Category: Volleyball

Katherine Harris

Writer

Last weekend, the women’s volleyball team started its Patriot League season on the road, falling to both Lafayette and Lehigh.

The Bison traveled to Lafayette on Sept. 21 to face off against the Leopards in their Patriot League season opener. While the team lot in four sets, many individuals still had powerful performances on the night. Defense was strong for the Orange and Blue, with Karen Campbell ’16 racking up six blocks, while Kebah Edoho ’13 and Amanda Hall ’15 had five each.

Morgan Mientus ’14 and Claire Healy ’16 put up 24 and 10 digs for the Bison, respectively, while teammate Kat Tauscher ’13 contributed a career-high 12 to go along with 21 assists. Right behind her on offense was Meghan Wentzel ’16 who recorded 17 assists that day.

“We didn’t start out playing strong on Friday,” Healy said. “Our mentality going into the game against Lafayette was that we had it in the bag, but we learned the hard way that we should never go into a match too comfortable.”

The next day was a quick turnaround for the Orange and Blue as they traveled to Lehigh for a match the next afternoon. While the squad posted a strong offensive performance to win the first set, it could not duplicate the effort for the rest of the game, losing 3-1.

Once again, defense was strong for the Bison, with Jessica Serrato ’14, Edoho and Campbell each recording five blocks. Edoho also put up 10 kills on the day, keeping her streak of solid performances intact. Teammates Mientus and Tauscher were also consistent, earning 16 digs and 25 assists, respectively.

“This weekend we got off to a slow start against Lafayette. We unfortunately could not put our preparation into action and didn’t play at our level. However, by the start of our game against Lehigh on Saturday, our team had a whole new mentality which showed in the first three sets of the match,” Serrato said. “While we didn’t pull out the win, we left with a sense of what we are capable of in terms of both physical ability and team dynamics going forward in the league.”

The Bison will regroup and prepare to face their next Patriot League opponent, Army, as they travel to West Point, N.Y. for their match tonight at 7 p.m.

Katherine Harris

Writer

The women’s volleyball team finished its last weekend of non-conference play strong  last weekend, going 2-1 during the Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 14 and 15.

“Since it was my first home game, I was really nervous and excited to see a lot of people show up to support us,” said Karen Campbell ’16. “The energy from our supporters in the gym was great and it made me really enjoy playing on the home court in front of a big audience.”

The Bison started the tournament against a tough Fordham team, losing 3-0 again in a repeat of the two squads’ meeting the weekend before. Individual performances for the Orange and Blue were stronger in the second match-up between the teams, as Hannah Young ’14 racked up five blocks while Campbell and Kebah Edoho ’13 had three each. On offense, Meghan Wentzel ’16 totaled 17 assists and Jessica Serrato ’14 added 10 kills to the performance.

On Saturday, the Orange and Blue came back with a vengeance, burying a Providence squad while earning their first three-set victory of the year. Multiple players stepped up in the win, including Serrato with eight kills and Edoho with six. Morgan Mientus ’14 contributed 11 digs, while Kat Tauscher ’13 recorded her first career double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs. The first home win of the season was also a high point for the Bison as head coach Cindy Opalski recorded her 400th career win.

“I think we are really going to surprise some people in the Patriot League and pull out some big wins this year.  We finally are finishing matches when we are up two games to zero, and not letting the other team get back into the game,” Mientus said.

Continuing their domination for the day, the Bison finished the tournament with a 3-0 win over Quinnipiac. Mientus finished with 11 digs, while Serrato and Campbell both had performances that solidified their spots on the All-Tournament Team. Serrato finished with 11 kills on the day, totaling 29 kills and 21 digs on the weekend. Campbell ended up with five kills and four blocks, and 15 kills and 10 blocks for the entire tournament.

“Overall, I think the weekend offered an excellent ending note to our pre-conference play. We have all individually made critical changes and improvements in the last six weeks, and as a team we are growing stronger each week,” Serrato said. “We also recognize that we, along with the other Patriot League teams, are now 0-0 all over again, and we have serious competition ahead of us.”

The Bison will now prepare for the opening weekend of Patriot League play as they travel to Lafayette to face off against the Leopards tonight.

Katherine Harris

Writer

The women’s volleyball team had a tough weekend at the Rose Hill Classic at Fordham University, getting ousted by three talented teams for a winless performance.

The Bison traveled to New York on Sept. 7 to face off against Cornell and started out strong with a 2-0 lead in the match, before dropping the final three sets for a 3-2 loss. Several individuals still performed strongly, including Kat Tauscher ’13 with 18 assists and Morgan Mientus ’14 with 16 digs. First-years were also impressive for the Orange and Blue, with Meghan Wentzel ’16 trailing Tauscher in assists with 15, Claire Healy ’16 with 11 kills and Karen Campbell ’16 with eight blocks.

On Sept. 8, the Bison faced off against a tough Fordham squad, and were unable to get into a flow offensively as they lost in three straight sets to the host team. Mientus held up the defensive end for the Bison with 11 digs, but could not halt the assault from the Rams. On offense, Jessica Serrato ’14 and Kebah Edoho ’13 led the way for the Orange and Blue with seven and six kills, respectively, but were unable to match the offensive activity from their opponent.

The Bison came back looking for a win against Stony Brook and pushed their opponents to another five set match, eventually leading to a 3-2 loss. Wentzel and Tauscher led the way in assists with 19 and 18, respectively, giving the two of them 44 and 52 total for the tournament. Mientus also had 27 digs in the match, giving her 54 for the weekend, while Healy followed with 11 digs and nine kills. Healy ended the weekend tied for 23 kills with teammate Serrato.

