Nov. 11, 2006

Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Sophomore Shannon Pitsch (Oak Brook, Ill./Fenwick) recorded a career-high 59 assists and tied her best service aces total with four as the Bucknell volleyball team wrapped up the 2006 regular season with a 3-1 win over Navy in Macdonough Hall on Saturday evening. The victory moved the Bison to 19-11 overall (10-4 PL), matching the squad's highest win total since posting a 19-8 record in 1997. With the setback, the Mids fell to 11-20 and 3-11 in league play.

Pitsch's 59 assists brought her total to 1,134 on the year and moved her up to second in the Bucknell record books among the all-time single season leaders, 41 shy of the record set by Whitney Williams in 2000.

Junior Jenna Henderson (Elk Grove, Calif./Laguna Creek) led the Orange and Blue with 20 kills and had seven digs in the contest. Senior Jennie Smith (Roanoke, Va./Patrick Henry) followed with 15 kills and hit .414 (15-3-29) with three blocks (2-1). Seniors Sarah Groman (Hollister, Calif./San Benito) and Amanda Grossmann (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) added totals of 13 and 11 kills, respectively, and Kristen Sydlowski (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) finished with a match-best 22 digs.

For Navy, Nikki England led the attack with 19 kills, Jessie Sims registered 14 kills and 19 digs and the trio of Alexa Gibbs, Megan Boyd and Rachel Dougherty contributed 10 kills apiece. Kim Koss posted 32 assists and seven digs and Mariellen Carnes chipped in with 22 assists and 10 digs.

The Mids held an 11-7 advantage in game one when Bucknell went on a 7-1 run to climb ahead, 14-12. Then, trailing by four at 19-15, Navy responded with a 7-0 stretch of its own and would not relinquish the lead for the remainder to take the opening game, 30-28.

Game two remained close, with neither side managing to pull away by more than four points, until back-to-back kills by Smith and Henderson gave the Bison their largest lead of the frame by a 27-21 margin. Bucknell held on to tie the match score at one with a 30-25 result.

With the score even at 29 in game three, a kill by Henderson and an attack error by the Mids gave the Orange and Blue a 31-29 victory and a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The Bison then closed out the contest with a 30-26 win, which was secured by outscoring Navy, 5-1, over the final six points of game four after the score was tied at 25.

"Navy had its senior night tonight and to the team's credit, they played a tough match," said Bucknell head coach Cindy Opalski. "However, we have a talented group as well, and our players were able to handle everything they came at us with."

The Orange and Blue will be the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League tournament and will take on No. 2-seed Army next Friday, Nov. 17, in American's Bender Arena.

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