QU Women’s Basketball Alums Nikoline Ostergaard and Val Driscoll Lead Virum Vipers to 2016 Dameligaen Championship
5/4/2016 12:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Ostergaard and Driscoll Led Virum to Danish Title in the Team's First Season Competing in Denmark's Top Tiered League
VIRUM, Denmark – Former Quinnipiac women's basketball stars Nikoline Ostergaard (Vedbaek, Denmark) and Val Driscoll (Stoughton, Massachusetts) have extended their winning pedigree into the professional ranks as they helped lead the Virum Vipers to the 2016 Dameligaen Championship in Ostergaard's native country Denmark.
"It has been an amazing season!" Ostergaard said. "We were a really young team and we just worked so hard throughout the season. I'm so proud of my team. Winning the Danish national title was great but winning it for Virum Basketball Club, my home team where I started playing basketball and where it all began for me, is a dream come true."
Much like how the former Bobcat duo dominated games in Quinnipiac's program record 31-win 2014-15 campaign, Ostergaard and Driscoll played crucial roles in Virum's title run as Ostergaard averaged 14.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists while Driscoll controlled the interior averaging 12.5 points (56.2 FG%), 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks throughout the 28-game season. They also led the team in minutes played as Ostergaard was first on the team averaging 37.4 MPG while Driscoll was right behind with 34.1 MPG.
"My first season playing overseas was more than I ever imagined!" Driscoll said. "It was so awesome to see our team grow, develop and work hard from August until now. Winning goal is unreal especially coming off a conference championship last year!"
In the 2016 Dameligaen Playoffs, Virum steamrolled both SISU in the quarterfinals and former teammate Boo Abshire's Lemvig squad in the semifinals to advance to the championship series (best-of-five). In the quarterfinal stage (best-of-three), Virum swept SISU in two games while they rolled into the semifinal round and swept Lemvig in the best-of-five series to advance to the title round on a five-game winning streak.
In the championship round (best-of-five series) against Stevnsgade, Virum needed all five games to close out their opposition but did so in dramatic fashion thanks in large part to a 29-point effort from Ostergaard in the title-clinching 66-61 game five victory for the Vipers. Ostergaard finished game five with 29 points (8-14 FG, 10-11 FT) and four rebounds while Driscoll added 12 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks to seal the title for Virum.
Throughout the championship series, Ostergaard and Driscoll were at the top of their game as Ostergaard averaged a line of 16.4 points including a 30-for-33 (90.9 FT%) performance at the free throw line to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while Driscoll posted five straight double-doubles while averaging an imposing 15 points (50 FG%), 16 rebounds and 2.2 blocks throughout the five-game series.
After playing the previous two seasons in the second tier of Danish basketball, Ostergaard and Driscoll led Virum to the Danish Women's Professional League Championship in the program's first season back playing in Denmark's highest professional level of basketball.
An outstanding player in her time with the Bobcats, Ostergaard posted new career highs in every major statistical category including minutes, field goals, three-point field goals, free throws, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and points on her way to an All-MAAC Third Team selection in 2014-15. On the season, Ostergaard averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor 39.3 percent from three and 74.4 percent at the line. Her versatility as a 6-foot forward made her one of the most unique players in the nation as she sat 2nd among all forwards in the nation in APG (3.9) as well as 2nd in the assist/turnover ratio (1.94).
Driscoll made quite the impact in her only year with the Bobcats as she earned her first career All-Conference accolade by being named to the 2014-15 All-MAAC Second Team. A graduate student transfer from the University of Michigan, she posted career-high numbers in points (12.5; 9th in MAAC), rebounds (8.0; 3rd in MAAC) and 2.1 blocks (2nd in MAAC) while leading the conference and ranking 13th in the nation in field goal percentage (56.4). Driscoll racked up eight double-doubles on the season including five straight to finish the regular season.
Ostergaard and Driscoll's championship run for Virum, saddled with former classmate Samantha Guastella's 2016 Luxembourg Cup Championship playing for BBC Etzella, continues to build on the allure and prestigious reign for the Bobcats' Class of 2015. During their four-year run as Bobcats, the class compiled 104 wins (second-most all-time at Quinnipiac) while also winning two conference championships including the first in program history in the 2012-13 season.
"It has been an amazing season!" Ostergaard said. "We were a really young team and we just worked so hard throughout the season. I'm so proud of my team. Winning the Danish national title was great but winning it for Virum Basketball Club, my home team where I started playing basketball and where it all began for me, is a dream come true."
Much like how the former Bobcat duo dominated games in Quinnipiac's program record 31-win 2014-15 campaign, Ostergaard and Driscoll played crucial roles in Virum's title run as Ostergaard averaged 14.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists while Driscoll controlled the interior averaging 12.5 points (56.2 FG%), 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks throughout the 28-game season. They also led the team in minutes played as Ostergaard was first on the team averaging 37.4 MPG while Driscoll was right behind with 34.1 MPG.
"My first season playing overseas was more than I ever imagined!" Driscoll said. "It was so awesome to see our team grow, develop and work hard from August until now. Winning goal is unreal especially coming off a conference championship last year!"
In the championship round (best-of-five series) against Stevnsgade, Virum needed all five games to close out their opposition but did so in dramatic fashion thanks in large part to a 29-point effort from Ostergaard in the title-clinching 66-61 game five victory for the Vipers. Ostergaard finished game five with 29 points (8-14 FG, 10-11 FT) and four rebounds while Driscoll added 12 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks to seal the title for Virum.
Throughout the championship series, Ostergaard and Driscoll were at the top of their game as Ostergaard averaged a line of 16.4 points including a 30-for-33 (90.9 FT%) performance at the free throw line to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while Driscoll posted five straight double-doubles while averaging an imposing 15 points (50 FG%), 16 rebounds and 2.2 blocks throughout the five-game series.
After playing the previous two seasons in the second tier of Danish basketball, Ostergaard and Driscoll led Virum to the Danish Women's Professional League Championship in the program's first season back playing in Denmark's highest professional level of basketball.
An outstanding player in her time with the Bobcats, Ostergaard posted new career highs in every major statistical category including minutes, field goals, three-point field goals, free throws, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and points on her way to an All-MAAC Third Team selection in 2014-15. On the season, Ostergaard averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor 39.3 percent from three and 74.4 percent at the line. Her versatility as a 6-foot forward made her one of the most unique players in the nation as she sat 2nd among all forwards in the nation in APG (3.9) as well as 2nd in the assist/turnover ratio (1.94).Driscoll made quite the impact in her only year with the Bobcats as she earned her first career All-Conference accolade by being named to the 2014-15 All-MAAC Second Team. A graduate student transfer from the University of Michigan, she posted career-high numbers in points (12.5; 9th in MAAC), rebounds (8.0; 3rd in MAAC) and 2.1 blocks (2nd in MAAC) while leading the conference and ranking 13th in the nation in field goal percentage (56.4). Driscoll racked up eight double-doubles on the season including five straight to finish the regular season.
Ostergaard and Driscoll's championship run for Virum, saddled with former classmate Samantha Guastella's 2016 Luxembourg Cup Championship playing for BBC Etzella, continues to build on the allure and prestigious reign for the Bobcats' Class of 2015. During their four-year run as Bobcats, the class compiled 104 wins (second-most all-time at Quinnipiac) while also winning two conference championships including the first in program history in the 2012-13 season.
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