|
2007 Match Summaries
Oct. 26-27: at Messiah Invitational
Oct. 19-20: Crusader Classic Tournament
Oct. 17: PSU-Altoona 3, Susquehanna 0
Oct. 7: Goucher 3, Susquehanna 1; Catholic 3, Susquehanna 1
Oct. 6: Scranton 3, Susquehanna 0
Oct. 3: Eastern 3, Susquehanna 0
Sept. 28-29: 0-4 at Salisbury Tournament
Sept. 26: McDaniel 3, Susquehanna 0
Sept 21-22: 1-2 at Landmark Conference match
Sept. 14-15: 3-0 at Marywood Quad Match
Sept. 7-8: 2-2 at Buttermaker Invitational
Sept. 4: Susquehanna 3, Wilkes 0
Sept. 1-2: 2-2 at Haverford Invitational
October 26-27: Susquehanna finishes season at Messiah Invitational
GRANTHAM, PA - The Crusaders ended their 2007 campaign with split results against former MAC opponents this weekend at Messiah College. In a repeat of last weekend's performances, junior middle hitter Ainsley Catagnus (Reading, Pa./ Reading Central Catholic) earned All-Tournament honors again, bringing her personal season achievements to one MVP award and four All Tournament teams.
Junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) earned two more spots in the national Thirty-Dig Club, bringing her season total to a Susquehanna record three times in a single season. She achieved this distinction in an amazing three matches in-a-row.
Against the host team, the Crusaders won the first game before dropping the next three, and subsequently the match, by the scores of 30-22, 28-30, 25-30 and 25-30. Against the Falcons Catagnus accrued 14 kills on 29 attempts with no errors for an impressive hitting average of .483, while freshman Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./ Freedom) added 12 kills.
Schroeder made her second entry of the season into the AVCA National Thirty-Dig Club with 32 as senior setter Sophie Hall (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) entered the final weekend of her colligiate career with 23 assists and 13 digs. Junior Kristi Beck (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) and sophomore Jessica Cicioni (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill) accounted for 19 and 16 digs in the match.
On the final match of Friday evening, Susquehanna met Widener in another rematch from the Commonwealth Conference, losing in a 1-3 split, 21-30, 30-24, 30-16, 30-28. Once again, Schroeder notched her name in the Thirty-Dig Club as she would raise 32 of the Pioneers' attacks.Hall played one of the greatest defensive matches of her career with 19 digs and 40 assists. On the attack line, Catagnus and Jankiewicz continued their assault with 19 and 13 kills respectively but in the end it was not sufficient enough to stop Widener as they escaped a last moment push in game four by the Crusaders.
After a long evening and short night the Crusaders found themselves back in action in a 9 a.m. match against long-time rival Lycoming College, whom they battled earlier this season. As in the earlier match, the Warriors found themselves on the receiving end of an overpowering Susquehanna attack as Jankiewicz hit .522 with 14 kills and Catagnus pounded another .500 hitting percentage with 10 kills. Beck served up five of the team's 11 aces as Hall and Taylor Crawford (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) were credited with 17 and 14 assists. When the dust settled, the Crusaders would have their final win of the season with game scores of 30-16, 30-19, 30-14.
In the final game of the season and final competition of Hall's career, the Crusaders matched up against the No. 3 team in the Mid Atlantic Region, Elizabethtown. The powerful Blue Jays came into the match with an impressive 28-6 record, but the Crusaders would not yield and continued to go hit for hit before losing the first game 24-30. In the second game, Susquehanna turned things around and downed Etown 30-25. Game three would go back to the Jays before the fourth and final game proved to be a nail biter, with neither team getting a significant advantage until an eleventh-hour spurt by the Blue Jays that finished the season for the Crusaders in a 26-30 loss.
The hitting contingent of Catagnus and Jankiewicz saved their best for last, as they accounted for 20 and 15 kills, while Hall dished up 38 assists and 11 digs. Schroeder would come just shy of the 30-dig mark with 27 as Cicioni and Beck bookended with 15 digs each.
At the end of the four matches, Hall would walk away after giving one of the best performances of her career as she departed the huddle for the final time and finished her season with several Susquehanna setting records. Catagnus would end the weeked with a .333 hitting percentage and a seat on the All-Tournament team. Jankiewicz would hold a .303 hitting percentage on the weekend and Schroeder would find herself with the honors of the thirty-dig club.
