Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Volleyball team returns home for the first time since September 5 and beings the Skyline Conference schedule on Tuesday night against Farmingdale State. The Knights will then hit the road again for non-conference matches at New Jersey City University and Misericordia to close out a busy week.
 
At A Glance: The Knights have dropped eight of their last nine contests and enter Tuesday's tilt with the Rams at 3-13 overall on the season. The Mount's lone win over the stretch game in a sweep at York on September 19, while in their most recent outing the Mount dropped 3-0 non-conference decisions to Maine Maritime and Trinity (Conn.).
 
Sophomore Morgan Burke (Ringwood, N.J.) leads the Knights through 16 matches in kills with 85, averaging 1.57 per set, and total blocks with 19. Nicole Spinelli (Wantagh, N.Y.) is also in the midst of a strong campaign with a team-high 30 service ace to go along with 13 total blocks.
 
Junior Kim Gries (Hicksville, N.Y.) has handed out 260 assists heading into Tuesday's contest, good for just over seven helpers per set, and the Knights feature three players with at least 100 digs on the season. Senior Julimar Figueroa (Dorado, Puerto Rico) leads the way with 182, with Chelsea Barberan (Fishkill, N.Y.) and Madelyn Barberan (Fishkill, N.Y.) following with 119 and 109, respectively.
 
Mount Saint Mary ranks third in the Skyline Conference in digs per set with just over 14, with Figueroa sitting fifth in the league in digs and Spinelli ranking seventh in attack percentage.
 
Scouting Farmindale State: The 2016 Skyline Conference champions come calling with an even 5-5 overall record and losers of their last three outings. Farmingdale State's last win came in a 3-1 victory over Misericordia, but have gone on to suffer non-conference losses to Moravian, Middlebury and Ramapo.
 
2016 Skyline Conference Championship Most Outstanding Player, Julia Hande, is putting together a strong season with team-highs in kills (99), kills per set (3.09) and digs (128), while producing 89 assists and 16 total blocks. Laurenanne Strezenec leads the way with 170 assists, while Maia Cadle-Hinton holds the team lead in total blocks with 44.
 
The Rams lead the Skyline Conference in total blocks with 88 as a team and rank third in total kills with 369. Individually, Cadle-Hinton paces the league in total blocks, while Hande ranks fifth in the conference in kills.
 
Previewing NJCU: The Gothic Knights enter a NJAC tilt with William Paterson on Tuesday night with a 6-5 overall record, including 3-0 victories over Skyline Conference opponents Old Westbury and Sarah Lawrence on Saturday.
 
Ayleen PIttar enters the week as the Gothic Knights' leader in kills with 93, while Rachel McIntyre paces the team with 257 assists. Amber O'Donnell has lifted a team-high 92 digs, with Leah Seickendick and Stephanie Duque leading the way with 13 total blocks and 24 service aces, respectively.
 
A Look At Misericordia: The Cougars enter a MAC Freedom tilt at Manhattanville on Wednesday with a 9-8 overall record and a 1-1 mark in league play. Misericrodia has dropped each of its last five outings, including a four set loss to Farmingdale State on September 16.
 
Tara Welliver paces the Cougars in kills (92), aces (30) and total blocks (33) entering the week, with Ariana Gagliardi handing out a team-high 250 assists. Kaitlin Wheeler leads three players with at least 100 digs with a team-best 146 heading into Wednesday's tilt with the Valiants.
 
John Jay At A Glance: The Bloodhounds enter a Tuesday CUNYAC clash with the City College of New York with a 4-4 overall record, but an unblemished 3-0 mark in league play. After beginning the season with four straight wins, John Jay has dropped its last four decisions, including a 3-0 loss to Marywood and a four set defeat to Scranton on September 22.
 
Brittany Steele paces three players with at least 50 kills with a team-high 58 winners, while Brianna Geraldo and Miralis Almanzar lead the way in digs with 71 and total blocks with 11. Kimberly Rodriguez is off to a good start for the Bloodhounds with team-highs in assists with 200 and service aces with 19.
 
What's Next: Following a tough four match week, the Knights return home on October 4 to play host to Skyline Conference Preseason favorite USMMA.