WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William and Mary volleyball team journeys to the northeastern region of the country in capping a three-match road stretch this weekend. The Tribe visits a pair of Colonial Athletic Association rivals in Northeastern on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 pm and Hofstra on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 1 pm.
Scouting the Tribe
W&M (4-6, 0-1 CAA) seeks to rebound from a tough defeat in its conference opener at the College of Charleston last Sunday. The Green and Gold offense was limited to just 23 kills in its first match since Sept. 8. Regardless, the Tribe has won four of its last seven games. Over the course of the period, freshman
Claire Farrell has paced W&M with 56 kills and sophomore
Kate Dedrick followed up with 52 more.
Scouting the Huskies
Northeastern (8-7, 1-1 CAA) returns to Boston after splitting its first two conference matches at James Madison (9/20) and Towson (9/22). The Huskies fell to JMU in four sets, before outdistancing TU in five sets. Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week Hannah Boyd has made a big splash for NU as her rate of 3.50 kills per set is fifth-best in the league. Defensive standout Gabrielle Eyl is making national noise with the 23
rd most digs per set (5.38) in Division I.
Scouting the Pride
Hofstra (11-5, 1-1 CAA) was the second team to split its first pair of conference matches. The Pride came up just short in a five-set thriller at James Madison, before rolling past Towson in straight sets. Hofstra owns the most proficient offense in the league, blasting kills at a CAA-best .261 rate. Juniors Laura Masciullo and Luisa Sydlik are key cogs to the top offense in the conference. Masciullo's average of 3.79 kills per set ranks third in the CAA, while Sydlik tops the association on 11.90 assists per set.
Series History vs. Northeastern
W&M and NU will collide for the 28
th time in series history on Friday night. The Huskies hold an all-time series lead of 17-10 over the Tribe, including four consecutive wins in the past two seasons. During the last time out, W&M took the first set, before the Huskies claimed the next three for a 3-1 win.
Series History vs. Hofstra
W&M and Hofstra add to their extended history with the 45
th meeting in series history between the programs. Hofstra leads the all-time series by a margin of 26-18. The last time W&M travelled to Hempstead N.Y., the Tribe made a strong attempt to rally from a 2-0 match deficit, but was unable to complete the comeback bid in the five-set tussle.
Unexpected Time Off
Last Sunday's trip to the College of Charleston was the first match in a two-week span for the Tribe. The lengthy break in action was due to the Hurricane Florence. The Green and Gold canceled its second home tournament and postponed a conference match at UNCW. However, the shelved match with the Seahawks is rescheduled for Oct. 16 at 5:30 pm.
Serving Aces
The Green and Gold owns the most aggressive serve in the nation, ranking 30th in DI with 1.67 per set. Junior
Autumn Brenner landed the most aces of her career with four against Savannah State She paces the team behind 10 on the year. Furthermore, W&M has recorded at least seven aces four times and reached double-digits twice.
Collegiate Debuts
All six freshmen on the Tribe roster have made their debut for the Green and Gold after
Lauren Merrill appeared in two sets at CofC.
Claire Farrell is the only player in the class to see action in all 34 sets. She paces the team with 92 kills, while assisting on 16 blocks as well.
Madeleine Bertz also averages a team-high 0.91 stuffs per set.
Taking on a New Role
Junior
Casey Foote has excelled in her new role as the libero. Her average of 3.18 digs per set ranks 10th in the CAA. Foote recorded at least 20 digs in a match twice, including a career-high 25 in a win over Robert Morris. The Prospect, Ky., product also holds a .937 reception percentage across 22 attempts with 14 errors.
Ascending the Record Books
Senior
Katie Kemp passed
Anna Finely '93 in career assists with 1294 to rank 10
th all-time at W&M. Junior
Autumn Brenner is closing in on the eighth spot in the all-time assist ranking as she needs 86 more to make the leap. In the 25-point scoring format, sophomore
Julia Brown slid into the top 10 after making her 124
th career block.
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 quite the 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.
