Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Volleyball Heads Home for Army, Holy Cross Matchups
10/13/2011 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 13, 2011
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell volleyball kicks off its final homestand of the year, opening a five-match stretch of dates this weekend at Davis Gym. The Bison will meet Army at 7 p.m. on Friday looking to snap a recent skid against the Black Knights. They will then shoot for their third consecutive victory against Holy Cross at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats on GameTracker will be available for both matches.
ABOUT THE BISON
- Bucknell had a short schedule last week, but the tests continued to be tough. The Bison took a 3-1 loss at Colgate, falling 25-16, 21-25, 25-12, 25-15.
- Despite the score against the Raiders, a handful of Bison showed some progress. Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) hit .444, giving the senior her best attack percentage of the season. After failing to record a kill in her first five matches, Baumgarten appears to have turned a corner recently and has at least two kills in each of her last four outings.
- Rose Lewis (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) earned her first career start at Colgate and responded with six assists and a career-best six digs. The sophomore has been steadily making her way into the lineup this season and serving as a key role player after appearing in just one match in 2010. Lewis tallied six assists against St. Peter's in early September and has continued to put up assists in six of her next seven matches. That stretch included a career-best 14-assist performance against Bowling Green at the Bucknell Invitational.
- Speaking of streaks, Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) has recorded at least three blocks in each of her last five matches and in nine of her last 10. The senior continues to lead the Patriot League in total blocks with 1.33 per set in conference play.
- Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius College Prep) became the second Bison this season to reach 100 kills. With 100 kills exactly, she joins fellow sophomore Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prep) who is at 144. Mientus leads the team in kills per set, however, with a 2.94 average.
- Bucknell has lost its last eight meeting with Army, giving the Black Knights a 24-13 advantage in the all-time series. The Bison's last win came 3-1 in the 2006 Patriot League Tournament.
- Army swept Bucknell in both 2010 meetings. The Black Knights held the Bison to under .140 hitting in both matches.
- Bucknell has seen greater success against Holy Cross, leading the series 29-10. The Bison won both of last year's matches and have been the victors in 18 of the last 19 meetings. The one hiccup during that stretch came at Worcester, Mass., in 2009 when the Crusaders won 3-1.
- Bucknell won the first meeting with Holy Cross last season, 3-2, although many of the stats went in the Crusaders' favor. Holy Cross led in kills 70-51, and Chelsey O'Donnell's 57 assists exceeded the total put up by Bucknell as a team. The Bison won again at Davis Gym, and this time the stats indicated their success more clearly. Kristen Titley (Coral Gables, Fla./Palmer Trinity School) and Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) both had 14 kills, the Bison hit .319 as a team while holding the Crusaders to .096 and the kills edge went to the Orange and Blue 62-34. After totaling 23 kills in the first match, Megan Lynch finished with eight in Lewisburg.
ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHTS
- After winning eight of its last 11 matches, Army comes to Lewisburg with a 13-6 record overall and a 4-1 mark in the Patriot League. The Black Knights' lone loss came against American, 3-2, and three of their four wins have been in straight sets.
- The Black Knights, which were picked second in the 2011 Patriot League Preseason Poll, have been spreading the stats around this season. Ariana Mankus leads the team in kills, but with 254 (3.63/set), the junior is just one of five players to surpass the century mark. The same can be said of digs. D.J. Phee is at 316 (4.33/set) and is one of five Black Knights with more than 120. Five-time Molten Patriot League Rookie of the Week Mary Vaccaro leads the team and the league in assists with 847 (11.60/set).
- Head coach Alma Kovaci is set to receive an honor of her own on Saturday when she becomes the first volleyball player to be inducted into Temple's Hall of Fame.
- Army finished the 2010 campaign with at 18-14 overall and 11-3 in the Patriot League. Before the second-seeded Black Knights were upset by No. 3 Colgate 3-1 in the conference semifinals. Francine Vasquez was named first team all-league, and Brittany Jensen, Megan Wilton and Karyn Powell were second-team honorees. Jensen was also the Defensive Player of the Year, Wilton the Rookie of the Year and Powell the Setter of the Year. Of the four all-league selections, only Vasquez and Wilton return in 2011.
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
- Holy Cross begins its weekend 6-15 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League. The Crusaders have straight sets wins over Lafayette and Navy this fall, but those are the only two wins in their last 12 matches. They have won only one set in their other three conference outings, but that ended in a 3-1 loss to American.
- Guiding the Crusaders this season is first-year head coach Erin Walker. Under her tutelage, Lynch leads the team in kills with 287 (4.10/set) and service aces with 21 (0.30/set) while also ranking second in digs with 214 (3.06/set). Elizabeth Watters has the top digs mark at 285 (4.01/set), while Hannah Grace Stokes leads in assists with 542 (8.34/set).
- Holy Cross was voted seventh in the 2011 Patriot League Preseason Poll.
- Lynch was a Second-Team All-Patriot League selection a year ago. Then a sophomore, Lynch set the Holy Cross single-season record in kills when she became the only Crusader in program history to surpass 400 kills. As a team, Holy Cross went 12-21 overall and 4-10 in the Patriot League.
LOOKING AHEAD
This weekend marks the end of the first round of Patriot League action. The Bison get another shot at some earlier losses, starting with Navy and American Oct. 21-22 at Davis Gym. The 7 p.m. match against the Midshipmen on Friday will be preceded by Senior Night as Baumgarten, Ellenberger, McAhren, Lindsay Regruto (Atlanta, Ga./Marist) and Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) will be recognized.
