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Bucknell Volleyball Gears up for Patriot League Tournament
Nov. 16, 2006
Match Notes vs. Army LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell volleyball team will travel to Washington, D.C., this weekend for the Patriot League Tournament and will be facing No.-2 seed Army on Friday, Nov. 17, on the court in American's Bender Arena at 8 p.m. The No.-3 seed Bison are making their seventh consecutive postseason appearance, their 10th overall, since the field was cut to four in 1996, while the Black Knights have qualified for eight straight tournaments. The Patriot League All-Access broadband coverage will make its debut at the Patriot League Volleyball Tournament, beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday with host No. 1 American's match against No. 4 Lafayette as live streaming video and audio will be available, free of charge, for all three of this weekend's contests on the Patriot League website, www.patriotleague.com, though the "all access" link or by clicking on the icon below.
The Black Knights lead the all-time series with the Bison, 16-12, and have won both postseason meetings between the squads, 3-2 in 1994 and 3-1 in 2004. This year, the teams split the regular season series with Army taking the first match, 3-0, in West Point, N.Y., on Sept 23., and Bucknell defeating the Black Knights, 3-2, at home in Davis Gym on Oct. 20. First Team All-Patriot League selection sophomore Jenna Henderson (Elk Grove, Calif./Laguna Creek) leads the attack for the Orange and Blue as she finished the regular season with a team-high 380 kills for an average of 3.92 per game, 4.40 per game against Patriot League opponents. She ranks fifth in the league in kills per game and also contributes 2.42 digs per game and 0.31 service aces per game, good for second and third, respectively, on the Bucknell squad. On the year, she has posted 10 double-doubles and was named Patriot League Player of the Week on two occasions. Senior Sarah Groman (Hollister, Calif./San Benito) follows Henderson with 2.55 kills per game and averages 0.76 blocks per game and is second to only senior Jennie Smith (Roanoke, Va./Patrick Henry) in total blocks. Groman is fourth in career block assists with 212, while Smith ranks second in career block assists (274) and third in career total blocks (319). On the year, Smith has 96 blocks for an average of 0.95 per game, which ties her for third in the Patriot League. Sophomore setter Shannon Pitsch (Oak Brook, Ill./Fenwick) has 1134 assists on the season for an average of 10.70 per game. Her total is the second-highest for a single season in Bison history as she trails the record, set by Whitney Williams in 2000, by 41. Bucknell senior libero Kristen Sydlowski (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty), who earned a spot on the All-Patriot League second team, leads the Patriot League with an average of 5.61 digs per game, which ranks 25th in the nation. She has spent this season cementing her name in the NCAA, Patriot League and Bucknell record books. On Sept. 2, Sydlowski tied the 17th-highest total in NCAA history for digs in a four-game march with 40 and broke the Bison single-match digs record. Later she set a new Bucknell single season digs record, passing Susie Teitsworth's 1995 total of 528. Most recently, Sydlowski overtook the Patriot League single season mark of 544, previously held by Army's Margaret Stewart, which stood for 15 years. She now ranks fifth in Bison history in career digs with 1,077, as well. Sydlowski, who earned Patriot League Player of the Week recognition once this season, also leads the team in service aces with 40, for an average of 0.39 per game. The Black Knights, who rank fourth in the nation in aces per game (2.46), are led offensively by Jamie Clark who ranks second in the Patriot League in hitting percentage (.262) and averages 3.06 kills per game. Setter Maureen Bannon averages 11.51 assists per game and Eileen Cassidy posts a squad-best 4.17 digs per game. Clark and Bannon, along with Elizabeth Lazzari, represented Army on the 2006 All-Patriot League squads. The winners of Friday's semifinal matches will advance to the Patriot League Championship, which is slated for Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m., in Bender Arena.
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