Bucknell University Athletics
Volleyball Set to Host Bucknell Tournament on Season-Opening Weekend
8/25/2016 12:29:00 AM | Volleyball
Setting the Scene
What: Bucknell Tournament (Bucknell, Fairleigh Dickinson, Canisius, East Carolina)
Where: Davis Gym, Lewisburg, Pa.
Schedule
Friday, Aug. 26, 2016
5 p.m. – Canisius vs. East Carolina | Live Stats
7:30 p.m. – Fairleigh Dickinson at Bucknell | Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016
10 a.m. – Fairleigh Dickinson vs. East Carolina | Live Stats
Noon – Canisius at Bucknell | Live Stats | Watch Live
4 p.m. – Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Canisius | Live Stats
6 p.m. – East Carolina at Bucknell | Live Stats | Watch Live
About Bucknell
* The Bison are coming off one of their most successful seasons in years, going 14-12 overall and 8-8 in the Patriot League last year.
* Bucknell was picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.
* The season-opening tournament is the first of two multi-team events that the Bison will host at Davis Gym this season. They will also host Cornell, Buffalo and Oakland for the Bucknell Invite on Sept. 16-17.
Scouting Fairleigh Dickinson
* The Knights finished 10-19 overall and 3-11 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) last season.
* Fairleigh Dickinson was picked to finish eighth of eight teams in the NEC in the league's preseason poll.
* The Knights have seven returning players from last year's team, including sophomore Rebecca Sabol, who was second on the team with 230 kills.
Scouting Canisius
* The Golden Griffins went 11-19 overall and 9-9 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) last season.
* Canisius was picked to finish seventh of 10 teams in the MAAC in the league's preseason poll.
* Senior outside hitter Katlyn Turner was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team. She was a First Team All-MAAC selection last year.
Scouting East Carolina
* The Pirates went 12-19 overall and 5-15 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) last season.
* East Carolina was picked to finish 11th of 11 teams in the challenging AAC in the league's preseason poll.
* Seven of the Pirates' 12 wins last season came away from their home court.
Series History
* Bucknell leads 8-3 in the all-time series with Fairleigh Dickinson. The teams first met in 1984.
* The Bison lead 8-3 in the all-time series with Canisius. The teams first met in 1991.
* Bucknell and East Carolina will pay for the first time in program history.
Up Next
* Bucknell will travel to Pittsburgh to play Coppin State, Duquesne and Robert Morris at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational on Sept. 2-3.
Bison Look for Return to Postseason Play During the 2016 Season
The proof of improvement is in the standings for the Bucknell volleyball team as it prepares to make more strides toward the top of the conference during the 2016 season. The Bison jumped one spot in Allison's second season and then moved up two more places to fifth last year. The team now has its sights set on the top four and a spot in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2010.
“That's the goal,” said Allison, who is set to begin her 12th season with the program, including her fourth as the head coach. “We talk about it all the time. We want to be playing that late into the season. The seniors want it more than anything. It's not going to be easy. The league gets more and more competitive every year. American is always the favorite, but you could have five teams fighting for those last three spots.”
Bucknell closed last season on a strong note, winning the final three matches of the season, including a 3-1 victory at home over Army West Point. It was the Bison's first win over the Black Knights in nine seasons. Allison believes the momentum from that final stretch of the season has carried over to this year's preseason practices.
Helping lead the charge in getting the team prepared during those preseason practices were Kristen Parks, Jordan Walker and Hailey Stout, the three captains as voted on by their teammates. Parks in particular may have helped energize the team with her return to the court. A standout defensive player two seasons ago, she missed all of last season with an ankle injury.
“That's a really good group,” Allison said. “They are extremely responsible and accountable. They know where they want this team to go this season. Beyond the game, they have a good head on their shoulders as far as being a Division I student-athlete and how to handle the challenges that come with that.”
“It's awesome to have Kristen Parks back. She hasn't missed a beat, which is amazing after missing a whole season with an injury like she did last year,” Allison said.
Without Parks last season, the Bison turned to multiple players, including numerous outside hitters, to help with the defensive effort. Sophomore outside hitter Blake Buchholz returns after leading the team with 280 digs last season, as does Stout, a junior outside hitter, who was second with 271. Junior libero Hana Sawanobori also returns after finishing third on the team with 192 digs.
Buchholz and Stout will be two of the team's premier players on the outside, and will be joined by Walker. Senior Rebecca Forbes, junior Stefanie Alpert, sophomore Lindsey Baker and freshman Sophie Bullard will also be in the mix.
In the middle, senior Erika Eastley returns for her final season with the team. Just two seasons ago, she led the Patriot League in blocks per set (1.14) and was second in total blocks (106). Sophomore Jamie Risdal played in 34 sets last season and has been impressive during the preseason. Junior Celeste Barker and freshmen Mimi Richards and Bridgette Holland are also vying for time up front.
The Bison lost three-year starter Meghan Wentzel to graduation, leaving an opening at setter. Junior Luz Nagle saw a decent amount of playing time at the position in her first two seasons and will be competing for the spot with freshman Selby Schnobrich.
Parks will look to return to form after missing last season. She finished third in the Patriot League with 470 digs two seasons ago, including a program record 44 in a four-set win over Holy Cross. Sawanobori, junior Jenna Slusar and freshman Brooke Stark will also contribute. Slusar finished with 78 digs last season and led the team with 22 aces,
“There are going to be so many players contributing for us this season,” Allison said. “We have at least 12 players really fighting for playing time right now. That gives us options on rotations depending on what team we are playing and who is playing well for us at that time.”
In addition to the win over Army West Point last season, Bucknell also picked up victory over Navy. It was the Bison's first win over the Mids in five years.
“Those wins were huge for us,” Allison said. “Our main goal as a program is to stay in the top four and compete for the Patriot League title. That's where we want to be and obviously those are some of the teams we need to beat to get there.”
Missing out on the postseason by just one place in the standings also figures to be motivation for the team. While the three wins to close the season were important, Allison says the team needs to be on its game from beginning to end.
“I hope that sunk in with our players,” Allison said. “They need to understand that the first time through the Patriot League schedule is just as important as the second half. You can't just cruise through the first half and then wake up in the second half and think you're going to beat everybody and make the tournament. It's not going to happen.”
