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2008 Review
This time, when the final point hit the hardwood, and the Siena was rewarded with a cross-country trip to play Cal in
Saints jumped in jubilation after capturing their fourth straight Berkeley in the First Round, and the Saints played the Bears
conference championship, the crowd joined in the celebration. tough. McCurty posted a match-high 16 kills in just 26 attacks
That’s because, for the first time since 1996, Siena was able to and the team reached 20 points in the final set of a 3-0 setback.
share its MAAC Championship with its own fans, a fitting end The loss did little to spoil another remarkable season for the
to the perfect careers of the program’s four graduating seniors. dynastic program which has now won a record eight MAAC
titles. Several players were honored for their contributions.
Although the setting changed each year, the plot remained the
same. As freshmen, April London, Kelly Hummel, Kathi Kobayashi McCurty repeated as MAAC Offensive Player of the Year. She
and Emily Kruglik helped the Saints stun the MAAC with a was named MAAC Player of the week seven times and ECAC
Tournament Championship at Niagara. As sophomores they Player of the Week twice on her way to finishing the season
bested all 10 MAAC teams at Disney’s Wide World of Sports ranked fifth nationally with 4.71 kills per set. McCurty’s 561 kills
Complex, and as juniors the title was won on rival Fairfield’s were the most by a Saint in any season in program history.
home court. The cycle was completed on UHY Court at the
Alumni Recreation Center where fans watched alongside a London was named a CoSIDA District 1 Academic All-America
nationally-televised audience as the underdog Saints turned in selection. She ended her career as the school’s all-time leader in
perhaps their most impressive Championship match effort. assists with 5,356 – over 2,000 more than Melanie Buchanan’s
’93 second-place total. For her efforts, London was named
As in the past, the title was far from a sure thing, and the road MAAC Setter of the Year and First Team All-Conference.
to Berkeley, Calif. for the NCAA Championships had more than
its share of bumps in the road. Hummel had a stellar senior year, earning Second Team All-
MAAC accolades after ending the season second on the squad
Just prior to the start of the year, the team learned outside with 2.7 kills per set. Classmate Kathi Kobayashi finished her
hitter Aubrey Bobo was lost for the season due to shoulder career as the school’s all-time leader in career digs (1,428).
surgery. The season began with six straight losses, and the
team lost its first league match of the season at Canisius Despite the loss of the talented senior class whose record four
before rallying for a narrow 3-2 win at Niagara the following straight MAAC titles will never be broken, the future continues
day. That victory sparked a six-match win streak, setting up the to look bright. Bobo is set to return to the frontline where she
first of two matches against the Stags. Fairfield stopped the will provide great balance as McCurty looks to put the majority
Saints’ streak with a 3-2 win in Loudonville. of the school’s offensive records out of reach.
Siena responded with wins in nine of its next 11 matches,
losing only at regional powers Albany and Syracuse.
The streaking Saints were again on a collision course
with Fairfield, and once more the Stags would prove to
be a difficult hurdle. The Stags defended their home
court with a dramatic 3-2 win, all but clinching the
regular-season title. With the Tournament coming to
Loudonville, and history on their side, the Saints would
have a chance for revenge.
Siena won the final two matches of the regular-season,
to secure the #2 seed in the Championships and set up
a semifinal contest against upstart Canisius. Behind 29
kills from Burgandy McCurty, Siena shook off its MAAC
season-opening loss with an easy 3-1 (30-18, 30-18,
26-28 and 25-21) triumph. Fairfield won its semifinal as
well, so for the fourth straight season, the Saints and
Stags met for the MAAC title.
Once again, the Saints turned the tables on their rivals,
winning a surprisingly short 3-0 (27-25, 25-17 and 25-23)
decision. McCurty, the Tournament MVP had 13 kills and
The Saints’ senior class won the MAAC Championship in all four of their
12 digs and Hummel added 13 kills to pace the attack.
years with the program – a feat that can never be broken.
London played a strong match at setter, totaling 35 assists.
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