Bucknell Volleyball Returns Home for Final Stretch

Nov. 5, 2008

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell volleyball team returns to friendly Davis Gym for a four-game home stretch to end the regular season. Still in the Patriot League playoff hunt, the fourth-place Bison will lead off with Holy Cross at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7. The squad then takes on Army at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8. Live stats for both matches will be available on GameTracker through BucknellBison.com.

BISON VOLLEYBALL NOTEBOOK

About the Opponents

Holy Cross fell to 1-21 overall and 0-10 in the Patriot League following its match with Army last weekend. The Crusaders were swept, 25-9, 25-19, 25-18, by the Black Knights.

Leading the team in kills in 2008 is junior right side hitter Samantha Surface with 182 (2.46/set). Sophomore Chelsey O'Donnell continues to lead the Crusaders in assists and digs. The setter has accumulated 503 assists (7.08/set) and 22 aces (0.31/set) during the season. Holy Cross is aided defensively by 241 digs (3.21/set) from sophomore libero Angela Chisholm.

Bucknell swept the Crusaders when they met in Worcester, Mass., in October. Sophomore Kaitlin Segal's 14 kills helped the Orange and Blue to the 25-22, 25-18, 25-16 victory. Classmate Heidi Kamp had a hand in several aspects of the match, adding eight kills, two service aces, three digs and a block assist to the cause. With the win, the Bison extended their all-time series lead to 25-9.

Army, which plays Colgate on Friday, enters the weekend with a 22-3 overall record. At 9-1 in the Patriot League the Black Knights are second in the league standings and have already qualified for the league tournament. The victory over Holy Cross also marked their fourth consecutive season of reaching at least 20 wins. Army's only league loss this year came to American in late October.

The Black Knights have continued to rely on the same individuals since they last met the Bison in early October. Senior outside hitter Briana Stremick leads the team in kills this season with 243 (3.00/set), but classmate Jamie Clark is close behind with 235 (2.94/set). Junior Maureen Bannon has kept up her effective play at setter, registering 770 assists (10.55/set). After earning Patriot League/Baden Player of the Week honors on Sept. 22, she repeated the feat a month later on Oct. 20. Stremick is also a key player defensively with 61 total blocks (0.75/set).

Army swept Bucknell in their previous meeting this season, 25-14, 25-17 and 25-16. Segal led the Bison in kills with 10, while freshman Emily Sawanobori had a team-high 11 digs in West Point, N.Y. Army earned the victory on strong hitting from Clark, Rachael Breinling and Rachel Dunn. The three Black Knights each totaled eight kills on better than .400 hitting. With the loss, Bucknell continues to trail in the all-time series, 13-19.

Last Time Out

Bucknell stumbled at Colgate last Friday, losing 3-0. After dropping the first two sets 25-13 and 25-15, the Orange and Blue fought through a close final set before eventually falling 25-23.

Kamp led the Bison in the kills category against the Raiders. She finished the evening with 10 kills and a .500 hitting percentage (10-1-18). Pitsch posted team highs in assists (24) and digs (8). The setter also registered three kills on four attempts and one block assist.

With the loss to Colgate, Bucknell slips to fourth place in the Patriot League standings. The top four teams at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the Patriot League Tournament. Only two spots remain after American qualified nearly two weeks ago and Army assured itself a trip with its win over Holy Cross last weekend. The Bison will try to overtake Colgate, which sits in third with a 6-4 record. They will also try to hold off a number of other teams, including fifth-place Lafayette with its 4-6 record.

Looking Ahead

The Bison will conclude the regular season with bouts with Lehigh at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14 and Lafayette at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15. Both matches will be played in Davis Gym, and live stats will be available on BucknellBison.com.

Bucknell University Athletics

Bucknell Volleyball Returns Home for Final Stretch

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