Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Volleyball Opens Round Two of PL Play with Lehigh, Lafayette
10/18/2012 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 18, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Round one of Patriot League play is in the books, so Bucknell volleyball will look to turn the page and the corner this weekend when it hosts Lehigh and Lafayette at Davis Gym. The Mountain Hawks are hoping to stay in the top half of the conference standings as they make their final push against the Bison (6-16, 0-7 PL) at 7 p.m. on Friday, while the Leopards hope to have a turnaround of their own starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats on GameTracker will be available for both contests at BucknellBison.com.
BISON NOTEBOOK
- Bucknell saw its current losing streak stretch to nine matches after a pair of losses to American and Navy last weekend. The Bison had one of their best showings against the Eagles in recent matches, however, taking a set for the first time since 2010.
- A handful of Bison recorded career bests against American last Friday. Among them was Sarah Morris (Marietta, Ga./Pope), who finished with six kills and four blocks. Entering the match, the sophomore had just two kills and three blocks for her career. Katie Price (Los Angeles, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) also had a personal-best 20 digs.
- Through the first seven Patriot League matches this season, a number of Bison find themselves on the conference's top-10 lists. Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) is fifth in both attack percentage (.300) and blocks (1.15/set), while Karen Campbell (Chesapeake, Va./Cape Henry Collegiate) is sixth in blocks (1.12/set). Bucknell is third in the Patriot League with 2.50 total team blocks per set.
- Offensively, Claire Healy (Tiburon, Calif./Saint Ignatius College Prep) is seventh in kills (2.88/set) and Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) is sixth in assists (6.50/set).
- Although Bucknell has struggled to close out matches, the Bison have played some of their best volleyball in the second set. They have won the second frame in 10 of 22 matches, while winning the first only six times, the third on seven occasions and the fourth four times. Bucknell has not won a fifth set this season.
- Thanks in part to severe storms and flooding last year, the Bison have now played nearly the same number of matches in 2012 as they did in 2011, making this a prime time to draw some comparisons. Bucknell has an overall record of 6-16 this year and finished the 2011 campaign at 6-17. As a team Bucknell has 173 (2.19/set) total blocks this year, up from 151 (1.84/set) last season. Edoho's kills total is up from 134 to 147, while her blocks numbers have also improved from 53 last season to 81 now. Hannah Young (McConnellsburg, Pa./Broadfording Christian Academy (Md.)) has more than doubled her kills and blocks totals from one season to the next as well. Kellye Zobrist (Scottsdale, Ariz./Notre Dame Prep), who had one service ace all of last year, is now at 11.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
- Lehigh makes the trip to Lewisburg with a 7-10 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks are one of three teams currently tied for third in the league standings, along with American and Navy.
- In the first round of Patriot League action, Lehigh primarily alternated wins and losses. Just before defeating Bucknell 3-1, the Mountain Hawks fell in straight sets to Colgate. They also defeated American 3-2, Lafayette 3-0 and Holy Cross 3-0. Lehigh lost to Navy 3-2 and Army 3-0.
- In seven Patriot League matches, Taylor Poole is third in attack percentage (.328) as she attempts to repeat as a First Team All-League honoree. The defending Patriot League Libero of the Year Rachel Charles is third in digs (4.85/set), and Amanda Clark is eighth in kills (2.85/set).
- Lehigh leads in the all-time series with Bucknell, 39-25. The Bison have lost the last four, giving them their longest losing streak to the Mountain Hawks since they lost four straight in 2001-02. The last time Bucknell lost five consecutive matches to Lehigh was in 1984-87 when it dropped six in a row.
- Bucknell is 14-12 all-time against Lehigh when playing at home. The Bison are 8-2 at Davis Gym since 2003 but have lost the last two meetings.
- In the teams' first meeting of 2012, Lehigh won 3-1 with set scores of 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-13. Bucknell won the first set with a .211 attack percentage, the only time in the match it hit better than .100. Edoho, Campbell and Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./Saint Ignatius College Prep) each had five blocks. Edoho also had a team-best 10 kills. The Mountain Hawks' Clark led all players with 16 kills.
SCOUTING THE LEOPARDS
- Lafayette heads into the weekend at 9-9 overall and 2-5 in the Patriot League, placing it sixth in the conference standings. The Leopards will play at Colgate on Friday night before heading back south to take on Bucknell.
- In the first round of Patriot League play, Lafayette opened with its 3-1 win against Bucknell. The Leopards then went on to lose to Colgate 3-0, American 3-0, Navy 3-2, Lehigh 3-0 and Army 3-0. Their only other win was 3-1 against Holy Cross.
- During league play, Sarah Frohnapfel has put herself in fourth place in assists (8.44/set). As a team, Lafayette is third in digs (15.64) and Lauren Pisauro is fourth individually in digs (4.76/set). Pisauro did not play when Bucknell and Lafayette met in September.
- Bucknell has a 34-22 lead in the all-time series. The Bison have lost the last two meetings, however, giving them their first set of back-to-back losses to the Leopards since 2007-08. The last time Bucknell lost three in a row to Lafayette was when it dropped nine straight from 1987-92.
- Bucknell has a commanding lead over Lafayette when playing at Davis Gym with a 20-5 home-court record. The Bison are 17-0 since 1993 when playing the Leopards in Lewisburg.
- Lafayette won in four sets when it hosted Bucknell earlier this season. Set scores were 25-21, 29-31, 25-17, 25-17. Campbell tied her career high in kills with 12 and added six blocks. Tauscher also had a career high with 12 digs to go along with her 21 assists. The Leopards were led by Karissa Ciliento who dominated with 20 kills and 23 digs to lead her team in both categories. Frohnapfel finished with 44 assists and 13 digs.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will have a light competition week after hosting Lehigh and Lafayette. The Bison will make the trip to Colgate for a 7 p.m. match on Thursday, Oct. 25 in Hamilton, N.Y. Bucknell fell 3-1 when it met the Raiders earlier this season.
