ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst women's volleyball team will look to snap a three-game Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference skid when they welcome the Golden Eagles of Clarion University to the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Saturday for Senior Day. Prior to the game the Lakers will honor their five seniors
Mary Marusza,
Tess Ganich,
Alyssa Zirnheld,
Leah Kern, and
Katie Baird.
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Head Coach Ryan Patton on the upcoming match:
Clarion is the type of opponent we want to play. We want to play teams with good records, good players, and good coaches in matches where we have to be sharp to win. Entering the second half of conference play well in the mix for the postseason, our job is to be in the moment and to savor each chance to compete. If we continue to do that, we're going to get wins and this team is going to exceed expectations some others had for us.
Scouting the Lakers:
Mercyhurst is coming in with a record of 13-8 overall and 5-5 in the PSAC. The Lakers have dropped three in a row including their last contest on Thursday night at rival Gannon by a 3-0 score. Zirnheld and Baird led the attack with seven kills each, while
Madison Kasper coupled with Kern provided four kills apiece. Marusza dished out 21 assists. On the defensive side of the floor
Addy Benjamin, Kasper, and Baird combined for ten blocks, while
Hannah Vuylsteke posted 18 digs. For the season the Lakers are hitting .193 holding their opponents to just .160. They average 12.7 kills per set allowing 11.2 against. At the other end of the floor Mercyhurst totals just 18 digs per frame with the opposition recording 16.8.
Scouting the Golden Eagles:
At the time of this release Clarion sits at 13-8 with a 5-4 mark in conference. Before playing the Lakers on Saturday the Golden Eagles will visit the Fighting Scots of Edinboro Friday night. As a team they hit .195 with their opponents posting a .171. Clarion puts down 13.1 kills per set, while giving up just 11.8. For the season both the Golden Eagles and their challengers average 16.5 digs per frame. Julia Holden leads the Clarion attack with 339 kills putting away 4.71 per set. She also has added 19 aces and 51 blocks. Lydia Leiner, Aubrey Wrona, and Holly Pittman have all posted over 100 kills on the year as well. At the service line Wrona and Pittman both have recorded 30-plus aces. Defensively, Lauren Aichinger and Pittman each have over 60 blocks with Aichinger leading the way with 68. Jennifer Herron is in her 13th season leading the Golden Eagles.
Series History:
Clarion has won the last three matchups in the series and holds a 12-3 edge overall. The Golden Eagles won the lone matchup last season at home 3-1 by scores of 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, and 25-19.
Waiting in the Water:
The Lakers continue a four-game homestand when they host Edinboro University in a crucial PSAC contest on Tuesday, October 29th inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center beginning at 7:05pm
