Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Vision Broadcast to Showcase Bucknell Volleyball vs. Lafayette on Friday
9/28/2011 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 28, 2011
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - After a heartbreaker at Navy last weekend, Bucknell volleyball will look to get back on the winning track when it hosts Lafayette and Lehigh at Davis Gym this weekend. Prior to the Bison and Leopards' matchup at 7 p.m. on Friday, which will stream live on Bison Vision, the Orange and Blue will recognize Cindy Opalski for her 300th win as Bucknell's head coach. Lehigh and Bucknell will then face off at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats on GameTracker will be available for both matches.
ABOUT THE BISON
- Bucknell begins the weekend at 3-8 overall and 0-2 in the Patriot League after taking losses at American and Navy last week. Despite falling in five sets to the Midshipmen, the Bison had some high points in Annapolis, Md. Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prep) recorded a career-best 21 kills. She is now only one of five players in the Patriot League to total more than 20 kills in a single match this fall.
- Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) tied her career high in blocks with nine against the Mids. She and Lehigh's Amanda Clark are the only league players with more than eight blocks this season. Ellenberger, who also finished with seven blocks against St. Peter's earlier this month, is the only Patriot Leaguer to appear on the conference's top-10 list three times.
- Bucknell held a 2-0 set lead at Navy before falling by a score of 18-25, 19-25, 25-19, 16-24, 15-13. The Bison have only lost three other matches in Patriot League history after winning the first two sets - vs. Lafayette in 1992, at Navy in 1999 and vs. Holy Cross in 2001.
- Bucknell is now 3-3 in sets that go four sets or more, but the team is 0-5 in three-set matches this year.
- Two Bison rank among the top 10 in the Patriot League in blocks this fall. Ellenberger is second overall with a 1.05 block average, just behind Lehigh's Clark at 1.15. Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) is ninth (0.68/set). Edoho is also fifth in attack percentage (.279), while Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) is fourth in assists (8.48/set), Serrato is eighth in kills (2.82/set) and Leylin Marroquin (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) is seventh in digs (3.73/set).
- Edoho has already tied her single-season high in blocks. The junior has 30 on the year, including a career-best eight block solos, equaling her mark from 2010.
- After 11 matches, Bucknell's 2011 record is nearly identical to where it was a year ago. Several of the Bison's stats are better this fall, however, including attack percentage, which is more than .100 points higher. Marroquin, who was second on the team in digs with 67 at this point last season, leads Bucknell with 123 this fall. Serrato is in a similar situation. The sophomore had just nine kills through the first 11 matches but is now leading the team with 124 kills.
- Opalski will be recognized for her 300th win at Bucknell prior to the Lafayette match on Friday. Since the Bison defeated Coppin State 3-1 on Sept. 16, Opalski is now 300-318 as the Orange and Blue's coach. She also has a chance at reaching 400 career victories this season with an overall record of 392-366.
- Bucknell is 33-20 all-time against Lafayette. The Bison have won four of the last five meetings, including each of last season's matches that went in Bucknell's favor in straight sets. Bucknell held Lafayette at under .100 hitting in both 2010 matches.
- Lehigh has a 36-22 edge in the all-time series with Bucknell. After winning 14 straight against the Mountain Hawks, the Bison are just 1-2 in their most recent meetings. During that 17-match stretch, Bucknell has dropped just nine sets. When the two teams played last year, Bucknell won the bout in Bethlehem in straight sets. Lehigh pulled out a five-set match in Lewisburg the following month.
ABOUT THE LEOPARDS
- Lafayette comes to Bucknell on a four-match losing streak. That stretch brings their overall record to 7-7. The Leopards are also 0-2 in the Patriot League after losing to Holy Cross and Army in straight sets last weekend.
- Leading the offense for the Leopards are juniors Kaitlynn Zoller with 112 kills (2.38/set) and Sarah Frohnapfel with 353 assists (8.21/set). Frohnapfel also has the team high in digs with 88, but there are four others who have totaled more than 70 this fall. Freshman Danielle Towslee has made her mark on the offense and defense, leading the team in blocks (35, 0.66/set) and service aces (25, 0.47/set).
- Lafayette was picked eighth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll earlier this fall. The Leopards finished the 2010 campaign with a 5-23 overall mark and were 1-13 in league play.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
- Lehigh, which will play Colgate on Friday night, enters the second week of Patriot League play at 9-6 overall and 1-1 in league action. After falling 3-1 against Army, the Mountain Hawks bounced back for a 3-0 win over Holy Cross last Saturday.
- The Mountain Hawks return all five of their kills leaders from a year ago. In addition to Angelika Kopacz, who is tops on the team this fall with 160 kills (2.96/set) and Paige Kruse with 133 (2.61/set), Clark, Taylor Poole and Courtney McCutchan are also on the verge of breaking the 100 mark. Jessica Kudirka has claimed 522 assists (10.04/set). She and Rachel Charles have combined for 50 service aces, as Lehigh has already amassed 109 for the season. The team totaled 158 aces all of last year.
- Lehigh, which has won five of its last six matches, was picked fifth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. The Mountain Hawks were 13-13 overall, and their 7-7 mark last season earned them fifth place in the league. Poole was a First Team All-Patriot League selection.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will have a short week coming up as it travels to Colgate on Oct. 8. The 4 p.m. match in Hamilton, N.Y., is the Bison's lone contest of the weekend and their only road match in October. They will then return to Davis Gym for their next five matches.
