Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Army
Bucknell Volleyball Advances to Patriot League Championship with 3-1 Win over Army
11/17/2006 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 17, 2006
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On her way to claiming the Bucknell single season assists record, sophomore Shannon Pitsch (Oak Brook, Ill./Fenwick) helped the Bison volleyball team advance to the Patriot League championship match with a 3-1 win over Army in league semifinal action on Friday evening in American's Bender Arena. With the victory, the Orange and Blue improved to 20-11, marking the fifth time in the 29-season history of the program that a squad has reached the 20-win plateau. The Black Knights end the 2006 campaign with a 21-8 record, following the loss.
Pitsch logged a double-double in the match with 45 assists and 18 digs. Her 45 helpers brought her season total to 1179, surpassing the previous Bison record of 1175, set by Whitney Williams in 2000.
"I think Shannon did a great job tonight and played with a high level of maturity," said Bucknell assistant coach Anna Allison, "Seeing the way she has developed, I know that she is going to continue to improve as her career progresses and I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to coach her for two more years."
Sophomore Emilie Hardinge (Darien, Conn./Darien) paced the Bucknell offense with 16 kills, while junior Jenna Henderson (Elk Grove, Calif./Laguna Creek) followed with 15 kills, a team-high four service aces, nine digs and two block assists. Seniors Sarah Groman (Hollister, Calif./San Benito) and Jennie Smith (Roanoke, Va./Patrick Henry) posted kill totals of 11 and eight respectively, with Groman hitting .360, committing just two errors in 25 attempts. Groman, Smith and senior Amanda Grossmann (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) headed up the blocking effort for the Orange and Blue with five apiece, while Pitsch added three block assists. Senior Kristen Sydlowski (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) compiled a match-best 27 digs and freshman Rachel Freeman (San Mateo, Calif./San Benito) contributed 11 digs.
Jamie Clark led Army's attack with 21 kills, hitting .486 (21-4-35) with eight digs. Elizabeth Lazzari recorded 15 kills and 20 digs, Danielle Cooper had 11 kills and four blocks (1-3), setter Maureen Bannon tallied 52 assists and 19 digs and Eileen Cassidy added 13 digs.
The squads were evenly matched in game one, with neither side managing to mount a sizable lead in the contest. With the Bison trailing by one at 28-27, a kill by Groman evened the score and an Army attack error gave Bucknell a one-point advantage. Hardinge followed with a kill to seal a 30-28 victory for the Orange and Blue in the opening frame.
Then in game two, with the Bison in front by a narrow 8-7 margin, the squad widened the gap with a 16-5 run as Bucknell rolled to a 30-18 win to pull ahead, 2-0 in the match.
However, the Black Knights fought back in game three. On the verge of dropping the match, 3-0, Army rallied from a two-point deficit at 26-24 with a 6-1 run to take the third game by a 30-27 margin.
After trailing 1-0 in game four, the Orange and Blue tallied the next six points for a 6-1 lead and remained ahead for the duration, punching its ticket to the championship match by winning the final game, 30-26.
"Our whole game plan for this tournament was to have a balanced attack and our stats showed that, even with Jenna Henderson being as talented as she is, we have a plethora of offensive threats," said Bucknell head coach Cindy Opalski. "Our intention was to go into tonight, play as a team and execute our fast-paced game and we were successful in that effort."
The Bison, who advance to the Patriot League title match for the fifth time since the tournament field was trimmed to four in 1996, will face five-time defending champion American tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. in Bender Arena.
