2019 Tribe Volleyball: Our State Our Tribe
WILLIAMSBURG, Va.- The William & Mary volleyball team will open up an 11-match home slate this weekend hosting Georgetown, Iona, and UNCG at the 2019 Colonial Classic. The Tribe will have three chances to defend Kaplan Arena this weekend beginning with Friday's 7:00 p.m. match with UNCG. The Green and Gold will face Iona and Georgetown Saturday afternoon.
The Tribe will look to have a packed house as the weekend as William & Mary will welcome back former players for the first-ever Deb Hill Alumnae Weekend. Here is what coach
Tim Doyle had to say about defending Kaplan Arena and welcoming back former William & Mary athletes this weekend:
"It's huge coming back home, number one the team gets to stay in their beds, life is normal and the routine here is more normal. The team also gets to see their families and have people that know them, love them, and care for them come out to cheer us on and that will energize us. We will have family, friends, and fans that will only add to that home Kaplan Arena energy that we are used to."
"It's awesome to have the alumni back. The fact is, this is such a storied program winning seven consecutive CAA titles under Deb Hill and an eighth later on so our alumni are very invested in what we have going on here, and restoring that program pride is a big part of what we are trying to accomplish here. We are excited and we have a lot of great events planned for them and it will be great to have them in the crowd and see the new iteration of Tribe volleyball."
Scouting the Tribe
W&M heads into the weekend looking to improve on its 2-3 record. The Tribe went 1-2 this past weekend at the Xavier Invitational. The William & Mary defense has racked up 36 blocks led by 22 total stuffs from
Julia Brown. Browns 1.10 blocks per set rank tied for second in the CAA.
Kate Dedrick and
Lauren Merrill have paced the Tribe offense, each with 51 kills. Freshman
Anna Porter's 61 digs are the most by any player in the Green and Gold this season.
Autumn Brenner ranks tied for first in the CAA with 10 service aces and fourth with 164 assists.
Scouting the Spartans
UNCG enters the Colonial Classic with a 5-2 record on the season. The Spartans' only two losses are to ACC opponents. UNCG is coming off a midweek loss to Duke but had a perfect 3-0 record at the Maverick Classic in Arlington last weekend. The Spartans are undefeated away from home, 2-0 in neutral site games and 1-0 in true road matches. The team averages nearly three more kills per set than the opposition and holds their counterparts to a .163 hitting percentage. Holly Behrends leads the offense with 75 kills, 3.26 per set.
Scouting the Gaels
Iona is winless in seven tries entering the 2019 Colonial Classic. The Gaels are coming off a midweek loss to Seton Hall. Iona has out-blocked opponents 1.66 per set to 1.27. The Gaels have three players averaging over 0.60 blocks per set, paced by Karla Johnson (0.73). The Iona offense is led by Jaime Smith's 2.36 kills per set. The Gaels have a veteran roster with five seniors and only two freshmen.
Scouting the Hoyas
Georgetown opens the tournament with a 3-4 record. The Hoyas won their first three matches, but have dropped four straight since the hot start. Georgetown had success last season finishing with a 17-13 record, 10-8 in the BIG EAST. The Hoyas have a young core with eight true freshmen on the roster. Georgetown's defense has held opponents to under .200 hitting on the season.
Series History
The Tribe has not faced UNCG since the 1980 season. The Spartans have a 2-1 lead in the all-time series. The Green and Gold will look to remain perfect entering the weekend with a 2-0 record over Iona. William & Mary is 6-11 all-time against Georgetown but holds a 3-1 advantage over the Hoyas in matches played in Williamsburg. The teams have not met since the 2012 season.
Record Setter
Senior
Autumn Brenner leads the Tribe with 164 assists, bringing her career total to an even 1,900. Brenner is just 100 assists from becoming just the sixth player in William & Mary history to reach the 2,000-assist mark.
Fresh Faces
Freshmen defensive specialists
Anna Porter and
Gabi Ganley have seen action in all five of the Tribe's matches this season, with Porter starting each match. Freshman Middle blocker
Kaitlyn Ferguson has also earned a start, while
Kate Van Houten has seen action in each of the past two matches.
Weekend Schedule
Friday
Iona vs. Georgetown- 3:30 p.m.
William & Mary vs. UNCG- 7:00 p.m.
Saturday
Georgetown vs. UNCG- 10:00 a.m.
William & Mary vs. Iona- 1:00 p.m.
Iona vs. UNCG- 4:00 p.m.
William & Mary vs. Georgetown- 7 p.m.
