Bucknell University Athletics
Volleyball Heads to Lafayette on Friday, Hosts Lehigh on Saturday
11/5/2014 10:58:00 PM | Volleyball
at Lafayette -- Watch Live | Live Stats
vs. Lehigh -- Live Stats
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Two more Patriot League opponents are on the schedule for Bucknell volleyball this weekend as the Bison look to build on a solid outing against league power American in their most recent match.
Bucknell (4-17, 3-10 PL) will make the trip to Easton, Pennsylvania to take on Lafayette on Friday at 7 p.m. and will host Lehigh in Davis Gym on Saturday at 5 p.m. Friday night's match will be available on the Patriot League Network.
The Bison are coming off a 3-1 loss at home to American, which improved to a perfect 12-0 in the Patriot League. They were the first team to win a set against the Eagles in six conference matches, and nearly took another before falling 26-24 in the third set.
Bucknell cruised to a 3-0 sweep over Lafayette (5-20, 2-11 PL) earlier this season. A win over the Leopards on Friday would give the Bison their most conference wins in a season since they won eight in2010. The Bison and Leopards have split each of the past three season series.
The gap has narrowed, but Bucknell still leads the conference in blocks, averaging 2.25 per set. That number was bolstered in the match against American, which was filled with blocks by both teams. The Bison finished with 11, while the Eagles totaled 13. Sophomore Erika Eastley holds the slightest edge for the league lead in digs per set with 1.14, compared to 1.13 for American's Kelly McCaddin.
The Bison also lead the conference in digs, averaging 17.17 per set. Lehigh is ranked second at 16.46 per set. Sophomore Kristen Parks is third at 4.98/set.
Lehigh enters the weekend on a six-match winning streak, including five against conference opponents. The Mountain Hawks are currently second in the Patriot League with a record of 18-9 overall and 11-2 in the league. They swept the Bison in their first meeting of the season.
Following this weekend, Bucknell will have just two matches remaining on its schedule. The Bison will host Loyola (Md.) on Friday, Nov. 14, and will wrap up the season at home with a non-conference match against NJIT on Saturday, Nov. 15.
