Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Volleyball Gears up for Two Home Matches Against League Opponents This Weekend
10/19/2005 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 19, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - This weekend the Bucknell volleyball team will play host to Navy and American in two key Patriot League matches Friday and Saturday evenings in Davis Gym. The Bison will face the Midshipmen at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21, and take on the Eagles on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.
Prior to taking the court against American on Saturday night, The Bison will honor Chelsea Anderson (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Torrey Pines), Becky Fisher (Darien, Conn./Darien) and Jessica Le (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion), the three seniors on this year's squad who will be playing in their final regular season home league match. The evening will also feature "Rock the House", a promotion open to all groups on Bucknell's campus, which will have various student groups vying to win a $500 bus voucher from Susquehanna Trailways, good for transportation to the winning organization's next formal or event.
Friday's match marks the 29th meeting all-time between the Bison and the Midshipmen. Navy enters the contest with a 14-6 overall record and sits just behind Bucknell in the Patriot League standings at 5-3 on the year. Bucknell comes into this weekend's action at 13-9 overall and 5-2 in league play. The Bison are 13-15 all-time against the Mids and have won the most recent meeting between the squads, taking home a 3-2 victory back on Sept. 24.
Saturday will be the Bison's 16th time facing the Eagles since the squads first met in 1989. American enters the weekend with a 15-8 overall record and sits atop the league standings at 7-1. Bucknell has a 1-14 record all-time against American after most recently falling to the Eagles by a 3-0 margin back on Sept. 23.
Bucknell junior Jennie Smith (Roanoke, Va./Patrick Henry) has a team-best hitting percentage of .258, which ranks ninth in the Patriot League while her squad-leading 0.84 blocks per game is sixth. Sophomore Jenna Henderson (Elk Grove, Calif./Laguna Creek) is averaging 3.12 kills per game, good for first among the Bison and seventh in the league and Anderson, second in the league in digs, leads Bucknell with 4.28 digs per game. Setters Shannon Pitsch (Oak Brook, Ill./Fenwick) and Le have shared duties for the Bison this season and are averaging 5.61 and 5.73 assists per game, respectively.
Beth McArthur leads Navy's offense with 3.11 kills per game, 1.04 blocks per game and has a hitting percentage of .354. McArthur ranks second in the Patriot League in hitting percentage and blocks per game and eighth in kills per game. Jessie Simms has a team-best 3.40 digs per game, good for seventh in the league and setter Ashley Musser is averaging 6.60 assists per game.
Heading up the American squad is senior Cutrina Biddulph who enters the weekend leading the team in kills per game (4.18) hitting percentage (.362) and blocks per game (1.09) and leads the Patriot League in hitting percentage and blocks while ranking third in kills. Jennifer Cosco has a team-best average of 3.26 digs per game and setter Christina Nash has 7.67 assists per game on the season.
Bucknell will play just one more regular season match at home after this weekend's action as the team will host La Salle on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.
