Bucknell Volleyball Hosts Rock the House Match Friday

Oct. 29, 2009

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell volleyball will host Colgate on Rock the House Night at 7 p.m. on Friday in Davis Gym. The Bison (8-13, 4-5) are hoping upset the Raiders (11-11, 7-2) and stay in the hunt for their second consecutive trip to the Patriot League Tournament. Live stats will be available on GameTracker at BucknellBison.com.

ABOUT THE BISON

Despite dropping both matches last weekend to Holy Cross and Army, Bucknell had some personal achievements against the Black Knights to smile about. Six Bison set or tied career highs in West Point, N.Y., while a seventh nearly claimed a season-best. Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) and Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon) both recorded personal bests with their 15 kills each. Kamp finished the night with nine total blocks, which was also a personal high. Jackie Landes (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Wildwood School) tied her career high with 10 kills and had a new best with four total blocks. Kaitlin Segal (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Harvard-Westlake), Rachel Rodriguez (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and Lindsay Regruto (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School) each set new personal records in digs. Allison Gittings (Dayton, Md./Glenelg) tallied 41 assists on the night, one less than the season-best 42 she put up a night earlier against the Crusaders.
Bucknell enters the weekend in a fourth-place tie with Lehigh in the Patriot League standings. Claiming one of the league's top four positions is critical to extending the season, as only those leading squads claim a berth at the year-ending tournament and a chance at an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Leading the way is Army, which clinched a berth in the Patriot League Tournament last weekend, Colgate and American.
In addition to her personal bests at Army last Saturday, Kamp hit another career milestone by entering Bucknell's record books. The junior middle blocker now ranks fifth all-time at the university with 194 career block assists. Kamp passed Heather Rendle (1993-96) and is now chasing fourth-place Sarah Groman (2003-06) with 219 block assists.
Gittings faces Colgate on the verge of her own milestone with 499 assists this season. That number significantly improves the senior's career total. Through her first three years in the Orange and Blue, Gittings had amassed a combined 324 assists.
While Gittings leads the Bison in assists and Kamp is tops in blocks, two other Bison also sit among the squad's leaders statistically. Segal became the first Bison to hit 200 kills this season, good for a 2.79 average. She is also second in service aces (24) and digs (189), trailing only Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) who leads 29 aces (.41/set) and 267 digs (3.76/set).
The Bison's Pack the House campaign is geared toward increasing attendance. Campus groups who attend the match and provide the most enthusiasm, best sportsmanship and loudest cheering section will win a coupon toward a free bus trip with Susquehanna Trailways to the group's next formal.

ABOUT THE RAIDERS

Colgate enters the weekend having won seven of its last nine matches. Most recently, the Raiders rallied for a five-set non-conference win over Binghamton at home on Wednesday to improve their overall record to .500. At 7-2 in the Patriot League, they rank second in the standings. Colgate's only two league losses came at the hands of Army.
When Colgate and Bucknell met earlier this month, Colgate came away with the 3-1 victory in Hamilton, N.Y. Kamp finished with 10 kills, Sawanobori had 13 digs and Gittings put up 25 assists. Colgate was more successful on several fronts, however, placing three players in double digits in kills and digs. The Raiders also out-blocked the Bison, 10-5.
At the conclusion of play last weekend, two Raiders held top spots in the Patriot League statistical rankings. Casey Ritt, who is now averaging 1.01 blocks, was the league's top blocker, while Devon Applegate was number one in digs at nearly four per set. Offensively, Colgate has five players with at least 150 kills on the season, led by freshman Kaleigh Durket. Through 22 matches, Durket has registered 276 (3.14/set). Meghan Fanta leads in assists with 547 (6.44/set) and ranks eighth all-time in the Patriot League with 3,789 in her career.
Durket has been recognized twice this season for her strong play. The week prior to playing the Bison, she was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week. After facing Bucknell, Durket was voted the league's Player of the Week. The pair of honors makes Colgate the only team other than Army to earn multiple weekly awards from the league this fall.

UP NEXT
Bucknell will take to the road one last time in the regular season next weekend. The trip will be a short one, as the Bison will face Lehigh on Friday, Nov. 6, followed by Lafayette on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Bucknell University Athletics

Bucknell Volleyball Hosts Rock the House Match Friday

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