BY JENN MCDOWELL
Salem native Christina Sadowski is one of Bentley College’s most prolific killers – spiking the volleyball, that is.
Salem native Christina Sadowski is one of Bentley College’s most prolific killers – spiking the volleyball, that is.
The senior middle hitter and team captain, majoring in finance, amassed 1,369 kills in her four years with Bentley, which puts her second on the Falcons’ all-time leader board.
Sadowski, one of four players in Northeast-10 Conference history to record 1,300 kills and 500 blocks in a career, was named the conference Player of the Year on Saturday, Nov. 10.
She led Bentley into the second round of the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional, collecting 20 kills in a 3-2 win against Georgian Court University on Thursday, Nov. 15, at St. John’s University in Oakdale, N.Y. The Falcons dropped a 3-0 regional-semifinal decision to top-seeded Dowling College – winner of 35 straight matches – despite 10 kills and four blocks in her final collegiate match on Friday, Nov. 16.
At a striking 6-foot-1, Sadowski had “freshman starter” written all over her, according to longtime Bentley volleyball coach Sandy Hoffman.
“She definitely earned that position. It is extremely hard to find someone of her abilities,” said Hoffman, who added that one of Sadowski’s best features is her ability to move freely along the net.
Bentley, seeded fourth in the D-II regional, finished 24-10 this season, with 18 shutout wins.
Sadowski’s .367 regular-season hitting average, a number that spiked to .443 in the last 11 matches, was a major reason for the team’s success.
Sadowski posted those results after suffering a torn meniscus during Bentley’s volleyball camp, for which she volunteers as an instructor.
“My knee still isn’t 100 percent,” Sadowski said, adding swelling and soreness occasionally slow her at the net. “I’ve worked hard to come back and play.”
She began at Salem High School as a freshman under Michelle Cassidy, making the middle-hitter position her own by junior year. She also played varsity basketball for the Blue Devils and soccer as a child, but settled on volleyball as her primary sport.
“I think it’s just (that I have) a love for the game. It’s so different from every other sport,” Sadowski said. “Team chemistry is really important. When we all play together, it’s just awesome to watch.”
Sadowski spent last semester studying abroad, visiting Italy, Greece, Croatia, Germany, Hungary and several other places.
In Vienna, Sadowski played on a co-ed recreational volleyball team to stay in shape for Bentley’s season.
All of the players spoke German, Sadowski said, and many spoke English as well, so they translated the coach’s instructions for her.
Sadowski, who carries a grade-point average above 3.8 as she approaches graduation, also works with Hoffman, charged with keeping track of the athletic department’s budgets and finances, and is a member of the college’s Student Athlete Advisory Council.
“She’s just a tremendous person in terms of anything she touches,” Hoffman said.