ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurstt volleyball will look to right the ship with a pair of road contests this week. First on Thursday, they will visit the Mountain Cats of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, before turning around 24-hours later to head to Indiana University of Pennsylvania for a date with the Crimson Hawks.
Scouting the Lakers:
Mercyhurst sits at 14-11 and 6-8 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference which leaves them two-games out of the final playoff berth. Last weekend, the Lakers rallied back from a 2-0 deficit prior to storming back for the 3-2 victory over the Vulcans of California University of Pennsylvania. Then, two days later the Lakers suffered a 3-0 setback against Southwest division-leader Seton Hill University. Mercyhurst holds a .190 attack percentage as team, while holding the opposition to .171. They average over a kill more than there competition posting 12.6 to 11.6. Defensively, Mercyhurst records 1.6 blocks per set along with 17.6 digs. Their opponents total 17.0 digs and just shy of two blocks per frame.
Katie Baird and
Alyssa Zirnheld are the only players with over 200 kills with Baird's 273 kills pacing the side.
Tess Ganich and
Madison Kasper have recorded a combined 361 kills.
Hannah Vuylsteke and her 37 aces lead the Lakers at the service line.
Mary Marusza,
Claire Kenny, and
Alexa Mitchell all have triple-digit assists. At the net
Leah Kern (60) and
Addy Benjamin (58) lead the squad in blocks.
LAKERS at Pitt-Johnstown
Date - Thursday, November 7
Time - 7:00 pm
Location - Johnstown, Pa. (Sports Center)
Media -
Stats /
Video
Series History - UPJ leads 5-2 (UPJ won last meeting 3-1 on 10/20/18)
Scouting the Cats - UPJ enters the at 12-11 and 4-9 in PSAC play. The Mountain Cats split a pair of matches last weekend dropping a 3-1 decision to Clarion on Friday, before downing Slippery Rock 3-0 the next day. They average 11.7 kills and hit .190 as a team to go along with 11.0 assists. At the other end of the court UPJ posts 16.8 digs and 1.7 blocks per set. Caitlin Vrabel leads the attack with 238 kills and 2.58 per set. Five other players have over 100 kills on the season. J.C. Longeville, Gabi DeRenzo, and Jaden Gray have been dominate at the service line with each one posting over 20 aces. Anna Johns has 81 blocks with Vrabel posting 58. Justin Haupt is the man in charge of the Cats.
LAKERS at Indiana (Pa.)
Date - Friday, November 8
Time - 4:00 pmJa
Location - Indiana, Pa. (Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex)
Media -
Stats /
Video
Series History - Lakers lead 9-2 (Hurst won last meeting 3-0 on 9/28/18)
Scouting the Hawks - Indiana is 6-16 and 5-8 in the PSAC. The Crimson Hawks went 1-1 over the weekend with a shutout of Slippery Rock and a 3-0 loss at the hands of Clarion. They have a .149 attack percentage, while allowing their opponents to hit over .200. In their matches both teams average just over 15.0 digs and under two blocks per set. Nicole Peterson has 253 kills to pace the side, with four other members of the side posting 100 or more kills. Leah Henderson and Liv Burns lead IUP in aces with 21 and 19 respectively. Henderson also paces the Hawks in assists with more than 500. Jasmine Raudys has a team-high 58 blocks with Burns and her 208 digs pace the side. Scott Pennewill is in his fifth year leading the Crimson Hawks.
Postseason Outlook:
The Lakers are currently two-games back of the final spot with four to play. Mercyhurst also currently ranks ninth in the Atlantic Regional rankings.
Waiting in the Water:
Mercyhurst is on the road at Clarion and Slippery Rock next weekend to close out the 2019 regular season.
