WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – After hosting four consecutive matches, the William & Mary volleyball team is back on the road with visits to CAA foes UNCW and Delaware this week. The Tribe makes up a postponed match with the Seahawks on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 5:30 pm, before starting the second half of league play at the Blue Hens on Friday, Oct. 19 at 6:30 pm.
Scouting the Tribe
W&M (5-11, 1-6 CAA) was dealt a tough four-set loss against Elon to cap its four-match homestand on Sunday. Regardless, the Tribe had a long list of standout efforts in the match. The most notable players were sophomores
Julia Brown and
Lauren Moussaid freshman
Lauren Merrill. Brown tallied 18.5 points after crushing 13 kills (.333 hitting percentage) and totaling seven blocks. Moussaid tied her career-best and led all players with 23 digs, while Merrill registered her first-ever double-double (16 kills, 13 digs).
Scouting the Seahawks
UNCW (10-6, 3-3 CAA) returns to Wilmington, N.C., after falling in back-to-back road matches at Towson and James Madison. Nonetheless, the Seahawks currently holds the final spot to qualify for the conference tournament with a three-match lead. The Seahawks' front line has been a key ingredient to their success with a blocking rate of 2.37 per set. Junior Kendall Bender leads the charge as she ranks 13
th in the nation with 1.47 blocks per set.
Scouting the Blue Hens
Delaware (8-12, 2-6 CAA) continues a four-match homestand in welcoming the Tribe to Bob Carpenter Center. After starting CAA play 0-5, the Blue Hens have taken two of its last three. Both of its first two conference wins occurred in five-set fashion. Junior Maria Bellinger continues to headline the lineup as the top hitter in the league. She paces the conference with 4.26 kills per set.
Series history vs. UNCW
W&M and UNCW will meet for the 65
th time in series history on Tuesday evening. The Green and Gold has dominated the matchup, holding a 51-13 all-time series lead. Last year, The Tribe split its pair of the contests against the Seahawks after grabbing a four-set win at home, before getting swept on the road.
Series history vs. Delaware
W&M squares off against UD for the second time this year and 41
st time in series history on Friday night. After knocking off the Blue Hens on Oct. 5, the Tribe trimmed the all-time series deficit to 25-15. Both teams have been evenly matched over the past three seasons with the past four contests lasting five sets.
Can You Dig It
Over the last four outings, Moussaid has been a defensive stalwart for the Tribe. The Allen, Texas native tallied 10-plus digs in three of the four appearances, improving her average to 3.54 per set. Additionally, Moussaid ranks ninth in the CAA courtesy of 3.85 digs per set against conference opponents.
Power of an Assist
On Sunday, senior
Katie Kemp took complete control of the offense versus Elon and dished out a season-best 49 assists across four sets. The team captain helped four of her teammates accumulate 10-plus kills. She also contributed five digs and assisted on three blocks. Kemp has played well all year in ranking eighth in the CAA via 5.36 assists per set.
Hitting with Efficiency
Following a pair of phenomenal attacking efforts, Brown raised to eighth in the CAA in hitting percentage (.300). She recorded a .500 percentage versus Towson, before finishing with a .333 rate against Elon. In total, Brown has needed just 227 swings to floor 105 kills with only 37 errors.
Ascending the Record Books
Junior
Autumn Brenner is on the verge of becoming the eighth-highest leader in all-time assists at W&M. The setter needs to dish out just 12 more assists to move past
Lori Price '97 in the record books. So far, Brenner has totaled 1728 career assists in over two seasons with the Tribe.
Digging Doyle
The Tribe was able to nab a rising star in
Tim Doyle as he was selected to the 2017 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 list. Doyle built up an impressive resume before accepting his first head coaching opportunity at W&M. In four years at VCU, he helped the program capture 80 wins and make a 2017 NCAA Tournament appearance. He also mentored 13 all-conference selections and saw five players sign professional contracts during his six total years as an assistant.
Sideline Help
Doyle brought in high caliber assistants to help steer the program in a new direction. His first hire was former VCU standout
Janelle Sykes. She recently competed abroad in Azerbaijan and Belgium. Sykes is one the most elite middle blockers in Rams' history, ranking second all-time in blocks per set (1.21) and fourth in total blocks (345).
Colby Arrington was the second hire and he brings a championship pedigree from James Madison. Arrington spent three years on the JMU staff serving in various roles, most recently as the volunteer assistant. He was also a key member of the JMU nationally-ranked men's club volleyball program.
