statistically, Atkins is in the top-20 on a number of career lists. Among other records, her serve percentage (.951) is the second-best in school history, and she is sixth in career digs (1758) and all-time digs per set (3.31). Atkins also holds the top-two Bulldog single-season records for serve percentage, posting a .971 in 2008 and .966 in 2006, and registered 601 digs in 2007, good for sixth in a single season. She played in 160 sets and 45 matches during a 2007 campaign that saw her lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Sweet 16, numbers that top the record books in a single-season.

Atkins is currently in her first year as an assistant coach at Stonehill College, a member of the Division II Northeast-10 Conference.

THE BRYANT UNIVERSITY ALL-DECADE TEAM (2000s)
Olubunmi "Bunmi" Akinnusotu (1999-2002)
Maria Scocca (2008-present)
Michelle Muniz (2002-05)
Carola Pierluisi (2001-04)
Britta Beckman (2000-03)
Tiffany Garry (2004-07)
Likica Grceva (2006-07)
Sarah Smith (1999-2002)
Allison Gunther (1999-2002)
Jessica Cegarra (2003-06)
Delia Glover (2005-08)
Maureen "Mo" Atkins (2005-08)

Team of the Decade: 2003 (Michelle Muniz, Patricia Jimenez, Carola Pierluisi, Eva Dundas, Britta Beckman, Elisa Kim, Katie Hudak, Jessica Cegarra, Lorinda Eggers, Lindsay Klix, Vanessa Lavalle, Elysce Tackmann, Beth Schlatterer, Head Coach Theresa Garlacy, Assistant Coach Ted Garlacy and Assistant Coach Jeanette Rulli)