University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware Volleyball Travels to Maryland for Three Matches in a Two-Day Tournament
9/8/2011 4:30:00 PM | Volleyball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Looking to get back on track, the University of Delaware volleyball team travels to the University of Maryland to take part in the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
The Blue Hens will take on Sacred Heart, Yale and host Maryland of the two-day tournament. The first match will begin on Friday at 4:30 p.m. against Ivy League foe Yale.
Scouting the University of Delaware Blue Hens (1-6):
The Blue Hens have lost six matches already this season after losing six matches all of last season. They enter the Invitational after dropping a hard fought, extra point affair at Villanova, 3-1, on Tuesday.
Set scores for the match were 27-25, 28-30, 25-20, and 29-27.
Alissa Alker (above right) has stepped up nicely as the go-to point getter on the team during the first two weeks of the season. But, she also has an all around game that enables her to stay on the court during all six-rotations.
She is second on the team in kills (75), averaging 2.88 per set. But she also leads the team in aces (7), and is second in digs (82), serve reception percentage (.987), and third in total blocks (15).
Alker was named to the Delaware ASICS Invitational All-Tournament Team after posting 28 kills, 33 digs, five blocks and three aces over the home tournament. At Villanova she matched a season high 17 kills, and
added a season high 19 digs.
Renee Tomko and Cara Rosehill have also continued to put up consistent numbers during their first seven matches.
Tomko has dished out 247 assists, third best in the Colonial Athletic Association, and is fourth in the league in assists per set (9.50).
Rosehill busted out a career best 30 digs in the loss at Villanova, upping her season average to 5.08 digs per set. Her season total of 132 digs is tied for second best in the CAA.
Sacred Heart: First Meeting
Yale: 10th meeting; Yale leads 6-3; last: 2005, L, 0-3
Maryland: 42nd meeting; Maryland leads 29-12; last: 1999, L, 0-3
Scouting the Sacred Heart University Pioneers (6-1):
The Pioneers come into the Invitational riding a six match win streak, after dropping their first match of the season to host Syracuse at the Big Orange Tournament.
Sacred Heart finished second in the season opening tournament and then defeated Brown, Hartford, and Rutgers in straight sets to claim their own SHU Invitational.
Last time out, the Pioneers defeated UConn on the road, 3-1. Sacred Hearts' 15 set winning streak came to an end in the opening frame against the Huskies. But the Pioneers came back to win the next three to claim the match.
SHU Invitational MVP Johanna Ovsenek leads the team in blocks (14) and blocks per set (0.64). She is also second on the team in kills (54).
Kimmiee Roleder paces the offense with 74 kills, second on the team with 13 total blocks and is third on the team with 75 digs. Alisa Mesa and Megan Pulone each have 124 assists to lead the team, while Jessica Colberg averages 5.68 digs per set to lead the defense.
Elise Sage was named the Molten/NEC Co-Player of the Week after hitting .512 for the SHU Invitational, averaging 2.67 kills per set and making just two attacking errors all weekend. She also recorded five blocksagainst Rutgers.
The Pioneers will have a chance to defeat every division I team in Connecticut having already knocked off both UConn and Hartford. SHU will meet Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut State in NEC play later in 2011
and square off against Yale this weekend at the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Invitational.
Scouting the Yale University Bulldogs (2-1):
The Bulldogs enter their second tournament of the season after going 2-1 in their own Yale Invitational. They defeated Boston College and Colgate before dropping the final game to Utah. Both Yale and Utah went 2-1 at the tournament.
Sophomore setter Kendall Polan was named the Ivy League Player of the Week after being named Co-MVP of the Yale Invitational last weekend.
In three matches, Polan tallied 120 assists. Against Boston College, a 3-1 victory, Polan had 40 assists, 13 digs and six kills. She also collected 33 assists against Colgate before rounded out the weekend with a 47 assist, 14 dig effort against Utah. She was the 2010 Ivy League Rookie of the Year.
Mollie Rogers leads the Bulldogs with 34 kills, 49 digs while averaging 4.0 points per set. The 6-1 freshman is hitting .167 on the season.
Yale has four members with 30 or more digs on the season, led by Rogers. Maddie Rudnick has tallied 39, Erica Reetz has 35, and Polan has totaled 30 to round out the quartet.
Scouting the University of Maryland Terrapins (3-3):
The Terrapins opened the season by dropping all three at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic at Tennessee, but bounced back last weekend by winning their own Courtyard by Marriott Maryland Invitational. They defeated VCU, Quinnipiac and Xavier, all in straight sets, to take the tournament.
Remy McBain and Maddi Lee were named to the All-Tournament Team after leading the Terrapins to the 3-0 weekend. McBain hit .586 for the weekend while Lee ranked second with at .418.
Freshman Ashleigh Crutcher was named the ACC Freshman of the Week after being named the Maryland Invitational MVP over the weekend. Crutcher led the tournament with 33 kills, and averaged 3.67 kills per set. She set career highs in kills (13) and attack percentage (.667) against VCU.
On the season, Crutcher leads the Terps in kills (66) and is second in digs (60) through six matches.
McBain quarterbacks the offense, dishing out 212 assists in 23 sets, averaging 9.22 assists per game. Sarah Harper leads the back line with 99 digs, averaging 4.30 per game. At the net, Adreene Elliott and Caitlin Adams pace the defense, totaling 19 and 17 blocks, respectively.
AGATE:
Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Invitational at College Park, Md.
Friday, September 9:
Delaware vs. Sacred Heart, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 10:
Delaware vs. Yale, 10 a.m.
Delaware at Maryland, 7 p.m.
