Women's Volleyball Battles St. Michael's Friday (7 p.m.)
Links: Live Stats
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team travels to Colchester, Vt. on Friday night for a season-opening 7 p.m. match against Saint Michael's College. The contest pits the Northeast-10 foes against each other in non-conference action.
The Basics
Date/Time: 9/4 | 7 p.m.
Records: Merrimack (0-0) | Saint Michael's (0-0)
Location: Ross Sports Center | Colchester, Vt.
Last Time Out:
Merrimack completed a successful 2014 season with a 17-8 record and a second straight appearance in the NE-10 Championship.
The Warriors return three starters, who all inherit captaincy roles for 2015. Senior libero Madison Burke (San Jose, Calif.) is captain for the second straight year and led the team in digs (434) last year. Burke enters her final season third on the all-time digs list (1,483) and owner of three of the top-six single-season dig totals in program history.
Junior Tara Stuhr (Huntington Beach, Calif.) returns to the lineup as the starting setter. A NE-10 All-Conference Third Team selection in 2014, Stuhr expects to be one of the top setters in the conference again in 2015. She led the league in assists-per-set last year (10.35) and ranks fourth all-time in program history in career assists (2,192).
Fellow junior Jennifer Cain (Melrose, Mass.) represents Merrimack's top-returning offensive threat. She was one of only two players from last year's team to record at least 100 kills and 100 digs. Her 173 kills from 2014 are the most of any returning player.
Last Season vs. Saint Michael's:
The Warriors and Purple Knights met twice last season, with the Navy and Gold winning both matches. Merrimack took a 3-1 decision last September in out-of-conference play. Cain finished with 11 kills and only two attacking errors for a .281 hitting percentage. Stuhr led the squad with 41 assists.
The team's met again in November in conference play, with the Warriors winning in straight sets. Junior Juliette McCall (Torrance, Calif.) collected nine kills, one shy of her season high. Burke finished with a team-high 23 digs.
The Purple Knights:
- Saint Michael's finished in the bottom half of the conference last year, missing out on a bid to the NE-10 Championship
- The Purple Knights return three players who all posted at least 100 kills last year. Kelsey Flaherty (198), Candace Washington (196) and Meghan Priester (170) all served as catalysts for the Purple Knights' attack in 2014
- Junior Catie Weller is back after a 684-assist season, while Natalie Moore paced the team with nearly 500 digs
Up Next
Merrimack travels down to Florida Southern for the FSC/Terrace Hotel Classic next weekend. The Warriors will play four matches, including against two squads that made the NCAA Tournament in Armstrong State and Saint Leo.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
