Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Volleyball to Wrap Up Season at Holy Cross, Army
11/10/2011 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 10, 2011
Additional Links:
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Just two matches remain in the 2011 season, and Bucknell volleyball will attempt to go out with a bang when it travels to Holy Cross and Army this weekend. The Bison will face the Crusaders at 7 p.m. on Friday, looking for a repeat of their straight-sets win from earlier in the season, before heading to West Point, N.Y., for a matchup with the Black Knights at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Live video will be streamed for the Holy Cross match, while live stats will be available at Army.
ABOUT THE BISON
- Bucknell was swept by both Lehigh and Lafayette last weekend, ending its postseason hopes. American, Army, Lehigh and Colgate have claimed the four Patriot League Tournament berths, although the seeding won't be set until after this weekend's play.
- Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) was the top Bison in kills in both matches in the Lehigh Valley. The senior led all players with 11 at Lafayette on Saturday. She is now up to 128 kills (1.91/set) for the season.
- After spending quite some time on the milestone verge, Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prep) and Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius College Prep) both hit the 100 kills-100 digs plateau in the same match last weekend. After the meeting with Lehigh, Serrato, who leads Bucknell in kills this fall, is at 188 kills and 100 digs. Mientus comes in at 129 kills and 103 digs.
- Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) surpassed the 600-assists mark at Lafayette. The junior, who entered the season with 315 assists for her career, is now at 604 for the 2011 campaign.
- Bucknell continues to have the usual suspects among the top 10 in Patriot League play, but the Bison also have one new addition. Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) is first in blocks (1.30/set), Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) is ninth in digs (3.03/set) and Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) is 10th in attack percentage (.285). Tauscher remained in seventh for assists (7.50/set), but she was joined for the first time by Rose Lewis (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara), who is now 10th (1.45/set).
- Lewis has made most of her opportunities since conference play began at the end of September. Of her 67 assists for the year, 42 have come in Patriot League action. Twenty-three of her 29 digs and four of her five kills have also come against league foes.
- Ellenberger has increased her Patriot League lead in blocks little-by-little over the last few weeks thanks in part to her consistency. The senior has recorded at least two blocks in all but two matches this season, with the lone exceptions being Dartmouth (0 blocks) and Bowling Green (1) in September. She has twice tallied as many as nine blocks, setting career highs against Manhattan and Navy.
- When Bucknell and Holy Cross met in mid-October, the Bison came away with a 3-0 win. It was Bucknell's 19th win over Holy Cross in their last 20 matches. Mientus finished with 15 kills, and Serrato added 14 with a hitting percentage of .417. Bucknell won on the blocks front, 11-4, as Ellenberger and Edoho chipped in five apiece.
- Bucknell dropped a 3-0 decision to Army earlier in the regular season, giving the Black Knights their ninth straight win over the Bison. Neither team set impressive hitting percentages as Bucknell finished at -.019 and Army was at .097. The Black Knights' defense played a major part in that, however, as they had the edge in blocks, 12-3.
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
- Holy Cross enters its final weekend on Friday as well with an 8-21 overall record and a 4-8 Patriot League mark. The Crusaders have won just two of their last 11 matches. They swept Lafayette and Navy during that stretch. Throughout the season, seven of their eight wins have come in three sets with the only exception being a 3-2 victory over Providence on Aug. 31.
- The Crusaders count on a handful of players to make a variety of contributions around the court. Megan Lynch leads the team in kills (372) and service aces (29), and ranks second in digs (272). Kathleen Colpoys is first in blocks (74) and second in kills (203). Hannah Grace Stokes, the team leader in assists (760), has also claimed 200 digs on the year, and Elizabeth Watters is among the top two in both digs (378) and aces (25).
ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHTS
- Army had an eight-match winning streak snapped last weekend when it fell 3-1 to American. The Black Knights are now 20-7 overall and 10-2 in the Patriot League with both conference losses coming against the Eagles.
- At 284 kills, Megan Wilton is attempting to become the second Black Knight to clear 300 this season. Already past that mark is Ariana Mankus at 365. Mary Vaccaro has been responsible for setting up much of that offense, as the freshman has already amassed 1,164 assists on the year. Despite the big numbers, Army's defense cannot be discounted either. As a team, the Black Knights lead the Patriot League in blocks (2.32/set) and digs (17.34/set). D.J. Phee has totaled 436 digs individually this season.
- Vaccaro has won a record eight Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors this fall, meaning she has missed out on the award just three times. Mankus is also a two-time conference Player of the Week. She is one of only two players to earn the honor more than once this year along with Lehigh's Taylor Poole.
