FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLBY, HAGSTROM NAMED TO AVCA ALL-NEW ENGLAND TEAM

LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates College junior middle back Amanda Colby of Willimantic, Conn., and sophomore setter Kate Hagstrom of Portola, Calif., have been named first-team All-New England by the American Volleyball Coaches Assocation.

Colby led the Bobcats in kills (469) and hitting percentage (.401) this season. She earned All-Tournament honors three times, including at the state of Maine championship and the Eastern Connecticticut State University Tournament, played in her hometown of Willimantic. Colby was named AVCA Division III National Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 6 for leading the Bobcats to fourth place at the 16-team Bates Invitational.

Hagstrom was named Most Valuable Player at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) North tournament held Nov. 13-14 at Tufts University. The second-seeded Bobcats posted wins over No. 6 Trinity College (8-15, 15-13, 15-11, 15-7), No. 2 Wheaton College (15-6, 6-15, 15-4, 15-11), and No. 4 SUNY Geneseo (15-0, 16-18, 15-6, 15-13) on Friday and Saturday. She had 131 assists (10.9 apg) and 19 service aces (1.6 sapg) for the tournament, with high matches of 51 assists against Trinity (who had previously beaten Bates at the NESCAC championships) and 10 service aces against Wheaton. Her season total of 144 aces broke her own school record of 91 set in 1997 and has placed her among the top five in NCAA all season.

Colby and Hagstrom, both two-time All-NESCAC selections, are the first Bates players named to the AVCA All-New England team since 1995. They are now eligible for All-America honors, to be announced Nov. 24.

The Bobcats finished the season with a 25-12 record, their best since 1994. Head coach Marsha Graef, in her 14th and final year of coaching, retires with a record of 416-144. Her winning percentage of .742 is seventh all-time among Division III coaches with more than five years coaching and tops among New England coaches. The ECAC championship was the Bobcats' third, the first title since 1990. The volleyball team joins women's soccer in winning an ECAC championship this fall.

Hagstrom is a 1997 graduate of Portola Jr./Sr. High School. She is the daughter of Jerrold and Julia Hagstrom, Jacksonville, Ore.

Colby is a 1996 graduate of Windham High School. She is the daughter of Gilbert and Sonia Colby, Willimantic, Conn.