Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Volleyball Co-Captain Jackie Leahy Wins Pair of Weekly Honors
11/15/2004 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 15, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - On the heels of a career-best 34-kill performance in a must-win Patriot League volleyball match against Holy Cross, Bucknell senior outside hitter Jackie Leahy (Plainview, N.Y./Bethpage H.S.) has been named the Baden Patriot League Player of the Week and the Lewisburg Hotel Bison Athlete of the Week.
Leahy had a team-high 21 kills against Army on Friday night. The strong performance came in a 3-2 loss, however, meaning Saturday's match against the Crusaders in the regular-season finale would carry a Patriot League Tournament berth on the line.
Thanks in large part to Leahy, who was competing in her final home match, the Bison rallied from an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Crusaders in five games and secure the No. 3 seed at the tournament, which begins this weekend in Washington, D.C. Leahy topped the 30-kill plateau for the second time in her career, the other coming earlier this season at Lafayette (31).
The 34 kills against the Crusaders represents the most by any Patriot League player this season. She committed only six errors in 76 attempts in the match for a .368 hitting percentage. She also added 18 digs, giving her double-doubles in both matches over the weekend. Her 34th kill of the night came on match point, as the Bison rallied to win the fifth and deciding game 18-16.
Leahy has moved into third place on Bucknell's all-time kills list with 1,181. She has 377 this season and needs 20 more to crack the top five on Bucknell's single-season chart.
Bucknell (14-12, 8-6) will open Patriot League Tournament play on Friday night at 8 p.m. against second-seeded Army. Top-seeded and host American will play No. 4 Navy in the other semifinal, with the winners squaring off at 7 p.m. on College Sports Television.
