Women's Volleyball Prepares for Two Home Matches; Senior Day Set for Saturday vs. Saint Rose
Links: Live Stats (Friday | Saturday) | Video | Follow @MerrimackVB | Audio
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team hosts a pair of contests this weekend beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m. against Le Moyne before the Warriors take on Saint Rose Saturday at 1 p.m. on Senior Day. Seniors Madison Burke (San Jose, Calif.), Katie Cronin (Methuen, Mass.) and Hannah Pavlik (Monument, Colo.) will all be honored as part of the pregame ceremony Saturday.
The Basics
Date/Time: 11/6-7 | 7 p.m. | 1 p.m.
Records: Merrimack (8-14, 3-8 NE-10) | Le Moyne (15-7, 6-4 NE-10) | Saint Rose (10-10, 6-5 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Promotions
The Warriors will be selling "Merrimack Volleyball" T-shirts right outside Hammel Court during both matches. Shirts will cost $20 and can be purchased at each match.
Last Time Out:
The Warriors concluded a three-game road trip with a 3-0 loss to Saint Anselm on Tuesday night up in Manchester, N.H.
Burke posted a strong outing from the libero position, notching a match-high 22 digs. The contest marked the ninth time this season that Burke has registered at least 20 digs in a match. The two-year captain recently picked up her 400th dig of the season, becoming the first player in program history to collect at least 400 digs in each of her four seasons on campus.
Freshman Sofia Basauri (Beaverton, Ore.) continued to be efficient as an attacking player, posting a .400 hitting percentage with five kills and only one error on 10 attacks. Over the last seven matches, Basauri has hit at a clip of at least .200 in each contest.
Junior Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.) currently ranks fourth in the conference in assists per set (9.92), while classmate Jennifer Cain (Melrose, Mass.) is also fourth with 3.32 kills per frame. Burke's 5.44 digs per set is good for fifth in the NE-10
Last Season at Le Moyne/Saint Rose:
Merrimack travelled out Syracuse, N.Y. last season and lost a three-set match to the Dolphins. Burke finished as the lone Warrior in double figures with 12 digs. Stuhr paved the way with 32 assists on the night.
The Warriors also feel to the Golden Knights, with Burke leading the team with another 12-dig match. This year's contest between the two programs can be heard on WMCK, Merrimack's online radio station, at the audio link above.
The Dolphins:
- Le Moyne enters the weekend in fifth place in the league, winning six of 10 NE-10 matches. They have lost two of their last three, including a four-set match to Bentley last Saturday
- The Dolphins employ of one the most balanced attacks in the conference, with five players averaging at least two kills per set. Kendall Corcoran has been one of the top setters in the conference, averaging nearly 10 assists per frame
- Defensively, Mikayla Porr leads the team with 5.83 digs per frame and 420 total on the season. Danica Durdines paces the squad with 55 total blocks, including 49 block assists
The Golden Knights:
- Saint Rose also enters the weekend in playoff positioning in the NE-10, riding a three-match winning streak into the match Saturday against the Warriors. During that stretch, the Golden Knights have only lost two sets
- Maryellen Devic leads the team with 259 total kills (3.20/set). Two players have been effective at the setter position, with Sam Kubik and Erica Ziskin averaging over four assists per frame
- Saint Rose also sees multiple players contribute on the defensive end, with Samantha Atchison and leading the way with nearly four digs per set. Devic contributes 3.26 digs per set as well, ranking second on the team
Up Next
Merrimack concludes the regular season with a road match against Assumption on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 12 p.m.
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For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
