Field Hockey and Volleyball vie for LEC titles

Conference playoffs are in full swing for fall athletics, and Plymouth State has two teams still in the mix this weekend. Volleyball and Field Hockey are both in the hunt for Saturday’s conference title games, hoping to extend their successful regular seasons into regional or even national tournament play. Women’s Volleyball enjoyed a successful campaign against conference rivals this season, but making a second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament won’t be easy. The Panthers earned a first-round bye after going 6-1 against the Little East, but their path for a repeat may pit them against co-LEC leaders, Eastern Connecticut State University. The Panthers lost twice to Eastern Conn this season – their meeting in last week’s Brandeis Tournament didn’t count as a conference match – and the Warriors are among the top LEC teams in all statistical categories. Eastern Connecticut is a definite favorite to win the conference tournament, but having lost to Keene State earlier this season, an upset is still well within reach for the Panthers this weekend. Also earning a bye in the first round in the Panther Field Hockey team. The Panthers ended their season on a sour note with a loss to Framingham State, but their 9-2 record against the Little East was good enough for a share of the conference title, splitting honors with defending champion Keene State. Plymouth leads the conference in offense and is second only to Keene in defense, but their road to the conference finals pits them first against fourth-ranked Westfield State. Plymouth has to hope their semifinal matchup won’t be a repeat of the 5-1 defeat they took against the Owls in mid-September, or their postseason beyond the LEC tournament could be in jeopardy. All conference-playoff action is taking place at Plymouth State’s own Arold Field, giving the Panthers home-field advantage this weekend as they look to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002. The Westfield-Plymouth rematch is slated for Friday, November 5 at noon.A conference title will earn either team an automatic NCAA tournament bid, but even if they lose, an ECAC berth is an almost certain consolation. At what stage their seasons will extend to will be decided this weekend.