Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Volleyball to Face American on Friday in the Patriot League Tournament
11/17/2005 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 17, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The No. 4 seed Bucknell volleyball team will make its 15th Patriot League Tournament appearance on Friday, Nov. 18, when the squad is scheduled to take on No. 1 American at 6 p.m., in the opening round of play. As the top seed, the Eagles will be playing host to the Tournament at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C.
The Orange and Blue have a 10-18 record in the Patriot League Tournament, which dates back to 1990. Bucknell won the event in 1998 and 2000 and went on to the NCAA Tournament where the team faces Penn State and Wisconsin, respectively.
American leads the series with Bucknell with a record of 15-1. The Bison's only win over the Eagles came on Oct. 20, 1996, by a 3-2 margin. American has come away with the victory both times the teams have met in the postseason, winning each 3-0, including the 2003 Patriot League Championship.
Sophomore Jenna Henderson (Elk Grove, Calif./Laguna Creek) leads Bucknell in kills per game with 3.07 and junior Amanda Grossmann (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) is tops on the squad in hitting with a hitting percentage of .245. Defensively for the Bison, senior Chelsea Anderson (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Torrey Pines) finished the regular season ranked second in the Patriot League in digs per game (4.38) and also ranked fourth in service aces with 0.58 per game to help her earn Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Patriot League honors.
Cutrina Biddulph heads up the offense for American with a .343 hitting percentage and 4.09 kills per game as both totals rank second in the League. Jennifer Cosco has averaged 3.36 digs per game this season to lead the Eagles' defense.
The winner of the match will advance to the Championship to be played on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. and will face the winner of the semifinal match between No. 2 Navy and No. 3 Army, which will take place on Friday at 8 p.m.
