Colonial Athletic Association Volleyball Weekly Report - OCT. 4
CAA QUICK HITS:Following the second week of conference play, 2009 CAA Champion George Mason and Georgia State sit atop the league standings at 3-0 after winning both their contests last week. Four conference squads hold .500 or better records in CAA play.
Delaware and James Madison are the only league teams still perfect at home. Northeastern suffered its first home losses of the season after dropping contests to visiting George Mason and JMU last weekend.
As of matches through Oct. 3, a number of CAA squads and individual players ranked among the nation's elite in various statistical categories.
The CAA's nonconference record now stands at 73-72 (.503), marking the second consecutive week the league's 2010 nonconference mark is above .500.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Vineece Verdun - Georgia State
Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Andover, R-Jr., Middle Hitter
Verdun led Georgia State, currently unbeaten in CAA play, to a pair of victories over Delaware and Towson last week. The junior middle hitter, who collected 47 kills and 3.36 kills per set on .336 hitting, displayed a balanced attack for the Panthers that also included 13 blocks and five service aces.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Marisa Low - VCU
Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad, So., Libero
Low recorded a match-high 18 digs in three sets to lead VCU to a sweep of William & Mary on the road last week. Low's Rams, who have won eight of their last 10 meetings with the Tribe, have not dropped a decision in Williamsburg since 2005.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Katie Daorai - James Madison
Tampa, Fla./Plant, Fr., Libero/Defensive Specialist
Daorai started at libero in JMU's wins over Hofstra and Northeastern last weekend. The Tampa native notched seven digs and four assists in addition to a service ace to help the Dukes drop Hofstra, 3-0. Daorai closed her strong weekend with nine digs and a trio of service aces to lift JMU past Northeastern in a five-set barnburner on Sunday.
CONFERENCE NOTES
AMONG THE NATION’S BEST: As of matches through Oct. 3, Towson ranked eighth in the nation in service aces with 131, while Tiger senior Shelynne Hoyt’s league-best 33 aces ranked eighth individually in Division I. Delaware ranked eighth nationally in digs per set (17.94), due in large part to senior Greta Gibboney’s 11th-best 5.58 digs-per-set average. Also on the defensive front, UNC Wilmington senior Kim Friedl stood 22nd in the nation with 1.32 blocks per set, while Mason junior Kelsey Bohman (1.28) and Delaware senior Paige Erickson (1.24) ranked 28th and 41st, respectively.
AND THEN THERE WERE TWO: Only two teams remain unbeaten after the second week of conference play. Reigning league champion George Mason picked up a pair of road wins over Northeastern and Hofstra to improve to 3-0, while Georgia State also stands 3-0 after holding serve at home. The Panthers outlasted CAA preseason favorite Delaware in a five-set thriller before taking down Towson, 3-1, to wrap up the weekend.
HOME SWEET HOME: A pair of CAA squads remains unbeaten at home this season. Delaware improved to 7-0 in the friendly confines of the Carpenter Sports Building after breaking out the brooms for a sweep of Delaware State on Tuesday. The Hens put their perfect record on the line this weekend when they welcome VCU and William & Mary to Newark. JMU, also 7-0 at home this season, looks to defend its spotless mark when it returns to Sinclair Gymnasium to host UNC Wilmington and Georgia State this weekend.
KING OF THE ROAD: After its wins over VCU and W&M in week one of conference play, NU has notched a league-best 6-1 road record in 2010. The Huskies’ lone road loss came at the hands of then 15th-ranked Colorado State on Sept. 11. The only other CAA squad to register a winning record on the road is Delaware, which is now 3-2 away from Newark after splitting a pair of road contests last weekend. Mason and JMU evened their road recrods to 3-3 after both squads stymied Hofstra and NU last weekend.
CAN YOU DIG IT? DELAWARE DOES: Delaware senior defensive specialist/libero Greta Gibboney has recorded a league-best 368 digs, nearly 60 more than any other player in the CAA, and 5.58 digs-per-set average this season. Her Hens also own a conference-best 1184 digs and 17.94 digs per set on the season.
YOU’VE BEEN SERVED: A trio of Towson players has hit at least 20 service aces and currently own three of the league’s top 10 spots in the category this season. The Tigers’ Shelynne Hoyt boasts a conference-best 33 aces, while teammates Katy Buck and Stacey Niehoff are right behind with 29 and 24 aces, respectively. The squad’s 131 total service aces easily lead the league, with the next-highest total belonging to Georgia State (94). The Tigers are currently hitting nearly two aces per set (1.79).
THE CHASON CONTINUES: Delaware senior and 2009 conference Setter of the Year Jess Chason improved her league-leading assists-per-set average to 10.31 after the second week of conference play, just above her final 10.20 average a year ago. Chason currently owns 670 of the Hens’ 804 total assists this season (83%). Towson sophomore Evan Schulz, who remains in hot pursuit of Chason with her 10.03 average, leads the conference in total assists with 712, 10 ahead of Hofstra senior Rachel August’s second-most 702 passes.