“Overall, it was a disappointing weekend. We went to five games with two teams that we definitely could have beat in three. Also, Fordham played a very solid game against us, but we should have beat them as well,” Mientus said. “Thank God they will be at our tournament this weekend so we can redeem ourselves. I think the tough losses were a good learning experience and we just need to refocus and regroup in order to win our first home tournament this weekend!”

The Orange and Blue will face off in their first home event of the season as they host the Bucknell Invitational today and tomorrow. Tonight’s match at 7:30 p.m. will be a chance for redemption as the Bison will get the opportunity to play Fordham on their home court.

Katherine Harris
Writer

The women’s volleyball team improved their record this weekend with a strong 2-1 showing at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational with Jessica Serrato ’14 and Karen Campbell ’16 both having performances that placed them on the All-Tournament Team.

The Orange and Blue started off their tournament play on Aug. 31 as they matched up with Robert Morris, coming out with a 3-1 win. Serrato recorded 17 kills, while Kebah Edoho ’13 and Claire Healy ’16 each ended with eight. Morgan Mientus ’14 kept up her solid play this season with 21 digs, while Campbell and Edoho had 10 and six blocks, respectively.

“The first night we played, we were on fire. Everything was clicking. Our energy and focus was in the right direction. We were playing like the confident volleyball team that I know we can be. We were able to feed off the opposing crowd’s momentum and use it to our advantage,” Healy said.

Though struggling early, the Bison continued to have success on Sept. 1 as they played Loyola (Md.), coming back from a loss in the first set to win the match 3-1. Kellye Zobrist ’14 dominated the third set with a career-high five aces and bolstered the team’s offense on several other occasions with her well-placed serves. Meghan Wentzel ’16 racked up 33 assists, Campbell recorded nine kills and Healy received her first college double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs. Upperclassmen play rounded out the win for the Bison as Serrato had 12 kills and Edoho recorded nine.

To wrap up the weekend, the Orange and Blue suffered a tough loss to Duquesne. Key players still performed strongly in the loss, with Serrato registering a double-double with 17 digs and 13 kills. Healy and Campbell both followed her lead, racking up seven kills each. Mientus also shone defensively, recording 15 digs in the match to round out her tournament.

“Every week our team is improving, and that was evident in our play this weekend. While we would have preferred to leave 3-0, we were pleased with our performance and our match against Duquesne certainly revealed areas in which we can improve,” Serrato said. “I was honored to be named to the All-Tournament Team, but I know I have a lot more room for improvement as we move forward. As a team, we need to remember to start strong in every match and maintain positive energy on the court, no matter who the opponent.”

The Bison will continue their tournament circuit for two more weeks before beginning Patriot League play, traveling to the Rose Hill Classic at Fordham University this weekend. 

Katherine Harris
Writer

The women’s volleyball team started off their season strong this weekend, beating both La Salle and Manhattan on Saturday afternoon before falling short against Niagara and Loyola on Sunday.

“Our hard work during the summer and preseason has definitely paid off. Everyone stepped up and gave it their all throughout the whole weekend. I was very impressed by our freshmen; they got on the court, maintained positive attitudes, and made significant contributions,” said Kebah Edoho ‘13.

The Bison began their season with an impressive 3-1 win against the home team in the La Salle Invitational. Many athletes stood out in the game, including Morgan Mientus ‘14 with a career best 16 digs, Kat Tauscher ’13 with 17 assists, and Edoho with five blocks, more than the entire La Salle team combined. Also impressive were the contributions made by rookie members of the team, as Meghan Wentzel ’16 racked up 17 assists, along with four blocks from Karen Campbell ’16 and ten kills from Claire Healy ’16.

Success continued for the Orange and Blue as they faced Manhattan, coming out with another 3-1 victory. Edoho once again anchored the team’s defense with 6 blocks, and Mientus crushed her career record once again with 25 digs. Tauscher and Wentzel also both stepped up, with the senior pulling in 26 assists and the freshman finishing with 18 assists and 10 digs.

“This weekend was a pretty big surprise in the past two years that I’ve been on Bucknell’s team we have never started off so strong. I see really good things in our future. I think we got all of our first tournament jitters out and will only go up from here,” said Mientus.

After a strong opening day, the Bison faltered in their first match on Sunday, losing to Niagara in three straight sets. Individually, many of the Bison still had strong performances, with Tauscher and Wentzel pulling in 14 and 13 sets, respectively. Mientus also continued to post high stats, with 24 digs in the match, and Edoho had 12 kills and a .478 attack percentage.

Finally, the Orange and Blue lost a tough last match to a strong Loyola squad who went 4-0 on the weekend. Jessica Serrato ’14 stepped up on offense with 10 kills, along with Tauscher and Wentzel holding solid in the assists column, but the effort just wasn’t enough as the Bison fell to the strong attack of their undefeated opponent in three sets.

“We have been working so hard since August 7th so it’s nice to finally have the hard work and commitment pays off. Although we went 2-2 this past weekend, we faced some tough competition. We all left the weekend with a ‘good taste’ in our mouths because of the future potential we saw play out on the court,” Healy said.

The team will now prepare for their upcomingmatch this weekend at the Robert Morris/Duquesne Invitational on Friday and Saturday.