Coach Tom said, "There are very few teams in this sport that are a dynasty; there are more ebb and flow teams than dominating programs. We are attempting to achieve greatness and that takes time. With the returning talent and some fine recruits that we are currently working with, we are within reach of that success. In essence, today ended this season and tomorrow starts our new one."
October 19-20: Catagnus All-Tournament, Schroeder joins 30-dig club at Crusader Classic
SELINSGROVE, PA - The Susquehanna women's volleyball team went 1-3 in its own second annual Hampton Inn Crusader Classic this weekend, but saw individual honors for two of its players. Junior middle hitter Ainsley Catagnus (Reading, Pa./Reading Central Catholic) earned All-Tournament honors yet again, while junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) earned a spot in the national Thirty-Dig Club.
Susquehanna extended its losing streak to 16 with a loss to York (Pa.) College by the scores of 16-30, 30-26, 24-30, 28-30 Friday evening. The streak was the longest suffered since Coach John Tom took over the reigns in 2003. In the next match, against Rowan University, the streak would finally come to an end as Susquehanna won 30-27, 27-30, 30-19, and 30-16.
Against York, Catagnus led the offensive with 14 kills followed by freshman Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom) with 12 kills. Sophomore opposite hitter turned middle hitter Jessica Cicioni (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill), sophomore opposite hitter Madeline Hals (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) and freshman Michelle Lebo (York, Pa./York Suburban) contributed six kills apiece in the effort as Schroeder notched 18 digs for the defense, followed by Cicioni who added 11.
Senior Sophie Hall (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) and freshman Taylor Crawford (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) shared the setting for the weekend, contributing 20 and 21 assists respectively for this match.
Against Rowan, Jankiewicz would take command of the attack duties with 14 kills for the match while Cicioni would follow with 10 kills. Catagnus added eight kills of her own while Hall and Crawford would dish up 18 and 19 assists. The defense was once again led by Schroeder, who raised 26 digs. The front line of the Crusaders would account for a dozen blocks against the Profs.
On day two of the tournament, the Crusaders would once again find themselves across the net from Landmark sister institution Catholic University. For the third time this season, the result would be the same with Catholic taking the match in three games, 30-19, 30-24, 30-27. In the fourth and final match of their tournament, Susquehanna matched up against Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. The Crusaders won the first game of the match 31-29 before losing the following three 25-30, 20-30, 16-30 to close out the weekend 1-3.
Against Catholic, Cicioni would amass an impressive 13 kills with only four errors on 27 attempts, hitting .333, while Catagnus would follow with nine kills and two errors in 19 attempts, boasting a .368. Hall would end the match with 22 assists while Crawford added 17. Schroeder and junior Kristi Beck (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) accounted for 17 and 10 of the team's 46 digs.
In the final match, the Crusaders came out strong against a relentless Richard Stockton. After winning the first game, Susquehanna could not stay consistent enough to secure the match win as the hitters of the opponent continued their offensive assault.
Although the hits kept coming, Schroeder would have the best game of her season as she stayed in the battle and was able to dig 38 of the attempted kills. Her performance would earn her a spot in the national Thirty-Dig club of the AVCA for the second time in her career, having done so once before during the 2006 season. She joins Cheryl Smith '06 as the only two players in the past five seasons to earn the distinction.
On offense for the Crusaders, Jankiewicz would once again put on an impressive performance with 16 kills, as Hall amassed 29 assists and Crawford added 15.
October 17: PSU-Altoona takes three against Crusaders
ALTOONA, PA - The Susquehanna University volleyball team came into town on the wrong night, as Penn State-Altoona rode a senior night high to a 3-0 win in non-conference action.
The host team won the first game convincingly, 30-11, then the Crusaders posted more of a challenge in the second game before falling 30-25. The final game was a tight one that went to 31-29 in favor of Penn State-Altoona.
For Susquehanna, freshman Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom) was the leader in kills with 10, and fellow frosh Michelle Lebo (York, Pa./York Suburban) added seven. Junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) led the Crusaders with 14 digs and sophomore Jess Cicioni (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill) was right behind with 13.
October 7: Crusaders drop two in final day of conference round robin
TOWSON, MD - The Crusaders dropped two matches on Sunday, the final day of the Landmark Conference round robin contests, losing to Goucher and Catholic. The Susquehanna squad relied heavily on its bench as three starting players were out of action due to illness and injuries. The bench and remaining starters pulled double duty in what would prove to be a long, hot October day in host Goucher's gymnasium.