BLOCK PARTY: Delaware senior Paige Erickson boasts a CAA-best 82 blocks this season, representing 56% of her team’s 146 overall blocks. VCU senior Kelsie Clegg trails right behind with 81 blocks, just 11 blocks shy of surpassing the Rams’ all-time record in the category. UNC Wilmington junior Kimberly Friedl has jumped for a league-best 1.32 blocks per set in 2010. VCU owns the team title in total blocks with 161.5 to date, while Mason has recorded a conference-best 2.38 blocks-per-set average.
TEAM NOTES
DELAWARE (13-5 overall, 2-1 in CAA): Delaware opened the week with a sweep of in-state foe Delaware State and then split a pair of contests in its southeast swing against Georgia State and UNCW over the weekend. The Hens flew to a 2-0 lead at GSU on Friday before the Panthers rallied for a come-from behind win in five sets. Paced by sophomore outside hitter Alissa Alker's career-high 22 kills, Delaware dropped the Seahawks in four sets on Sunday to improve to 2-1 in conference play. With the victory, coach Bonnie Kenny is now one win shy of 500 overall in her career.
GEORGE MASON (8-7 overall, 3-0 in CAA): Mason remained unbeaten in conference play after posting a pair of road wins over Hofstra and Northeastern. The Patriots picked up a four-set win over the Huskies on Friday before returning to the court to pummel the Pride in a 3-0 sweep to wrap up the weekend. Senior setter Fernanda Bartels racked up 64 assists and 30 digs to lead Mason, which opens a season-long four-match homestand on Friday when it hosts fellow 3-0 Georgia State.
GEORGIA STATE (9-8 overall, 3-0 in CAA): GSU went 2-1 last week, getting swept by Troy on the road before returning home to earn wins over CAA preseason favorite Delaware and Towson. The Panthers rallied past the Hens in five sets on Friday before notching a 3-1 tilt over Towson to join Mason as the only other CAA squad unbeaten in conference play. Junior middle hitter Vineece Verdun tallied 47 kills, 13 blocks and five service aces on .336 hitting in the Panthers' three matches.
HOFSTRA (6-15 overall, 0-4 in CAA): Hofstra fell to 6-15 on the season and remains winless in conference play after falling in a pair of home matches last week. Outside hitter Marina Markovic paced the Pride with 13 kills in its three-set loss to James Madison on Friday, while sophomore Kylee Maneja registered 14 digs in the team's 3-0 setback to George Mason. Hofstra looks to get back to its winning ways when it visits Fordham for a mid-week matchup with the Rams.
JAMES MADISON (13-4 overall, 2-1 in CAA): The Dukes improved to 2-1 in conference play after racking up wins in road contests at Hofstra and Northeastern. JMU broke out the brooms for a sweep of Hofstra on Friday before fighting off two match points to capture a five-set barnburner against Northeastern. Sophomore outside hitter Danielle Erb finished the week with 24 kills, 20 digs and eight blocks en route to recording a pair of double-doubles, raising her 2010 total to nine.
UNC WILMINGTON (6-11 overall, 1-2 in CAA): UNCW went 1-2 last week as its overall record slipped to 6-11 on the season. The Seahawks suffered a sweep at the hands of longtime rival Coastal Carolina on Tuesday before splittings its weekend series against Towson and Delaware. Junior middle hitter Emily Mohrman collected a career high 16 kills on .394 hitting in the team's triumph over the Tigers, while Kelli Clear netted a double-double in UNCW's setback to Delaware.
NORTHEASTERN (11-7 overall, 2-2in CAA): Northeastern's four-game winning streak came to an end after it suffered a pair of home setbacks against George Mason and James Madison. Rookie outside hitter Janelle Tucker led the Huskies with 17 kills in NU's four-set loss to the Patriots, and senior standout Britney Brown tallied her third triple-double of 2010 with 20 assists, 14 kills and 11 digs as the Huskies fell to JMU.
TOWSON (11-8 overall, 0-3 in CAA): Towson toppled cross-town rival UMBC, 3-1, on Tuesday before dropping a pair of weekend road decisions to UNCW and Georgia State. The Tigers were tripped up in a hard-fought five-setter with the Seahawks and followed suit in a four-set loss to Georgia State two days later. Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Halls shined for the Tigers, recording 43 digs and 38 kills on the way to earning earning a trio of double-doubles last week.
VCU (4-15 overall, 2-1 in CAA): The Rams improved their conference record to 2-1 and coach James Finley earned his 100th career victory at VCU as his squad blanked William & Mary, 3-0, on Saturday. Sophomore libero Marisa Low registered 18 digs to lift VCU past the Tribe, while senior middle blocker Kelsie Clegg jumped for six blocks and now needs just 11 more to eclipse the program's all-time record of 384.
WILLIAM & MARY (7-8 overall, 1-2 in CAA): William & Mary was swept by visiting VCU in its only match last week and has now dropped eight of its last 10 decisions to the Rams. Senior Ginny Bray turned in a match-high 12 kills and classmate Cassie Crumal recorded 24 assists in the Tribe's setback. W&M looks to regain its winning ways when it travels to Towson and Delaware this weekend.
