Nov. 14, 2009

At the annual Northeast-10 Conference Volleyball banquet on Saturday morning, the UMass Lowell squad received a bevy of honors for its outstanding season. Head coach Karen McNulty was named Coach of the year while junior Sarah Coscia (Pittsfield, MA) and senior Elsa LeGrand (Highlands Ranch, CO) were named to the First and Third Team All-Conference, respectively.

McNulty, in her 14th season at the helm of the River Hawks, guided the team to a 20-9 overall record. UMass Lowell finished 11-4 in conference play, tying them with Bentley for third in the NE-10. Heading into 2009, the UMass Lowell was selected to finish sixth in Preseason Coaches Poll.

This marks the second time the conference has honored McNulty, naming her the Coach of the Year in 2002 as well.

Outside-hitter Coscia was an integral part of the River Hawk resurgence, landing on the NE-10 All-Conference First-Team. Coscia ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage (.338), third in kills (3.57) and third in points (4.17). During the course of the season, Coscia was named the NE-10 Player of the Week on three occasions.

Senior middle-hitter LeGrand made her way onto the All-Conference Third-Team. She has been named All-Conference in all four years of her career, making the Third-Team in 2006, 2007 and 2009 while playing her way onto the Second-Team in 2008. LeGrand led by example, averaging 2.68 kills per game while collecting a team-high 88 total blocks. The Colorado native now has 407 career blocks and stands just seven short of tying the all-time UMass Lowell record.

Following Friday's 3-1 victory over Pace University in the quarterfinals of the NE-10 Tournament, the River Hawks' win total has topped the 2005 campaign which held a 19-10 overall record and marked the last time UMass Lowell reached the NCAA Tournament.

As a team, the River Hawks' rank in the top five in four major NE-10 statistical categories: they are fourth in kills (12.04), fifth in digs (15.72), fifth in hitting percentage (.203) and fifth in service aces (2.02). For her tenure coaching UMass Lowell, McNulty holds a career win-loss record of 298-226.