FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GRAEF WINS 400TH CAREER MATCH

LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates College volleyball coach Marsha Graef won her 400th career match on Saturday, making her one of the premier volleyball coaches in New England.

Competing at the MIT Invitational, Bates defeated Wheaton College, 3-1, to send Graef to the milestone. After dropping the first game, 15-11, the Bobcats rallied to win three in a row, 15-10, 15-12, 15-5. Bates is 9-3 on the season and off to their best start in four seasons.

Graef's 14-year career record is 400-135. Her .748 winning percentage is the best among any New England Division III coach who has coached more than five seasons and is 10th among all Division III coaches. Graef is the fourth woman in New England Division III history to win 400 matches.

Graef's 1989 team went 36-0, one of only two undefeated seasons in NCAA Division III volleyball history. In 1990, she was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coach of the Year. Her 1993 team was among the first New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) squads to compete in and win an NCAA tournament game.

Graef announced at the start of the season that this will be her final year as a coach at Bates. She will take on extra duties as an athletic administrator, overseeing various aspects the varsity, club and intramural program.

"We have been fortunate to have a coach of Marsha Graef's caliber at Bates for such a long period of time," said director of athletic Suzanne Coffey. "The class with which her teams have represented Bates is remarkable. Her record speaks for itself."

"I never set out to reach a certain number of wins," said Graef of reaching the milestone. "I have been lucky to work with some talented young women throughout my career, players who have been motivated and hard workers. This is as much of an honor for them as it is for me."