Against Goucher, Susquehanna dropped the first game and was trailing significantly in the second by seven points as the Gophers reached game point. Refusing to give up, the Crusaders showed their mettle when they put together and sustained a late game surge that would tie them at 29 points.
Goucher went on to win the game 32-30 but the Crusaders would keep their late-found momentum into the third game, winning 30-23. In the fourth and final game, Susquehanna continued to push the pace but lost with dignity 31-33 as the Gophers would finish their own conference season with the win.
The leaders for the match included an impressive performance by freshman outside hitter Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom), who notched 12 kills out of 25 attempts with only three errors while junior middle hitter Ainsley Catagnus (Reading, Pa./Reading Central Catholic) added five kills. Senior setter Sophie Hall (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) had 32 assists and five aces to aid in the effort as junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) cleaned up with 23 digs.
In the second match of the day, the Crusaders would find themselves in their final conference match of the season against second-place Catholic. Starting only an hour after the final game of the Goucher match, the Crusaders challenged the Cardinals and took the first game 31-29. Attempting to sustain that momentum proved difficult as Susquehanna would lose the subsequent three games 17-30, 20-30 and 24-30.
Although the losses would remove the Crusaders from post season competition, the team was not about to say die as the hitting cache of Jankiewicz (14 kills) and Catagnus (nine kills) was joined by freshman outside hitter Michelle Lebo (York, Pa./York Suburban), who added 10 kills. Sophomore opposite hitter Jessica Cicioni (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill) fought illness all day but came off of the bench to add six kills, one ace and 17 digs. The defensive efforts were once again led by Schroeder who accounted for 25 digs.
“The effort put forth by this team today, considering the injuries and the depleted squad, is an indication of the heart of these athletes," said Coach John "Kuiipo" Tom. "We were pretty much eliminated from postseason conference play with the loss to Scranton yesterday so it would have been easy, especially under the circumstances, to just show up and go through the motions, but these young women do not cave in. We still have a lot of non-conference season left and it is evident in the way that we played this weekend that this team is far from 'done.' You can't teach athletes how to have drive and fortitude; they either have it or they don't. Our team manifested their determination today and I couldn't ask for more than that regardless of the score.”
October 6: Susquehanna falls at conference match to Scranton
TOWSON, MD - The Susquehanna women's volleyball team dropped a conference match against the University of Scranton (20-30, 20-30, 22-30) in round robin play at Goucher. The Crusaders also suffered the loss of two starting players, sophomore middle hitter Katie Peters (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) and freshman defensive specialist Alli Downing (Forty Fort, Pa./Bishop Hoban), to injuries. They are unlikely to return to action for the remainder of the round robin.
Both Scranton (16-8, 3-1 LC) and Susquehanna (9-13, 1-3 LC) came out strong in the begining of the match and neither let up with each team exhibiting their powerful hitting arsenal. The power of Susquehanna was evident with hitters Ainsley Catagnus' (Reading, Pa./Reading Central Catholic) 13 kills and Lindsey Jankiewicz's (Easton, Pa./Freedom) 11 kills setting the pace for the Crusaders.
Setters Taylor Crawford (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) and Sophie Hall (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) combined for 32 assists.
Junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) paced the defense with 12 digs followed by Hall with nine and Michelle Lebo (York, Pa./York Suburban) with eight.
The Crusaders will continue in Landmark Conference competition tomorrow at Goucher when they play the host Gophers followed by the Catholic University of America Cardinals. Susquehanna is battling with Moravian for the final seed in the Landmark playoffs.
October 3: Crusaders drops three straight games in non-conference match against Eastern Box Score
SELINSGROVE, PA. - Senior night was bittersweet, as Susquehanna stayed even with Eastern for the first 10 points of the first game, but the Eagles took over and held most of the momentum for the remainder of the match.
Fans, coaches and players recognized senior Sophie Hall (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) before the start of the game for her four-year tenure as one of the most decorated players in Susquehanna volleyball history. Hall was accompanied by her mother and her brother in the pregame ceremony.
Susquehanna fought hard through the first game, but the seven-player Eastern squad scored points in bunches. The Crusaders lost the first game 30-20.
Eastern used its momentum to its advantage, allowing little room for the Crusaders to start a rally. Eastern would wind up taking the second game (30-21) and the third game (30-17) as well.
