ERIE, Pa. - After a tough four set match with local rival Gannon University on Tuesday night at home the Mercyhurst volleyball team will look to start a new winning streak this weekend when they travel to the eastern-side of the state for matchups with East Stroudsburg University and Kutztown University as they continue Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play.
Scouting the Lakers:
Mercyhurst suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Lady Knights of Gannon in their last match snapping a four-game winning streak and dropping their record to 10-4 overall and 2-1 in PSAC action. Leading the Lakers attack was a pair of seniors
Katie Baird and
Alyssa Zirnheld who each posted 13 kills, combining for six digs, four blocks and an ace.
Tess Ganich hit .192 on the night adding eight kills.
Hannah Vuylsteke and
Beth Brady each finished with double-digit digs with Vuylsteke leading the way at 24.
Claire Kenny handed out a team-high 22 assists.
Head Coach Ryan Patton on the Gannon match and this coming weekend:
"Gannon played like a team that won a ton last year and returned almost everyone. Aside from bad runs to start the first and fourth, we represented ourselves very well. The result was disappointing, but our team is tough - we'll lean in, learn, and keep getting better. We get Gannon again in three weeks, and quite possibly again in PSACs and NCAAs, and each time will be readier and readier. Between now and then, our focus is on who is next."
"This East Stroudsburg team is the best blocking team the PSAC has had for many years and they have several really exceptional players. They also have a super gritty win [over Clarion] under their belts, so we have a real challenge in front of us. Kutztown is developing surely and have a coach who is always tactically sharp. More of our matches in their gym have been battles than not, and we have to be prepared to compete like crazy."
LAKERS at East Stroudsburg
Date - Saturday, October 5th
Time - 6:30 pm
Location - Koehler Fieldhouse (East Stroudsburg, Pa.)
Media Links - Video / Stats
Series History - Lakers lead 8-3, (ESU won last meeting 3-1 on 9/15/18)
Scouting the Warriors - East Stroudsburg will come into Saturday's match with a record of 12-3 overall and 3-0 in PSAC play. As a team they are hitting .179 averaging 11.2 kills per set. The Warriors also hand out 10.4 assists per set, while racking up 16.4 digs per frame. Defensively, they average 2.5 blocks per set and have totaled 123.5 for the season. Sarah Smith has led the ESU attack with over 150 kills on the year to go along with 18 aces and 40 blocks. Sam Dunphy and Jasmine Mooney have been key cogs to the Warriors success as well. On the other side of the net in addition to Smith and Dunphy, two other players have posted over 40 blocks with Jasmine Williams pacing the group at 49.
LAKERS at Kutztown
Date - Sunday, October 6th
Time - 1:00 pm
Location - Keystone Area (Kutztown, Pa.)
Media Links - Video / Stats
Series History - Lakers lead 7-4, (Hurst won last meeting 3-0 on 9/14/18)
Scouting the Golden Bears - Kutztown currently sits at 6-6 overall and 0-2 in the PSAC and will have matchups with Edinboro and Gannon before squaring off with the Lakers. The Golden Bears are hitting .193 as a unit on 12.2 kills per set. They average 11.4 assists and 15.0 digs per frame. On the defensive side of the court Kutztown puts up just under one and a half blocks per set. Holly Owen is the top attacker for the Golden Bears as she has over 200 kills on the season, while her next closest teammate is Britney Hewitt who going into Friday's match has under 100 kills. Defensively, Lilly Charlton and Hewitt have eclipsed 20-plus blocks for the campaign. At the service line Alli Henderson paces the side with over 20 aces.
Waiting in the Water:
The Lakers will have some time to recover before thier next contest as they will not return to the court until Friday, October 11 when Mercyhurst welcomes the Golden Rams of West Chester to the Athletic Center for a 7:05pm start. The weekend will continue on Saturday, October 12 with a date against Millersville University at 2:05pm.
