Nov. 12, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell volleyball team heads into a critical weekend with contests against Lehigh and Lafayette in Davis Gym. The Bison (11-17, 6-6) will have to make some success of their own and rely on some favorable results in other Patriot League matches if they are to qualify for their first Patriot League Tournament since 2006. Lehigh will try to spoil their chances at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, while Lafayette will give it their best shot at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15.
American, Army and Colgate have already clinched spots in the Patriot League Tournament, leaving one berth still available. Still in the hunt for the fourth and final spot are Bucknell (6-6), which is the current fourth-place team, and Lafayette (5-7), which is in fifth.
Bucknell will also honor its three seniors – Sheena Czipri, Liz Hazuka and Shannon Pitsch – on Saturday. Live stats for both matches will be available on GameTracker through BucknellBison.com.
BISON VOLLEYBALL NOTEBOOK
About the Opponents
Lehigh, which is 8-18 overall and 3-9 in the Patriot League, dropped both its matches last weekend. It began on Friday with 3-0 loss to American before falling 3-1 to Navy the following night. Freshman Angelika Kopacz continues to lead the Mountain Hawks with 290 kills (3.22/set) on the season. Junior Mo McReynolds was injured when her team last played the Bison, but she still ranks second on the team in kills with 214 (2.49/set) during the 2008 campaign. Freshman Jessica Kudirka has a team-best 504 assists (5.73/set), and classmate Emma Melendez leads with 380 digs (3.68/set).
Bucknell defeated the Mountain Hawks 3-1 when the squads met in Bethlehem, Pa., at the end of October. The Bison earned wins in the first two sets, 25-23 and 25-13, before dropping the third, 22-25. Bucknell came back in the fourth set, 25-19, to take the match victory. Sophomore Kaitlin Segal posted her fifth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 12 digs. Freshman Emily Sawanobori topped her in the digs category, totaling 15 in the match. Lehigh finished with two hitters in double-figure kills when Kopacz registered 14 and Maxie McCoy added 10. Kopacz (15) and Melendez (16) also combined for 31 digs. With the win, the Bison reduced Lehigh's lead in the all-time series to 25-21.
Lafayette enters the weekend with the opportunity to play the spoiler and steal the last berth in the Patriot League Tournament. The Leopards will come to Lewisburg after facing Colgate on Friday with an overall record of 12-16. Lafayette split its contests last weekend with a 3-1 win over Navy on Friday, followed by a 3-0 loss to American on Saturday.
Sophomore Kayly Elmer has the highest kills total for the Leopards with 284 (3.26/set) on the season. Close behind is junior Cara Mulholland with 207 (2.11/set). Rounding out the offense is senior Megan Carter, who has totaled 695 assists (6.81/set) prior to the start of weekend play. Defensively, junior Kari Horn has chipped in 352 digs (3.49/set) in 2008.
Lafayette swept the Bison - 25-18, 25-23, 29-27 - when the two teams met in October. Senior Liz Hazuka led the Bison with 10 kills, then her highest total of the season. Pitsch contributed 25 assists, while Sawanobori had a team-best 12 digs in the match. The Leopards had three players in double figures in the kills category in Mulholland (16 kills), Katrina Racibarskas (10) and Elmer (10). Carter also chipped in 35 assists for Lafayette. Despite the loss, Bucknell remained in front in the all-time series, 29-19.
Last Time Out
Bucknell defeated Holy Cross, 3-1, last Friday. The Bison received double-digit kills from four players. Hazuka led the team with 12, sophomore Heidi Kamp added 11 and Segal and freshman Kyleigh McAhren followed up with 10 apiece. Four Bison also chipped in double-digit digs totals. Segal had the team-best 17 digs, Hazuka and Czipri each had 14 and sophomore Rachel Rodriguez totaled 10 more.
The Orange and Blue were less fortunate against Army on Saturday. They were swept by the Black Knights, although all three sets were closely contested. Segal tallied another 10 kills to lead Bucknell, and Kamp registered nine, also bringing her weekend total to 20.
Hazuka recorded one the strongest outings of her career against Holy Cross. In addition to her career-best 12 kills, the senior also set a new best with her 14 digs. Her two block assists also tied a career-high.
For her strong play against both Holy Cross and Army, McAhren was named the Patriot League Baden Rookie of the Week on Monday. The middle hitter tallied 15 kills, four aces, six digs and a block in the two matches. It was McAhren's first league honor and the first by a Bison this season.
Czipri moved into a key defensive role over the weekend for the Bison. As the libero during both matches, she tallied a combined 26 digs.
Freshman Taylor Willis experienced a breakthrough last weekend. The Darien, Conn., native set a new personal best of five kills against Holy Cross. The next night versus Army, Willis tallied four total blocks (1-3), which was also a career high.
Pitsch was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team on Thursday, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced last Thursday. Her 3.73 cumulative grade-point average combined with her involvement in campus and community organizations and her prowess on the court earns her a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot to be voted on later this month.
Looking Ahead
The pair of contests this weekend brings an end to the 2008 regular season. If they qualify, the Bison will play their first match of the Patriot League Tournament on Friday, Nov. 21. The Patriot League Championship match is slated for Saturday, Nov. 22. 