Hall reverted to what she does best, recording a team-high 26 assists. Ainsley Catagnus (Reading, Pa./Reading Central Catholic) and Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom) powered the Crusaders' offense, compiling 12 and nine kills, respectively. Kristi Beck (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) had a team-high 11 digs while Michelle Lebo (York, Pa./York Suburban) flaunted her marksmanship with a .750 kill percentage.
September 28-29: Catagnus earns All-Tournament honors at Salisbury
SALISBURY, MD. - Junior middle hitter Ainsley Catagnus (Reading, Pa./Reading Central Catholic) received All-Tournament Team honors for the Crusader volleyball team at the Salisbury Invitational Tournament this past weekend. For the third time this season Catagnus has been recognized for her outstanding performances in as many tournaments, following her tournament MVP award at Haverford and All-Tournament Team award at Muhlenberg.
The award was the highlight of a tough weekend for the Crusaders as they sufferd losses to SUNY New Patz 0-3, Salisbury 0-3, Messiah 1-3 and Gallaudet 0-3. With the unavailability of the starting senior setter Sophie Hall (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) and the recent injury sustained by starting defensive specialist Allie Downing (Forty Fort, Pa./Bishop Hoban), the Crusaders found it difficult to sustain momentum throughout the matches.
During the opening match against SUNY New Paltz on Friday, Susquehanna kept fighting through some tough circumstances, keeping close with the Hawks before losing the match 28-30, 26-30, 26-30. In the effort, freshman outside hitter Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom) scored seven kills with Catagnus and sophomore middle hitter Katie Peters (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) adding six apiece. Junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa. /Christopher Dock) led the defensive efforts with 16 digs. Freshman setter Taylor Crawford (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) had 23 assists for the match.
In the second match, the Crusaders would find themselves in a slump that allowed for the host Salisbury Sea Gulls to upend them 15-30, 20-30, 14-30. Struggling on both ends of the spectrum, the offense could manage only 17 total kills which were offset by 18 hitting errors while the defense was able to dig a mere 19 of the Gulls attacks resulting in the end of a long day for the Crusaders.
On Saturday, Susquehanna lost to former conference opponent Messiah College 30-20, 19-30,21-30, 21-30. Jankiewicz would lead the team with 13 kills while Catagnus added eight. Schroeder was just shy of the 30-dig club as she notched 29 for the match and added three aces. Crawford had 29 assists for the match.
In the Crusaders' final match of the tournament, a strong Gallaudet team handed them the fourth loss of the weekend, 18-30, 23-30, 23-30. Once again Jankiewicz led the Crusaders with 11 kills as Catagnus added six and freshman outside hitter Michelle Lebo (York, Pa./York Suburban) added five kills. Crawford had 25 assists and nine digs as Schroeder led the defensive effort with 12 digs.
The Crusaders will be in action this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. as they host Eastern University. Since this will be the final night home match of the season, it will also be "Senior Night," during which we will recognize team seniors and their parents. The Crusader volleyball team thanks their loyal fans and we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday evening.
September 26: Crusaders shut out by the Green Terror
SELINSGROVE, PA - The Crusaders were shut out Wednesday night by McDaniel College in three straight games during the non-conference match. Throughout the evening, freshman outside hitter Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom) managed 10 of the team's 27 total kills while junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) tallied 13 of the team's 41 digs.
Against the Green Terror the Crusaders came out competitive in the first game, but fell slightly short of a win. After edging Susquehanna 30-24 in the first, McDaniel remained victorious and took the next two games with ease, 30-12, 30-20.
On the evening, the orange and maroon dropped to 9-7 overall, while the out-of-state visitor improved to 7-4.
September 21-22: Crusaders split in conference opener
HUNTINGDON, PA - In the first weekend of Landmark Conference competition, the Crusaders dropped their opening match to nationally ranked #1 Juniata College in action on Saturday afternoon by the scores of 12-30, 13-30, 9-30. In the effort, Junior middle hitter Ainsley Catagnus (Reading, Pa./Reading Central Catholic) managed six of the teams 16 total kills while junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) and freshman Allie Downing (Forty Fort, Pa./Bishop Hoban) combined for 13 of the team's 26 digs.
On day two of the competition, the Crusaders opened with a 3-0 win over the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy before dropping a heartbreaker to Moravian College 2-3.
