WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary volleyball team returns to Kaplan Arena to host in-state foe Norfolk State for its final non-conference tilt on Tuesday evening at 7 PM. The broadcast will be available on Tribe Athletics TV via Stretch Internet.
TribeAthletics.com caught up with head coach
Melissa Ferris to discuss last week's effort and preview the upcoming match with NSU. The video feature is available through the above link or by clicking
here.
Scouting the Tribe
W&M (2-17) looks to recover from a challenging trip up north after visiting two top three Colonial Athletic Association programs in Northeastern (10/5) and Hofstra (10/7). A duo of senior
Sydney Biniak and freshman
Julia Brown highlighted the offensive effort in the third week of conference play. Biniak produced an impressive performance in a five-set comeback attempt at HU, finishing with a team-high 16 kills, seven digs and three blocks assists. The Elkridge, Md., native has recorded at least 15 kills on nine occasions. Brown paced the Tribe with eight kills at NU, before capping the week with 10 more against the Pride.
Scouting the Spartans
Norfolk State (3-14) aims to snap a six-match losing skid following a pair of MEAC loses last weekend. The Spartans are paced by freshmen Taylor Eichelberger and senior Melvina Brown. Eichelberger has collected a team-high 145 kills and recently earned a season-best 17 at Delaware State (10/8). Defensively, Brown leads the back row with 248 digs, and her average of 3.88 per set ranks third in the MEAC.
Series History
W&M and Norfolk State will face off for the 15
th time in series history on Tuesday night. The Tribe has dominated the all-time series lead with a 13-1 record, including a perfect 7-0 mark in Williamsburg. Furthermore, W&M has claimed all except one of its victories in straight sets. The previous meeting between the two Green and Gold programs occurred in 2015, where the Tribe earned a four-set triumph.
Versus the MEAC
The Tribe has already competed against a pair off MEAC programs during the tournament portion of its schedule. W&M swept Savannah State (9/2) in the Colonial Classic, before falling in straight sets to Maryland Eastern Shore (9/9) at the Wake Forest Invitational. The Green and Gold boasts a 53-8 all-time series record versus the conference.
Block Party
As a team, the Green and Gold registered a season-high in blocks at both Northeastern (8) and Hofstra (14) last week. The increase in rejections was headlined by outstanding efforts from Brown and her classmate
Denisha Shaw. Shaw made a big splash with 12 block assists (1.50 per set) in her first two career starts. The Chesapeake, Va., native finished with math-high stops against both the Huskies (5) and the Pride (7). Brown finished the week with 10 total blocks (1.25 per set) and her best performance occurred at HU. The Geneva, Ill., native tied Shaw with seven denials against the Pride, including a pair of solo stops.
Dig Pink
The Tribe will hold its annual Dig Pink Match against CAA foe UNCW on Friday at 7 PM. As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, W&M is partnering with The Side-Out Foundation and its Dig Pink initiative to raise funds and awareness on the deadly disease. The proceeds will go toward a clinical trial specifically for patients with stage 4 breast cancer, the most advanced form of the disease and the least funded area of research. To donate and support the cause, please visit giving.side-out.org/campaigns/12814. The Tribe also asks fans to wear something pink during the conference clash with the Seahawks.
Tidbits
- Sophomore
Autumn Brenner ties second all-time in the 25-point scoring system with 1239 career assists.
- Biniak ranks sixth all-time in total blocks (179) in the current scoring format.
- Junior
Katie Kemp needs three more service aces to rank top 10 all-time in the current scoring system.
- Both head coaches
Melissa Ferris and Dave Albaugh are in their second season at the helm of their respected programs
- At Hofstra, sophomore
Casey Foote earned a career-best five blocks and Brown served a pair of aces for the fourth time in 2017.
- Junior
Heather Pippus tied her season-high 13 digs at Northeastern.
- The Green and Gold has played five sets in three matches this year, twice against CAA opponents.
