Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Volleyball Tries to Extend Season at American in Patriot League Tournament Saturday
11/18/2010 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 18, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - After missing the 2009 Patriot League Tournament, Bucknell volleyball is eager to get back in the mix when it takes on American, the No. 1 seed and host school, in the semifinals at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20 in Washington, D.C. Following the Bison-Eagles matchup at Bender Arena, third-seeded Colgate will attempt another upset over No. 2 Army at 6 p.m. Live streaming video for Bucknell's matches can be seen on Bison Vision, while action for all other matches can be found at patriotleague.org.
American, Army and Colgate have made it a habit to be in the Patriot League Tournament recently. Colgate has qualified for the postseason every year since 2007, while American has advanced every year since its first in the Patriot League, which was 2001. Army has the longest active streak, having earned a spot among the league's final four every fall since 1999.
KAMP NAMED FIRST TEAM ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE
Heidi Kamp earned her second career All-Patriot League citation when she was named a First Team selection on Tuesday. The senior co-captain is leading Bucknell in kills (218) and kills per set (2.32) in addition to ranking second on the squad in total blocks (79). Kamp is the first Bison to earn first-team honors since Jenna Henderson in 2007.
TWICE HONORED
With her First Team All-Patriot League honor on Tuesday, Heidi Kamp became the first Bison to earn multiple all-league honors since Jenna Henderson in 2006-07. Kamp, who was a second-team selection as a junior, is also the 11th Bucknellian all-time to be recognized by the league more than once.
Bucknell's Multi-Year All-Patriot League Honorees
| Heidi Kamp (2009, 10) | Brooke Bader (1999, 2000) | |||
| Jenna Henderson (2006, 07) | Emily Pomeroy (1996, 97, 98) | |||
| Chelsea Anderson (2003, 05) | Melissa Wharten (1995, 96, 97) | |||
| Jacki Leahy (2003, 04) | Susie Teitsworth (1995, 96) | |||
| Brandi Trapasso (2002, 03) | Katie Steele (1992, 93, 94, 95) | |||
| Shannon Walker (1999, 2000, 01) |
TOP-10 TAUSCHER
Rachel Rodriguez and Kat Tauscher have proved to be quite the setting duo this season, and Tauscher is finally earning some recognition. The sophomore recently moved into the top 10 in assists for the first time in her career, ranking 10th with 3.60/set in Patriot League action. Bucknell, Colgate and Navy are the only schools with more than one setter in the top 10.
2010 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
The 2010 campaign has yet to come to a close, but there is still plenty of good news to report. Here are some of the highlights.
► Rachel Rodriguez was named to the ESPN Academic All-District 2 First Team on Nov. 4. With a 3.98 cumulative grade-point average, the senior accounting major is the only volleyball player in the Patriot League to earn all-district honors this season. Most recently, she was named to the Academic All-Patriot League on Wednesday.
► Rodriguez' other awards in 2010 include Patriot League Player of the Week and a Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week nods. Both honors came on Oct. 11, just days after the setter recorded a career-best 43 assists in a five-set match vs. Colgate. Rodriguez is the first Bison to be named the league's Player of the Week since Jenna Henderson on Sept. 10, 2007.
► Katie Baumgarten earned a Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week honor of her own on Oct. 4. The junior recorded 18 kills (3.0/set), which was first among Bison, and 26 digs (4.3/set), ranking her second on the squad, in a pair of straight-set victories over Lehigh and Lafayette.
► Cindy Opalski coached her 600th match with the Bison on Oct. 22 at Navy. Now in her 21st season with Bucknell, the head coach is 297-309, ranking first in program annals.
► After a relatively quiet start to her career, Kristen Titley erupted for 19 kills and 14 blocks when Bucknell traveled to Navy on Oct. 22. Both totals smashed the freshman's previous career highs of nine kills and nine digs set at Canisius early in the season.
► The Orange and Blue are 4-1 in matches that have gone five sets this season. The team's first victory of 2010 came 3-2 over Providence at the Bucknell Invitational. They then went on to win their lengthy matches over Navy, Colgate and Holy Cross. Not until Bucknell's meeting with Lehigh on Nov. 5 did the squad fail to pull out a win in five sets.
► Bucknell hosted its annual Dig Pink Night in support of breast cancer awareness on Oct. 8 when it played Colgate in Davis Gym. In addition to posting a five-set win, the Bison also raised more than $600, which was donated to Evangelical Community Hospital's Thyra M. Humphreys Center for Breast Health.
► Bucknell capped off a four-match winning streak by defeating Colgate on Oct. 8. The winning streak was the longest for the Bison since 2006.
► When the Bison take on American on Saturday, it will mark their return to the Patriot League Tournament after a hiatus in 2009. Bucknell clinched its tournament berth with a 3-1 win over Holy Cross on Nov. 12.
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT TITLES
In 20 years in the Patriot League, Bucknell has claimed two tournament titles. The last came in 2000 when the top-seeded Bison defeated No. 4 Lehigh (3-1) and No. 2 Colgate (3-0). Bucknell also ran through Lehigh and Colgate to win its 1998 Patriot League Tournament title.
ABOUT THE NO. 1 EAGLES
► American enters the tournament with eight of the last nine Patriot League Tournament Championships on their resume. Their streak of eight straight was broken last season when they were bested by Army, which ended with both the regular-season and tournament titles. Now in 2010, the Eagles are 27-2 overall and 14-0 in the Patriot League.