Against the Mariners, the Crusaders were led by freshman OH Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom) who amassed 16 kills as Catagnus added nine more. Once again seeing major action for the second match this season was freshman setter Taylor Crawford (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) who dished up 21 assists adding senior setter Sophie Hall's (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) 10 assists for the match. Defensively, the Crusaders were led by Schroeder, Downing and first year sophomore Erin McMahon (Catawissa, Pa./Lourdes Regional), who provided the lion's share of the team's 51 digs.
Against the Greyhounds the Crusaders came out strong, commanding the first game of the match with a 30-9 victory. In a back and forth battle, both teams held nothing back as they exchanged wins and losses for the remaining four games, but it would be Moravian that pulled out the victory in the fifth and final game winning the match.
In game two the Crusaders fell 21-30 before coming back in game three 30-24. Moravian bounced back with a win in the fourth, 30-19. In the deciding game, Moravian found the half-way mark with a four-point lead and then pushed toward game point but was held to 14 while the Crusaders closed the gap to 13-14. The Crusaders saw the match fall as the Greyhounds achieved game point on a hitting error by the Crusaders.
Jankiewicz led the Crusaders with 17 kills, followed by Catagnus with 15, while sophomore Katie Peters (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) added 12. Hall set the pace for the Crusaders with 49 assists. Freshman Nikki Przybylowski (New Cumberland, Pa./Trinity) and Schroeder led the defense with 15 digs apiece as sophomore Jess Cicioni (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill) raised 14 and Downing added another 13 digs.
September 14-15: Crusaders sweep at Marywood Quad Match
SCRANTON, Pa. - The Susquehanna volleyball team got a sweep at the annual quadrangular match, defeating Baptist Bible College, Lycoming College and this year's host, Marywood University during Saturday action. The Crusaders improved their record to 8-4 for the season.
In the opening match against Baptist Bible, the Crusaders won the first and third games while dropping the second and fourth before finishing strong in the fifth scoring 30-25, 27-30, 30-20, 26-30 and 15-9 in a see-saw battle of power and strategy. Freshman Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom) forged the way for the Crusaders with 19 kills, followed by junior co-captain Ainsley Catagnus (Reading, Pa./Reading Central Catholic), who terminated rallies with16 kills of her own.
Other major contributors in the effort were sophomores Madeline Hals ( Morristown, N.J./Morristown) and Katie Peters (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) with eight and seven kills, respectively, and senior setter and co-captain Sophie Hall (Westfield, N.J./Westfield), who dished out 49 assists.
On the defensive side, junior Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) delivered five aces and led the team with 22 digs, followed by freshman Allie Downing (Forty Fort, Pa./Bishop Hoban) with 21 digs and sophomore Jess Cicioni (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill) with 18.
Momentum gained was never momentum lost as the Crusaders upended Lycoming College 3-0 (30-21, 30-16, 31-29) and dispatched Marywood 3-0 (30-20, 30-12, 30-21) during matches in which all team members saw action on the court.
Against the Warriors, the Crusaders served a dozen aces and combined for 31 kills with Catagnus contributing 14 of them. Hall dished another 25 assists while freshman Nikki Przybylowski (New Cumberland, Pa./Trinity) led the digging efforts with nine, followed by junior Kristi Beck (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) who accounted for eight.
Versus the host team of Marywood, the duo of Catagnus and Jankiewicz continued their pace with 13 and eight kills while freshman Taylor Crawford (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) took over the setting duties, delivering 21 in her first major action of the season. The digging corps of Schroeder, Hall and Cicioni combined for 32 for the match.
The Crusaders will host the annual event in 2008.
Next action will be at the Landmark Conference opening weekend hosted by Juniata Sept. 22-23, where the Crusaders will meet host Juniata on Saturday and the United States Merchant Marine Academy and Moravian on Sunday.
September 7-8: Crusaders go 2-2 at Buttermaker, Catagnus named to All-Tournament Team
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Fresh off a sweep of Wilkes at home, the Crusaders traveled to Muhlenberg for the Buttermaker Tournament. During the tournament, Susquehanna defeated King's and FDU-Florham but fell to Muhlenberg and Mary Washington.
On Friday, Susquehanna faced King's and won easily in three sets, 30-13, 30-19, 30-21. Junior co-captain Ainsley Catagnus (Reading, Pa./Reading Central Catholic) teamed with freshman Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom) for 11 kills apiece. Junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa. /Christopher Dock) led the team with 19 digs, while senior co-captain Sophie Hall (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) chipped in six digs and three service aces.
