University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware Volleyball Visits William & Mary and VCU in CAA Action this Weekend
10/13/2011 5:05:00 PM | Volleyball
NEWARK, Del. - - A sweep of James Madison and George Mason last weekend at home put the University of Delaware volleyball team back in the thick of things in the Colonial Athletic Association standings.
The Blue Hens hit the road once again for two matches in Virginia this weekend. They will visit William & Mary on Saturday, before heading to VCU on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Scouting the University of Delaware Blue Hens (10-11, 3-2 CAA):
The Blue Hens took down previously undefeated in the CAA, and currently in first place James Madison on Friday at home to kick off a solid weekend. They came back on Sunday and defeated George Mason to finish the sweep to climb above .500 in conference play for the first time this year. Delaware won both matches, 3-1.
Senior co-captain and outside hitter Kim Stewart was named the CAA Player of the Week after leading her team to the two victories.
She set season highs against the Dukes, knocking down 16 kills while only making one error. She took 37 swings during the Friday night match, ending with a season's best .405 attack percentage.Stewart also added 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the year.
Stewart came back Sunday and collected another double-double against Mason with 15 kills and 14 digs. Again, she only made one mistake, taking 39 swings for a .359 hitting clip.
Freshman Alyssa Walton made her way back to the court this past weekend after being out since the second match of the season against Stanford with a hand injury. She had 13 digs off the bench in the two matches combined.
In CAA matches, Delaware leads the conference in hitting percentage, attacking at a .239 clip. The Blue Hens also lead the CAA in digs per game, keeping 16.53 balls off the ground per set.
Individually, Stewart vaulted her name up to the top of the rankings in hitting percentage, now tied for first with Towson's Susan Gansor with a .333 attack percentage.
Renee Tomko sits in third in the conference, dishing out 10.88 assists per game. Tomko is also fifth with 0.41 service aces a set. Katie Hank leads all Blue Hens and is fifth in the CAA in kills (3.53) and points (4.03) per game.
Scouting the College of William & Mary Tribe (7-10, 1-4 CAA):
The Tribe finally returned home last week after starting the 2011 season with 15 matches on the road. Their match against Delaware will be the third match of a season-long six-match home stand.
William & Mary is coming off a 3-2 victory over Villanova on Tuesday, and most recently lost to VCU, 3-0, in CAA play.
Down match point, 14-15, to Villanova, William & Mary got kills from Anne Dorff and Julia Swalchick to come back and win the fifth set, 17-15. Brooke Bauernfeind led the Tribe with 14 kills while Paulette Grand Pre added 11 for the home team.
Five players had double-digit digs, led by Celine Alasomuka (23) and Molly Krull (16). Carolina Rivas set the offense, ending with 38 assists for the match.
As a team, William & Mary is fifth in CAA matches in opponent's hitting percentage (.200) and in blocks (2.18 per set). They are also seventh in assists a game (11.39), kills a game (12.28), and digs a game (14.22).
Individually, Rivas is sixth in the CAA in conference matches averaging 9.53 helpers a set while Monika Stanciauskas sits in fifth with a 1.22 blocks per game average.
This will be the 26th meeting between the two schools, dating back to 1979. The Blue Hens lead the all-time series, 15-10 and have won the last four matchups, including two 3-0 sweeps last season.
Scouting the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (8-12, 2-3 CAA):
VCU will take on Towson on Friday night before welcoming Delaware into the Siegel Center. This weekend marks the beginning of a four-match home stand for the Rams.
The Rams are riding a three-match winning streak, and have won four of their last five overall. Most recently, they defeated Liberty, 3-0, on Tuesday.
Courtney Hott and Kristen Boyd led VCU over Liberty with nine kills each. Jessica Ojukwu added eight to help the offense. Cecilia Aragao passed out 27 assists in the victory, as Amada Friday and Amanda Love were the lone Rams to collect more than 10 digs.
As a team, VCU leads the CAA in conference matches in blocks (2.39 per set), tied with George Mason and Northeastern. The Rams are also second in assists (12.72) and hitting percentage (.227), while they are third in kills (13.44). However, VCU is last in the CAA in opponents hitting percentage, giving up 245 kills and a .229 hitting percentage.
Boyd is second in league matches in kills (3.89) and third in points (4.25). Aragao is fourth in the CAA in assists, averaging 10.83 a game.
Sunday will be the 34th meeting between the two programs, dating back to 1977. Delaware leads the all-time series, 23-10, including winning all three matches last season.
