FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Puschak Named CACC Volleyball Rookie of the Year
Tauschek, Wenderoth and Rich also honored

New Haven, Conn. (November 5, 2007)- University of the Sciences in Philadelphia freshman middle hitter Christine Puschak has been named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Volleyball Rookie of the Year in balloting released today. Junior Claire Tauschek was also named to the All-CACC Second Team while senior Lindsey Wenderoth and freshman Cady Rich earned honorable mention All-CACC honors.

Puschak (Conestoga Valley High School/Leola, Pa.) helped USP improve from an 8-17 overall record last year to a 16-16 mark this year. The Devils also won five more conference games than last year and will be the fourth seed in the South Division in the upcoming CACC Volleyball Tournament. Puschak ranked fourth in the CACC with 0.60 service aces per-game. Furthermore, she led the Devils with 2.69 kills per-game, a .218 attack percentage and 0.60 service aces per-game. She also averaged 0.73 blocks per-game, second on the team. Puschak is just the second freshman in the history of the volleyball program to record 300 kills in a season, reaching the mark in USP’s final regular season game against Bryant. The former Conestoga Valley High School star has had 10 or more kills in 15 matches this season with a career-high 21 against American International College. Christine was also an honorable mention All-CACC selection.

Puschak becomes the second USP volleyball player to earn Rookie of the Year honors in the four-year history of the award, joining teammate Claire Tauschek (Middleton High School/Verona, Wis.) who won the award in 2005. Tauschek, after earning first team honors in 2005 and 2006, was named to the All-CACC Second Team in 2007. Tauschek leads the team in digs (5.63) and ranks second in the CACC. In a match against Holy Family last week, she became the first USP volleyball player to record 600 digs in a season.

Outside hitter Lindsey Wenderoth (Owings Mills High School/Reisterstown, Md.) and freshman middle blocker Cady Rich (Shelton High School/Shelton, Conn.) were also named honorable mention All-CACC. Wenderoth is second on the team in digs (3.96) and third on the team in kills (2.46) and aces (0.37). The senior outside hitter earned her first CACC Player of the Week honors on October 8, 2007 and has been named to the CACC honor roll in each of the last three weeks. Rich currently leads the CACC in blocks (1.24) and is second on the USP squad, averaging 2.49 kills per game.

USP’s four honorees this year brings their total to seven different players over the past five seasons to have earned at least honorable mention All-Conference honors, with two players, Tauschek and Emily Roth earning first or second team honors three times.

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