Continuing in pool play, the Crusaders faced Muhlenberg and won the first set 31-29, but dropped the next two 20-30 and 17-30 respectively. Bouncing back, Susquehanna took the next set 30-28 forcing a game five, which they lost 15-13 in a heartbreaker. This despite a team total of 71 kills, 22 from Catagnus and 12 service aces, four from Hall. Sophomore Jess Ciccioni (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill ) led the team with 27 digs, with freshman Allie Downing (Forty Fort, Pa./Bishop Hoban) right behind with 26.
Following pool play on Saturday, Susquehanna faced Mary Washington first, who defeated the Crusaders in three sets, 23-30, 22-30, and 16-30.
Susquehanna finished the tournament with a win against FDU-Florham in four sets. The Crusaders took the first two sets 30-26, 30-27, lost the third set 26-30, then bounced back for the win in the fourth set 30-21. The team combined for 54 kills, 25 from Catagnus and 11 from Jankiewicz. Downing led the Crusaders with 13 digs.
Catagnus adds to her list of accomplishments this season by being named to the All-Tournament team. This follows last weekend's MVP performance at the Haverford Invitational. For the weekend, she totaled 64 kills.
Sept. 4: Crusaders dominate, defeat Colonels 3-0
SELINSGROVE, Pa. - The Susquehanna University women's volleyball team won their 2007 season home opener on Tuesday, September 4. It only took three matches to give the Susquehanna women the win.
The Crusaders won their sets 30-25, 30-23, 30-18 as they picked up speed throughout the game. Throughout the game, Wilkes had little answer to the Susquehanna heavy hitters.
Fresh off her MVP performance in the Haverford Invitational, junior co-captain Ainsley Catagnus (Reading, Pa./Reading Central Catholic) and freshman Lindsey Jankiewicz (Easton, Pa./Freedom) led the Crusaders in kills with 14 each. In addition, senior co-captain Sophie Hall (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) led the team in assists with 34.
Defensively, sophomore Jess Cicioni (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill) (left) led the Crusaders in digs with 14. Following her were freshman Allie Downing (Forty Fort, Pa./Bishop Hoban) with 12 and junior libero Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) with eight.
With the win, the Crusaders are now 3-2 for the year. Next for the Crusader women is the Muhlenberg Invitational starting on Saturday, September 7. Their next home game is September 26 against McDaniel at 7 p.m.
Sept. 1-2: Susquehanna goes 2-2 at Haverford Invitational
HAVERFORD, PA. - The Susquehanna University volleyball opened the season at the Haverford College Invitational and dropped its first two matches, but rebounded on Sunday to win two.
On Saturday, the Crusaders battled new Landmark Conference foe Catholic throughout before falling 30-27, 30-19 and 30-28 in the opener. Susquehanna fell to host Haverford, 30-23, 30-23, 30-15 victory in the nightcap.
Sunday morning action saw Susquehanna grit out a 3-2 win over Neumann (30-28, 30-18, 31-33, 26-30 and 20-18). The Crusaders also recorded a 3-0 win over Rutgers-Camden via forfeit.
Junior Ainsley Catagnus (Reading , Pa. /Reading Central Catholic) picked up where she left off from her record-setting 2006 campaign, leading on the attack for Susquehanna with 10 kills against Catholic and nine more against Haverford. On Sunday, she added another 20 kills against Neumann to once again pace the team.
Freshman Lindsey Jakiewicz (Easton, Pa. /Freedom) had a strong debut, with 19 kills on Saturday and 12 more on Sunday.
Defensively, junior Kellye Schroeder (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) chipped in a total of 21 digs on Saturday, and led the team again with 15 against Neumann. Fellow junior Kristi Beck (Stroudsburg, Pa. /Stroudsburg) recorded 10 digs for the Crusaders in the first match, six more against Haverford, and 11 against Neumann.
Freshman Allie Downing (Forty Fort, Pa./Bishop Hoban) offered another impressive debut for the Crusaders with 19 digs on Saturday and 14 on Sunday.
Senior setter Sophie Hall (Kearney, N.J./Westfield) recorded 89 assists for the weekend - 23 against the Cardinals, 27 against the Fords, and 39 against the Knights.
Susquehanna opens its home slate Tuesday, Sept. 4 hosting Wilkes at 7 p.m. |
