Newburgh, N.Y. – Winners of three straight non-conference contests, the Mount Saint Mary College Women's Volleyball team returns to Skyline Conference action on Wednesday night when it plays host to Preseason Favorite United States Merchant Academy before traveling to the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Sunday for tilts with the host Dolphins and Old Westbury.
At A Glance: The Mount enters Wednesday's match on a season-high three match winning streak that puts the Knights at 6-14 overall to go along with an 0-1 mark in Skyline Conference play. The Knights are coming off a 3-0 win at NJCU on Thursday and a pair of 3-2 wins against Misericrodia and John Jay on Saturday.
Sophomore
Morgan Burke (Ringwood, N.J.) enters the week as the team leader in kills with 109 and total blocks with 34, while classmate
Madelyn Barberan (Fishkill, N.Y.) ranks second on the team in kills with 107 and digs with 148.
Nicole Spinelli (Wantagh, N.Y.) is putting together a strong all-around season for the Knights, leading the team with 38 service aces and standing second on the team with 27 total blocks.
Julimar Figueroa (Dorado, Puerto Rico) paces the Mount with 233 digs and is two aces shy of Spinelli's team lead.
Junior
Kim Gries (Hicksville, N.Y.) has handed out 395 assists heading into Wednesday's match, good for a 7.31 average per set. She leads the Skyline Conference in total assists and sits second in the league in average per set.
Last Time Out: The Mount posted a pair of five set non-conference wins on Saturday, battling past Misericordia and John Jay. Barberan posted a double-double for the Knights against the Cougars with 10 kills and 10 digs, while
Megan Williams (Glenmont, N.Y.) put away a team-high12 winners. Gries handed out 35 assists in the first win of the day, with Figueroa lifting 15 digs.
Against John Jay, Burke paced the team with 12 kills and Williams put away 11 winners with the duo combining for nine block assists. Gries handed out 43 assists in the win while Barberan closed a strong day with six kills and a team-high 17 digs.
Weekly Honors: Freshman
Renee Hydo (Bethpage, N.Y.) was named the Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday after averaging 1.29 kills, 1.36 digs and 0.64 service aces per set in 14 frames.
A Look At USMMA: The Preseason favorites come to Newburgh on Wednesday winners of three of their last four outings and at 9-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Mariners lone loss of the four match stretch came in four sets to the College of Mount Saint Vincent on September 28.
Dominique Pope and Kate Lefler lead the USMMA offensive attack with 134 and 133 kills, respectively, with each player averaging nearly three kills per set. The duo is tied for the team lead in digs with 112 with Pope pacing four players with at least 20 service aces with 26. Tichina Carmon holds the team lead with 36 total blocks, while Kyleigh Kappas is averaging 8.5 assists per set.
Previewing Mount Saint Vincent: The Dolphins enter a Wednesday night match with Sarah Lawrence winners of seven of their last eight matches and at 9-7 overall and a perfect 2-0 in conference play. Mount Saint Vincent is coming off of sweeps of Lehman and York and posted a four set win over conference favorite USMMA on September 28.
Tara Maloney, the reigning Skyline Conference Player of the Week, paces the Mount with 193 kills, nearly four per set, and 145 digs. Dez Brown is second on the team with 130 winners and leads the Dolphins with 27 total blocks, while Nicole Henderson is tops on the squad with 29 service aces and 347 assists.
Old Westbury Overview: The Panthers are scheduled to take on St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Wednesday and enter that match with a 9-5 record and an even 1-1 mark against league rivals. Old Westbury has just two wins in its last six outings, topping Purchase in straight sets and downing Baruch in four frames.
Sidasia Johnson leads Old Westbury heading into the week with 82 kills and 27 total blocks, while Kristin Grieshaber is tops on the squad with 38 service aces and 233 assists. Sofia Goris leads the Panthers with 158 digs, averaging just over three per set.
What's Next: Mount Saint Mary travels to Maritime on October 10 before opening a season-long four match home stand against SUNY Delhi on October 12.