Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Volleyball Hopes for Repeat at Navy, Revenge at American This Weekend
10/21/2010 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 21, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell volleyball will open the second round of Patriot League action at Navy and American this weekend, hoping to continue its success on the road. The Bison are in the middle of a road swing that takes them away from Davis Gym for seven of eight matches in October and have so far been the victors in four of their first five tries. With the league standings tightly packed, Bucknell will look to maintain its third-place position when it travels to Annapolis, Md., for a 7 p.m. match with Navy on Friday, followed by American at 3 p.m. on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
Live stats on GameTracker will be available for Bucknell's contest with Navy. For those fans planning on attending the match in Annapolis, visit the Navy Sports Game Day Guide for information about gaining access to the U.S. Naval Academy's campus.
ABOUT THE BISON
- Bucknell split decisions last weekend, falling 3-0 to Army before defeating Holy Cross, 3-2, on the road. The outcomes brought the Bison's record to 7-12 overall and 5-2 in the Patriot League with seven matches remaining in the season. The team's 5-2 mark also put them in third place in the league standings.
- The last time Bucknell went 5-2 after the first round of Patriot League play was in 2005. That squad went on to close out the year with a 17-14 record overall. The Bison also finished fourth in the league standings with a 9-5 mark.
- Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon) shared the team lead in kills in both of last week's matches. The senior tallied seven against Army, tying Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson), and 10 opposite Holy Cross, equaling Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin Siena). Kamp also had a hand in all four of Bucknell's blocks against the Crusaders.
- By defeating Holy Cross in five sets, Bucknell is 4-0 in matches that have gone the distance this year. The Bison also have five-set victories against Providence, Navy and Colgate. Bucknell is 2-9 in three-set matches and 1-3 in contests that go four sets.
- Bucknell has now won five of its last six matches. That impressive run has improved the Bison's record from 2-11 on Sept. 24 to the current 7-12.
- Kamp continues to chip away at the Bucknell record lists in blocks. The co-captain remains third in block assists with 258, trailing No. 2 Jennie Smith's 284. Kamp also has 299 block assists putting her three shy of fourth place, which is currently held by Heather Rendle.
- When Cindy Opalski and her team take on Navy on Friday night, the head coach will be leading the Bison in her 600th match. Now in her 21st season at Bucknell's Helm, Opalski is 294-305, ranking first in program history in wins and total matches coached.
- Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) is looking to hit the century mark in kills and digs this weekend. The junior, who will be the first Bison this year to reach both milestones, has already set single-season highs in both categories with 93 kills and 98 digs. The last Bucknellians to record at least 100 kills and 100 digs in the same season were McAhren (101 kills-106 digs) and Kaitlin Segal (253 kills-233 digs) last year.
- Bucknell is 4-4 in true road matches this year. Despite the even record, some Bison have thrived away from their home court. Among them is Baumgarten who is averaging 2.05 kills and 2.40 digs on the road, compared to 1.86 kills and 1.91 digs at Davis Gym. Her younger teammate Titley has posted similar numbers with a 1.44 kills average on the road and a 0.57 mark at home. The freshman also has more than three times as many digs in away matches.
ABOUT THE MIDSHIPMEN
- With one round of Patriot League action to go, Navy is 7-16 overall and 1-6 in the league. Its lone victory in league play came in a five-set battle last weekend against Lafayette. The Midshipmen lost in straight sets to Holy Cross, Army and American as well.
- Navy's leaders have remained the same since the Mids and Bison met in September. Erin Fortner is tops in kills with 196 (2.36/set). With 353 assists (4.25/set), Fortner is second on the squad only to Jenny Rudewicz, who has 400 (4.65/set). Holly Berger has claimed 321 digs (3.73/set) on the year, while Ndidi Ibe is at 76 total blocks (0.90/set).
- Against Patriot League foes, Navy ranks in the top half of the standings in attack percentage (.176), assists (10.78/set) and kills (11.74/set). Rudewicz (seventh, assists), Ibe (ninth, blocks) and Berger (sixth, digs) can also find their names among the top 10 in the league's individual rankings.
- Bucknell defeated Navy in five sets (23-25, 25-10, 15-25, 25-19, 17-15) to claim its first league win of the year back in September. The win gave the Bison their fourth in five tries against the Mids and evened the all-time series at 19 apiece. Kamp set what was then a career high with 21 kills, and Rachel Rodriguez (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) each served four aces for the Bison. Navy's Rudewicz finished with a double-double, recording 21 assists and 17 digs.
ABOUT THE EAGLES
- After defeating UMBC in straight sets on Wednesday night, American improved its overall record to 20-2. The Eagles' 7-0 mark in the Patriot League ranks them first in the standings as well. American's last loss came at Oregon on Sept. 10, and the team has since gone undefeated in its last 14 matches.
- Magdalena Tekiel and Angelina Waterman remain neck-and-neck at the top of the kills list for American. Tekiel leads with 263 (3.81/set) on the year, while Waterman is a close second with 248 (3.76/set). Krysta Cicala has led to many of those kills, leading the team in assists with 530 (9.46/set). Katerina Cinkova and Bianca Richardson are fighting their own battle on the blocking front, as Cinkova has 63 (1.00/set) and Richardson is at 62 (0.90/set) total blocks. Deborah Frantz leads in digs with 260 (3.71/set).
- American ranks first or second in Patriot League action in five different team categories, including attack percentage (first, .265), kills (first, 14.13/set), opponent attack percentage (second, .125), assists (second, 12.87/set) and blocks (second, 2.50/set). The Eagles also have seven individuals ranking among the league's top 10 in six different categories.
- Juliana Crum earned the first Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor for American on Monday. That was not the Eagles' first award, however. They also have claimed five of the league's eight Player of the Week honors this season. Tekiel has four of those to her name, while Waterman has the fifth.
- American defeated Bucknell in four sets (25-23, 25-9, 30-32, 25-15) when the teams first met this fall, taking its series lead to 27-1. Tekiel led all players with 22 kills and added 12 digs, while Alexandra Hammer added 43 assists. Kamp posted 11 kills, and Kristen Titley (Coral Gables, Fla./Palmer Trinity School) served three aces off the bench for the Bison.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will try to stay in the postseason hunt when it wraps up its road schedule at Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 30. The match in Hamilton, N.Y., is slated for a 4 p.m. start.
