To say that Colby will have a different look this upcoming season is a major understatement after losing four key seniors.

“There will be no replacing the natural leadership that Kaitlin Adams has brought to this team these past two seasons,” said head coach Candice Parent. “Team chemistry has had a great deal to do with our success over the last four seasons and I attribute that to great leadership.”

Colby returns key starters in senior tri-captain Kendall Kirby ’07 (Piedmont, Calif.), who led the team with more than five digs a game and was selected as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Setter Jenny Lawrence ’09 (Lafayette, Calif.) was selected to the New England Regional All-American Honorable Mention team, only the second player ever to do this as a first-year at Colby. She set a new school record with an astounding 1,331 assists (9.95 per game) this season.

“I think Jenny is the best all-around setter in New England, especially for her size,” Parent said. “She’s the complete package; she not only runs the offense efficiently, she serves tough, and plays great defense.”

Tri-captain Julie Hike ’07 (Falmouth, Mass.) will be called upon to continue playing a valuable roll at the net, both offensively and leading the team in blocking. Middle Meredith Lawler ’09 (Lynnfield, Mass.) improved tremendously in her first year of collegiate volleyball and will be asked to step in and be a go-to player for the Mules this season. Jessie Prentice ’08 (New York, N.Y.) played behind two great outside hitters in Megan Devlin ’06 and Cait Cleaver ’06. She has worked hard to improve every aspect of her game and will be called upon to make an impact.

Head coach Candice Parent and the Colby volleyball team had a dream season in 2005.

NESCAC champions, NCAA New England Regional champions, a 37-4 record, an unbeaten record in NESCAC during the regular season. The list went on and on for the Mules.

The NESCAC tourney championship title and the New England regional title happened in front of big crowds at Colby's Wadsworth Gymnasium. After going 10-0 in league play during the regular season, the volleyball team hosted the NESCAC tourney November 4-6. The Mules won three straight matches, including the title match win over Tufts University, to earn Colby's first NESCAC title in any sport in a round-robin tournament format (the 2003 women's crew won Colby's first NESCAC title by finishing first among NESCAC schools at the ECAC meet).

Colby earned its first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament bid by winning the NESCAC tourney. The Mules followed that excitement by hosting the NCAA New England Regional the following weekend. The Mules once again won three straight matches, including another victory over Tufts in the regional final. An enthusiastic crowd of more than 1,000 fans watched the win over the Jumbos.

The Mules' season finally ended in the NCAA quarterfinals with a loss to defending national champion Juniata College in Salem, Virginia. Colby finished the year ranked 19th in the country in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll.

Senior tri-captain Cait Cleaver became the first Colby volleyball player to earn All-America third team honors. Cleaver had been named an honorable mention All-American after her sophomore season. She finished as Colby's all-time leader in kills (1,562) and defensive digs (1,648).

Senior tri-captain Kaitlin Adams earned honorable mention All-America honors after leading the NESCAC in hitting percentage at .378. Adams finished her career as the all-time hitting percentage leader (.333). She finished with a team-best 135 blocks this year and had 425 kills.

Adams and Cleaver both earned New England All-Region and NESCAC first team honors. Megan Devlin (388 kills, 576 digs), Mariah Daly (295 kills), Jenny Lawrence (1,473 assists) and Kendall Kirby (118 aces, 764 digs) also had big years for the Mules.

Colby's success helped Parent earn New England Region and NESCAC Coach of the Year honors.

Colby will have a core group of five experienced seniors on the roster for the 2005 season, having lost only one senior to graduation. After some extremely heartfelt losses to top programs in New England, Colby' veterans are ready to prove that they are capable of competing with anyone in the region and are willing to work to make sure they finish on the winning side of those matches this season.

The team will continue to look to senior tri-captains Kaitlin Adams (Athol, Mass.), Caitlin Cleaver (Kennett Square, Pa.), and Megan Devlin (Branford, Conn.) for leadership on the court both offensively and defensively. The trio combined for more than 70 percent of Colby' offense in 2004. However, senior right-side hitter Mariah Daly (Baltimore, Md.) came on strong at the end of the 2004 season as she proved to be a clutch hitter in many matches. After putting in a year of collegiate setting experience, Colby setters Jennifer Radcliffe, a senior (Eugene, Ore.), and sophomore Cassie Sancartier (Haverhill, Mass.) will look to run a more diversified and consistent offense with this group of powerful hitters.

First-year Meredith Lawler (Lynnfield, Mass.) is expected to add depth to Colby' offense in the middle. That will allow junior Julie Hike (Falmouth, Mass.) to move to the right side and take advantage of her strong blocking skills. She led the Mules with nearly one block per game last year.

Colby volleyball has been a varsity sport at the College since 1991. During its short history, the program has attained an elite status within New England and across the country. The program earned a first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament bid in 2005, earned a national ranking of 19, and won Colby’s first NESCAC team tournament title.

The Mules also have won six Maine State Championships, been NESCAC runner-up once, and received one Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament bid. Colby has finished in the top five in NESCAC, one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and in the top 15 in New England for the past five years.

Outside hitter Jackie Bates ’98 (Spokane, Wash.) first put the program on the map with her incredible all-around abilities. She continues to hold four school records. For her accomplishments, Bates was the first Colby volleyball player to have her jersey retired.

Outside hitter Cait Cleaver ’06 (Kennett Square, Pa.) was named to the 2005 American Volleyball Coaches Association National All-America Third Team and became Colby’s only player to ever receive such an honor. Cleaver also earned the NESCAC Player of the Year honor.

Cleaver was the New England and NESCAC Rookie of the Year after the 2002 season. In that same year Kimberly Prescott ’03 (Buena Park, Calif.) and Cleaver were Colby’s first-ever players to be selected to the Regional All-America Team.

Cleaver was the only junior ever to attain more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career and only the second Colby player to accomplish this feat (Amanda Cuiffo ’02 was the other). She finished her career as the Mules’ all-time leader in both kills (1,712) and digs (1,648).

Kaitlin Adams ’06 (Athol, Mass.) had a storybook ending to her career in 2005 by being selected to the Regional All-American First Team, NESCAC First Team, NESCAC All-Academic Team, and CoSIDA District I All-Academic Team. She holds the school record for hitting percentage for a season with a .333 average.

About Wadsworth Gymnasium