Bison Volleyball Visits Army Friday, Hosts Navy Sunday

Setting the Scene, Part I
Who: Bucknell (11-4, 4-2 PL) at Army (9-7, 5-1 PL)
When: Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.
Where: Gillis Field House – West Point, N.Y.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoArmyWestPoint.com

Setting the Scene, Part II
Who: Bucknell (11-4, 4-2 PL) vs. Navy (8-7, 5-1 PL)
When: Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m.
Where: Davis Gym – Lewisburg, Pa.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com

About Bucknell

The Bison play one match on the road and one at home this weekend as they challenge two of the three teams sitting ahead of them in the Patriot League standings. Bucknell faces second-place Army in West Point, N.Y. Friday evening and then returns to Davis Gym to host third-place Navy.
Bucknell sits fourth in the Patriot League standings after defeating American in five sets on the road last Sunday. The Bison trailed 2-0 in the match but went on to win the third (25-17), fourth (25-14) and fifth (15-6) in decisive fashion. It was just the third time in program history Bucknell has defeated the Eagles, and two of those wins have been under head coach Tyler Hagstrom.
Bucknell nearly battled its way back from a 2-0 deficit against Loyola last Friday, but it fell 3-1 in just its second league loss this season.
Bucknell has now gone five sets in four matches this fall, and it has posted six 3-0 sweeps, including in its first three league matches.
The Bison lead the league and are up there in the national rankings in several categories. Notably, Bucknell is third in the country in opponent hitting percentage (.137). The American win represented the sixth time an opponent has hit below .100 in a match against the Bison this season.
Bucknell is also ninth in the nation in digs per set (16.91). The effort is led by sophomore libero Jordan Hardy, whose 5.86 digs per set are third among Division I players. Hardy has eclipsed the 30-digs mark twice this season, including a season-high 35 against Colgate on Sept. 25.
Outside hitter Catherine Jamison was named an honorable mention for Patriot League Player of the Week on Tuesday. The junior was in double figures for kills for a fifth straight match on Sunday, and she currently ranks fifth in the league with 3.45 kills per set. She's also seventh in the league with a .284 hitting percentage.
Setter Caleigh O'Connell was an honorable mention for Patriot League Rookie of the Week following two of her strongest performances this season. O'Connell totaled 64 assists, including a season-high 43 in the American win. She also posted 10 digs against the Eagles for her first career double-double.
Freshman Bri Frazilus, who has earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors three times this season, continued to impress in the Loyola match. She posted 17 kills, her second-most of the season, with a .200 hitting percentage and added 11 digs for her seventh double-double.
Other Bison making appearances in league rankings are Allie Lopez, who sits seventh with 0.91 blocks per set, and Charlotte Hobson, who sits second in service aces per set with 0.45.
Hagstrom is in his third season with the program. He's joined by second-year assistant Jeremy Young. Hagstrom is looking to guide the Bison back to the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2010.

Scouting Army/Series History

The Black Knights are 9-7 overall and sit in second place in the Patriot League at 5-1. Army's only league loss was to first-place Colgate.
Army was picked second in the Patriot League preseason poll after finishing top-3 in the league in each of the last three seasons.
Army currently leads the league in kills per set (13.02) and is second in blocks per set (2.23)
Two-time All-Patriot League middle blocker Paige Fixemer currently ranks third in the league in blocks per set (1.12) and fifth in hitting percentage (.308). Senior libero Sayler Butters is third in the league in digs per set (4.48).
The Black Knights are led by head coach Alma Kovaci Lee, who is 292-152 in 16 seasons with the team. She led the program to league titles in 2009 and 2020.
Army leads 43-14 in the all-time series with Bucknell and has captured the last 10 in a row. The Black Knights have won each of the last three by a 3-0 score.
Bucknell's last victory against Army was a 3-1 win in Lewisburg on Nov. 13, 2015.

Scouting Navy/Series History

Navy is 8-1 overall and 5-1 in league play, sitting third in the Patriot League standings. Navy's only league loss was to Army, which is also 5-1.
Navy was picked fourth in the Patriot League preseason poll after reaching the semifinal round of the tournament last season. Navy finished 8-8 in league play in 2021.
The Mids lead the league in assists per set (12.17) and are second in opponent kills (10.76/S). They also lead the league in opponent digs per set (12.0).
Twin sisters Jordan Llewellyn and Jamie Llewellyn rank sixth (3.30) and seventh (3.20) in the league in kills per set, respectively. Jamie Llewellyn was named the Patriot League Player of the Week on Tuesday. Junior setter Averi Miller has also earned PL Player of the Week recognition this season and leads the league 9.67 assists per set.
Navy is guided by head coach Paco Labrador, who is 65-43 in five seasons with the Midshipmen. He also went 455-71 during a lengthy 15 seasons at Wittenberg University.
Navy leads 37-22 in the all-time series with the Bison and has won 11 in a row. The Mids swept Bucknell 3-0 in the last two meetings in 2021.
Bucknell's last victory in the series was a 3-2 win in Davis Gym on Sept. 25, 2015.

Up Next
Bucknell plays host to Army in Davis Gym at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 for its only match of the weekend.

Bison Volleyball Visits Army Friday, Hosts Navy Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bri Frazilus

Jordan Hardy

Charlotte Hobson

Catherine Jamison

Allie Lopez

Caleigh O'Connell

Bison Volleyball Visits Army Friday, Hosts Navy Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bri Frazilus

Jordan Hardy

Charlotte Hobson

Catherine Jamison

Allie Lopez

Caleigh O'Connell

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