WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary volleyball team travels north to conclude its Colonial Athletic Association road stretch with matches at league-leading Northeastern and Hofstra. The Tribe visits the Huskies on Oct. 5 (8 PM) and then the Pride on Oct. 7 (7 PM).
TribeAthletics.com caught up with head coach
Melissa Ferris to discuss last week's match at Elon and the forthcoming journey up north. The video feature is available through the above link or by clicking
here.
Scouting the Tribe
W&M (2-15, 0-4 CAA) is still looking for its first conference win following a 3-1 setback at Elon on Sept. 28. The contest was the Tribe's only match of the week. Senior
Sydney Biniak remains one of the top three offensive weapons in the league, averaging 4.10 kills per set. The Elkridge, Md., native is also third-best in the CAA with 4.48 points per set. Sophomore
Autumn Brenner ranks fifth in the conference courtesy of 6.52 assists per set.
Scouting the Huskies
Northeastern (11-6, 4-0 CAA) is riding a season-long six-match winning streak to close out the month of September. The Huskies hit the road last week and swept Delaware (9/29), before handing Towson (10/1) its second loss of the season in four sets. As a team, NU boasts one of the best front line's in the conference, ranking second on 2.26 blocks per set. Rookie Gabrielle Tschannen has established herself as an elite middle blocker with seven solo stops and a CAA-best 70 block assists. The Huskies' backcourt is anchored by Gabrielle Eyl, who ranks 10
th in Division I behind 5.75 digs per set.
Scouting the Pride
Hofstra (11-7, 3-1 CAA) won its last three conference contests to claim the fourth spot in the standings. The Pride is coming off an impressive week after snapping Towson's (9/29) 16-match winning streak and closing out with a four-set triumph over Delaware (10/1). HU's lineup features one of the best setters in the NCAA in sophomore Luisa Sydlik. The second-year player stands 12
th in Division I with 11.58 assists per set. In addition, Laura Masciullo leads the team behind 3.69 kills per set.
Series History
- W&M and Northeastern will square off for the 26
th time in series history on Thursday night. The Huskies own the all-time series lead by a 15-10 margin. During the previous meeting, NU rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Tribe in a five-set barnburner. Five out of the last six contests between the programs have gone at least four sets.
- The Tribe will meet Hofstra for the 43
rd time in series history on Saturday night. The Pride holds a 24-18 all-time series lead over the Green and Gold. W&M will look to snap a seven-match losing streak against HU.
Dig Pink Rally
Next week, the Tribe will continue its annual support of The Side-Out Foundation's Dig Pink initiative. The Dig Pink Rally takes place during the Green and Gold's conference clash with UNCW on Oct. 13 at 7 PM. As part of the effort, W&M asks that its fan wear something pink to the match, and is also hosting a fundraiser to support a clinical treatment trial for stage 4 breast cancer patients. Stage 4 is the most advanced and least-researched form of the disease. To help the Tribe reach its goal, or to learn more, please visit
giving.side-out.org/campaigns/12814.
Triple Threat
The Green and Gold saw three different player record 10-plus kills in its first CAA road test at Elon. Biniak registered a team-high 15 kills in 26 attempts with just three errors (.462 attack percentage). Rookie
Kate Dedrick was also incredibly efficient as she needed only 30 touches to reach 12 kills and committed two errors, resulting in a .333 hitting rate. Last but not least, junior
Heather Pippus matched her season-best 13 kills to go along with six digs and three block assists. It's the third occasion W&M had three players generate double-digit kills.
Finishing with a Double-Double
Junior
Katie Kemp produced her best effort of 2017 versus the Phoenix last week. The Brentwood, Tenn., native posted a season-high in both assists (34) and digs (13) to record her third double-double this year. It was Kemp's fourth time leading the team in assists and her first in digs.
Keeping the Streak Alive
Biniak tied the school's longest double-figure kill streak in the 25-point scoring era thanks to her strong performance at Elon.
Erin Skipper '10 was the first player to accomplish the feat in 2008 and ended the season with 10-plus kills in 24 matches. Biniak has already made single-match history during her phenomenal run. Her .591 attack percentage against Savannah State (9/2) is 13th-best in school history and also tied eighth with 29 kills versus USC Upstate (9/9).
Tidbits
- Sophomore
Autumn Brenner needs 25 assists to move up to second all-time in program history in the current scoring era.
- Senior
Sara Zumbach made her first appearance of the season at Elon. The Franklin, Tenn., native contributed eight digs and four assists in three sets of work.
- Dedrick recorded a .330-plus hitting percentage in back-to-back matches. Her career-best attack percentage of .462 occurred against USC Upstate (9/9).
- Pippus earned 10-plus kills in three of her five starts. During the stretch, she also posted a double-double and tallied at least eight digs four times.
- Freshman
Denisha Shaw saw action for the second time this year versus the Phoenix, making back-to-back appearances. In two sets played, Shaw earned three kills in five attempts and assisted on a block.
