WILLIAMSBURG, Va.- William and Mary volleyball will hit the Carolinas for their first road trip of the 2019 CAA slate. The Tribe will hit Wilmington, N.C. for a Friday night tilt with the Seahawks before traveling to the Palmetto State for a Sunday afternoon meeting with Charleston.
Scouting the Tribe
William & Mary will hit the road looking to improve on a 4-9 overall record and a 0-2 conference mark. The Tribe have had a strong presence at the net tallying over two blocks per set, led by junior
Julia Brown's 60 stuffs. Senior
Autumn Brenner continues to have a strong senior season posting team-highs in assists (330) and service aces (19).
Kate Dedrick,
Julia Brown, and
Lauren Merrill have all eclipsed the 100-kill mark and lead a Tribe offense that has seven players averaging over a kill per set. True freshman
Anna Porter has started all 14 matches at libero and owns a team-high 174 digs. The Atlanta native's 3.70 digs per set paces all CAA first years.
Scouting the Seahawks
UNCW will bring a 10-5 record into Friday's tilt with the Tribe but went 0-2 in the opening weekend of CAA play. The Seahawks have been lethal from the service line racking up 110 aces on the season, 21 more than the next CAA team. Brynn Montgomery fills up the stat sheet for Wilmington and has posted two triple-doubles this season. The Seahawks are out blocking opponents 116 to 112 on the season led by Kendall Bender who recently became the tenth UNCW player to record 300 career stuffs.
Scouting the Cougars
Charleston will host Elon Friday night before taking on the Tribe Sunday afternoon. The Cougars will enter the weekend with a 3-11 record and an 0-2 mark in CAA play after falling to James Madison and Delaware last weekend. Charleston has been strong defensively ranking third in the conference in both blocks and digs per set. Both Logan Manusky (4.22) and Lauren Freed (3.06) rank in the top ten in the CAA in digs per set Freed is also tied for third in the conference with 0.39 service aces per frame. Offensively middle blocker Peyton Eisnaugle leads the Cougar attack with a .332 hitting percentage and 97 kills.
Series History
William & Mary has dominated the all-time series with UNCW owing a 51-15 advantage that included a 33-match winning streak spanning between 1983-2002 however the Seahawks have won the last three meetings in Wilmington. On the flip side, the Tribe have struggled against Charleston winning just once in 13 attempts against the Cougars. William & Mary is winless in seven matches in Charleston.
Juniors Rising
Julia Brown and
Kate Dedrick, the Green and Gold's pair of juniors have put up impressive numbers halfway through the season. Dedrick paces the Tribe with 128 kills on the season and ranks eighth in the CAA with 2.82 smashes per set. The Texas native has recorded double-digit kills in six of the Tribe's past seven contests. Brown has been a force on both sides of the net for W&M leading the way with 60 total blocks while posting 113 kills. The captain ranks eighth in the CAA with a .298 hitting percentage.
Strong On the Block
Through the first week of conference play, William & Mary ranks third in the CAA with 2.83 blocks per set. The Tribe have shut down 102 blocks on the season with
Julia Brown's 11 solo blocks and 60 total blocks leading the way. Brown's 1.28 blocks per set pace is tied for the league lead.
Kaitlyn Ferguson,
Kate Dedrick,
Lauren Merrill, and
Claire Farrell have all added at least 23 total blocks for the Tribe.
Aces Wild
William & Mary has had a strong attack from the service line racking up 61 aces on the year.
Autumn Brenner leads the way with 19 and ranks second in the CAA with 0.40 aces per set. The Tribe have five servers with at least five aces on the season.
Weekend Schedule
Friday- Tribe at UNCW 7:00 p.m.
Sunday- Tribe vs. Charleston 1:00 p.m.