► American claimed a good number of the All-Patriot League honors earlier this week. Magdalena Tekiel was voted the league's Player of the Year, while Barry Goldberg was the Coach of the Year. In addition to Tekiel, Cassandra Ricketts and Angelina Waterman were named First Team All-Patriot League. Bianca Richardson was also a second-team honoree. With four selections, the Eagles tied with Army for the most all-league citations this fall.
► Tekiel and Waterman have a commanding lead on the team in kills with 358 (3.89/set) and 323 (3.71/set), respectively. Krysta Cicala has been on the distributing end for many of those attacks, earning the Eagles' top assists mark at 718 (9.70/set). Alexandra Hammer has a higher assists average, however, at 9.79 per set although her total is just 349. Defensively, Deborah Frantz is tops in digs with 344 (3.74/set), while Katerina Cinkova leads in blocks with 85 (1.00/set).
ABOUT THE NO. 2 BLACK KNIGHTS
► Army is looking to defend its Patriot League title for the first time since 1995. Despite being the No. 2 seed, that will be no small challenge for the Black Knights. They are 18-13 overall and 11-3 in the Patriot League, but two of those league losses came at the hands of top-seeded American.
► The Black Knights have a total of four Patriot League Tournament titles: 1991, 1992, 1994 and 2009. ► Army led all teams in major award winners at the conclusion of the 2010 regular season. Karyn Powell was voted the Patriot League Setter of the Year, Megan Wilton the Rookie of the Year and Brittany Jensen the Defensive Player of the Year. All three were Second Team All-Patriot League selections, while Francine Vasquez was a first-team honoree.
► Ariana Mankus is one of seven Black Knights with more than 100 kills. The sophomore has 330 (3.24/set) on the year. She also leads the team in service aces with 30 and is second in digs with 306. Jensen's 409 digs (3.82/set) is Army's top mark. Powell's 1,103 assists (9.68/set) leads in assists, and Wilton's 89 blocks (0.83/set) leads in blocks.
ABOUT THE NO. 3 RAIDERS
► Colgate finished the regular season with an overall record of 17-11 and a Patriot League mark of 10-4. Most recently, the Raiders pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, defeating Army in four sets in the final weekend of regular-season play.
► Colgate has taken four Patriot League Tournament championships back to New York. The Raiders' titles came in 1990, 1995, 1996 and 1999.
► Casey Ritt was the Raiders' lone First Team All-Patriot League selection earlier this week. The senior was joined in recognition by second-team honorees Maureen Colligan and Kaylee Dougherty.
► Colligan leads Colgate in kills this fall with 282 (2.66/set). Close behind are Logan Keala's 249 (2.39/set) and Ritt's 247 (2.29/set). Freshman Kaylee Fifer has made an immediate impact in the assists category, posting the team's top mark of 621 (5.97/set). Keala, Caitlin Cremin and Fifer each have at least 200 digs on the year, while Ritt is tops in blocks with 96 (0.89/set).
IN THEIR PREVIOUS MEETINGS...
► Bucknell failed to get a win off American this fall, although the Bison did push the first match to four sets. Set scores of that September meeting were 25-23, 25-19, 30-32, 25-15. Heidi Kamp posted a team-best 11 kills and six blocks in the contest, but American did one better by putting a trio in double-digit kills. Magdalena Tekiel ultimately finished with a double-double with 22 kills and 12 digs.
► The October meeting (25-11, 25-7, 25-20) between Bucknell and American went even less in the Bison's favor. Kamp again led in kills (5) and blocks (3), but Bucknell recorded a -.012 attack percentage compared to .356 for American. Tekiel finished with 13 kills. At the end of the 2010 regular-season series, Tekiel averaged 17.5 kills and Alexandra Hammer averaged 37.0 assists per match.
► Bucknell was unable to take a set off Army in the teams' two meetings this fall. Kamp and Ragin Jackson each totaled seven kills in the October matchup that Army won 25-21, 25-16, 25-16 at West Point. The Black Knights' Francine Vasquez led all players with 13 kills, and Ariana Mankus added 10. Karyn Powell's 38 assists was also a match high.
► In the final regular season contest of 2010, Army visited Davis Gym and won 25-20, 25-21, 25-20. This time it was Katie Baumgarten's turn to lead the Bison as the junior tallied nine kills and 12 digs. Rachel Rodriguez also had 18 assists. Mankus and Powell stayed steady, recording 10 kills and 38 assists, respectively. Powell also had a double-double, adding 16 digs to her stat line.
► Bucknell and Colgate split their regular-season meetings in 2010. The Bison won the first in an exciting five sets, 25-17, 29-27, 23-25, 18-25, 15-10 at Davis Gym. Both Bucknell seniors posted career highs in the contest, as Kamp finished with 22 kills and Rodriguez added 43 assists. Kamp's total came on .474 hitting. Several Bison also tallied double-doubles, including Rodriguez, who also had 15 digs. Kyleigh McAhren (15 kills-10 digs) and Baumgarten (13 kills-14 digs). Jackson finished the night with 11 kills and seven blocks. Colgate's Casey Ritt had a strong outing as well, recording 10 blocks (2-8) and 10 kills.
► Kamp kept up the trend of efficient hitting in the teams' second matchup, although the Bison lost 17-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-18. The Bucknell middle blocker finished with 12 kills on .429 hitting and six total blocks. On the Raiders' side Logan Keala led all players with 17 kills, and Blaire Safir tallied a team-best 25 assists. Despite the disappointing score, Bucknell did out-block Colgate, 11.0 to 9.0.
