Volleyball Prepares for Matches with Brown and Hartford at Sacred Heart

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell volleyball team returns to Connecticut for the second straight weekend when it travels to Sacred Heart for the Hampton Inn Shelton Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Bison will take on Brown on Friday at 7 p.m. and will play Hartford on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Bucknell is coming off a 2-1 record at Central Connecticut State's Blue Devil Classic, where they posted wins over NJIT and Fairfield and a loss to the host team. Seniors Karen Campbell and Meghan Wentzel were named to the All-Tournament team, while Campbell also added Bison Athlete of the Week honors. Campbell averaged 3.1 kills per set with a .371 hitting percentage and also led the team with nine blocks. Wentzel averaged 10 assists pet set and added 23 digs and four blocks.

It was a true team effort for the Bison at CCSU. Sophomore Hailey Stout averaged 3.0 kills per set, while a trio of freshmen in Steph Occhiogrosso, Blake Buchholz and Jamie Risdal stepped into the lineup and immediately contributed. Occhiogrosso had 25 kills and 15 digs, Buchholz tallied 25 kills and 39 digs, and RIsdal recorded 14 kills and eight blocks, including three solo.

vs. Brown – Friday, 7 p.m. – Live Stats
Brown will play its first match of the season earlier in the day before its matchup with Bucknell. The Bears, who finished 12-14 last season, are led by junior Payton Smith, a Second Team All-Ivy League selection last year. She is the team's top returning player in kills per set (2.52), blocks (0.84) and aces (0.34). The teams have played just once in program history, a 3-2 Brown win at Harvard in 1993.

vs. Hartford – Saturday, 11 a.m. – Live Stats
Hartford will have two matches at the event before taking on Bucknell. The Hawks are 0-4 with 3-0 losses to UConn, Syracuse, Rhode Island and Siena. Paulina Modestow leads the team with 2.08 kills per set, but has a negative hitting percentage. Paola Llerandi is tops on the team in digs (3.42/set), while Kathryn Gawrych leads in blocks (0.58). The Bison trail the all-time series with the Hawks, 3-2, but the teams haven't played each other since 1997. The Hawks won that match 3-2.