Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Volleyball Looks to Stay in Tournament Hunt at Lehigh, Lafayette
11/5/2009 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 5, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell volleyball will make its final road trip of the regular season, traveling to Lehigh for a 7 p.m. match on Friday and Lafayette for a 4 p.m. match on Sunday. Success in the pair of contests will be crucial if the fifth-place Bison (8-14, 4-6) are to stay within striking distance of qualifying for the Patriot League Tournament.
Live coverage will be available for both matches. Video for the contest with Lehigh can be found at lehighsports.com, while stats on GameTracker for the Lafayette showdown is available at goleopards.com.
ABOUT THE BISON
- Lindsay Smith (Boulder, Colo./Monarch) captured a major award this week, earning ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Second Team honors. With a 3.81 grade-point average while majoring in neuroscience and minoring in religion and children's studies and wealth of community service, the senior co-captain became the only Patriot League student-athlete to be recognized in 2009.
- Heading into the weekend, Bucknell is fifth in the Patriot League standings, one position out of qualifying for the league's year-ending tournament. Two berths have already been claimed by Army and Colgate, but the final two are still up for grabs. American, with a 7-3 league record, and Lehigh currently occupy third and fourth, respectively.
- The Bison have traveled a rough road lately, falling in each of their last three matches. They will be gunning for a reversal of fortune this weekend, however. The team's last two wins came on back-to-back nights against Lafayette and Lehigh.
- The last time the Bison took on the Leopards, Jackie Landes (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Wildwood School) had a breakthrough performance. The freshman hit a career-high 10 kills and .310 attack percentage. She recently tied her career-high kills mark at Army two weeks ago.
- Bucknell continues to out-block its opponents this season, putting up higher numbers in 12 of 22 overall matches and six of 10 Patriot League contests. Most recently, the Bison out-blocked Army 11-6 with the help of nine total blocks from both Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon) and Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson). In total, the Bison have totaled 143.0 total blocks this season, compared to 135.5 for their foes.
- The Orange and Blue currently rank third in the Patriot League in service aces, averaging 1.57 per set. They trail Lehigh and Army in the category.
- Bucknell continues to see the same players lead the way statistically. Kaitlin Segal (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) is number one on the team in kills with 213 (2.84/set), and Allison Gittings (Dayton, Md./Glenelg) leads in assists with 533 (7.11/set). Defensively, Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) is at the head of the list in digs with 278 (3.76/set). Kamp and Jackson are neck-and-neck for the lead in blocks. Kamp sits at 65 (.87/set), while Jackson is at 64 (.86/set).
- Five Bison rank among the Patriot League's top 10 in eight categories as the season heads into the final stretch. Leading the way is Sawanobori who at .39 aces/set, is second in the league. The sophomore also ranks third in digs with 3.76/set.
Bison in the Patriot League Individual Rankings- Attack Percentage: 7. Kamp (.273)
- Kills: 8. Segal (2.84)
- Assists: 6. Gittings (7.11)
- Service Aces: 2. Sawanobori (.39), 8. Segal (.32)
- Blocks: 4. Kamp (.87), 5. Jackson (.86)
- Digs: 3. Sawanobori (3.76)
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
- Lehigh enters the weekend 12-13 overall and 5-5 in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks are playing to maintain their position among the league's top four teams, and they have been successful with that goal lately. Although Lehigh started league play in the midst of a five-game losing streak, it has won each of its last two matches, having defeated Navy and Lafayette both by scores of 3-2.
- When Bucknell and Lehigh met earlier this year, the Bison came away with the 3-0 win (25-21, 25-18, 25-21). Kamp and Segal each had double-digit kills, finishing at 14 and 10, respectively. Segal also posted a team-high 15 digs. The Mountain Hawks' Mo McReynolds led her team with 12 kills, but the Bison out-hit their opponent .272 to .168 in the match.
- McReynolds is second on her team in kills to Angelika Kopacz. Kopacz comes in at 284 kills (2.99/set), while McReynolds sits at 246 (2.59/set). Kopacz is also the reigning Patriot League Player of the Week.
- Jessica Kudirka has been on a roll at setter recently. Although she trails Brittany Dickinson by more than 200 assists this season, Kudirka posted a career-high 47 in her last match against Lafayette.
- Lehigh ranks first in the Patriot League in both aces (1.73/set) and digs (14.84/set) as a team. As individuals, Kopacz (.38/set) and Kudirka (.35/set) are second and third in aces.
ABOUT THE LEOPARDS
- Lafayette has been struggling as of late, entering the weekend at 12-11 overall and 3-7 in the Patriot League. The Leopards have lost their last two matches and five of their last six. They will host Colgate on Friday night before welcoming the Bison on Saturday.
- Bucknell put up a strong all-around effort when these two teams last met. The Bison won 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-17) behind the career-high kills total from Landes. Three Bison also finished with double-figure digs, led by Sawanobori with 12. Cara Mulholland led Lafayette with nine kills. Kari Horn, the league leader in digs, recorded 16. As a team, Bucknell out-hit Lafayette .264 to .146, recorded five more total blocks and served 11 aces.
- Mulholland continues to lead Lafayette in kills this fall with 242 (2.99/set), while Ashton Rossi is tops in assists. At 708 (8.85/set), Rossi ranks third in the league. Joining Horn among the squad's defensive leaders is Alana Taylor with 50 blocks (.64/set).
UP NEXT
The Bison will have just one weekend of regular-season play left following the matches with Lehigh and Lafayette. Bucknell will host Navy at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13 and American at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. Gittings and Smith will be recognized prior to the contest with the Midshipmen as part the Bison's Senior Night activities. Live stats for both matches will be available on GameTracker at BucknellBison.com.
In The Herd: NCAA Championships Preview And Tyler Bienus Feature
Tuesday, March 17
Lafayette at Bucknell Baseball Game Three Highlights 3-15-2026
Monday, March 16
Lafayette at Bucknell Baseball Game Two Highlights 3-14-2026
Saturday, March 14
Colgate at Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Highlights 3-14-2026
Saturday, March 14