WILMINGTON, N.C. - The UNC Wilmington volleyball team takes to the road for the final time this season as it travels to the Northeast for a pair of matches against league foes Northeastern and Hofstra.
The Seahawks and Huskies square off Friday in a 5 p.m. match at Solomon Court before UNCW meets up with the Pride Sunday in a 1 p.m. start at the Physical Fitness Center. Live stats are available for both matches while pay-per-view video is available for the Northeastern match. They can be accessed by clicking on the volleyball schedule page at UNCWsports.com.
UNCW saw its three-match winning streak come to an end last weekend as it fell in both of its matches at George Mason (L 3-0) and James Madison (L 3-1) to slip to 13-14 overall and 3-7 in league play under first-year Head Coach Amy Bambenek. Senior Lindsey Strucko led the Seahawks attack with 3.29 kills per set and chipped in 2.71 digs per set as she recorded her team-leading 11th double-double of the season with a 10-kill, 12-dig effort against James Madison. Senior Ashlyn Morris recorded a team-best 3.14 digs set while sophomore Kelsey Bendig posted a team-best 6.57 assists per set. Junior Kelli Clear saw her first action since early September and responded with 10 kills and eight digs during the two matches.
Hofstra carries a 10-18 overall record and a 4-6 league mark after falling to the Huskies in four games last weekend at home. Senior outside hitter Monica Knight paces the Pride offense with a league-high 3.69 kills per set while senior setter Chrissey Cruz quarterbacks the attack as she ranks third in the league with 8.69 assists per set. Freshman libero Kylee Maneja leads the Pride defensive efforts with a team-best 3.92 digs per set while junior outside hitter Anissa Whitney leads the team's blocking efforts with 0.99 total blocks per set.
Hofstra leads the all-time series by a 14-2 margin, but the Seahawks have won two of the last four meetings, including a 3-0 sweep in the team's first matchup this season on Oct. 2 at Hanover Hall. Four UNCW players - seniors Paula McConnell, Anna Price and Lindsey Strucko and sophomore Kimberly Friedl - combined to record 24 of the Seahawks 27 kills in the contest as the Seahawks posted .172 hitting percentage for the match. Friedl also chipped in a match-high seven total blocks as UNCW held the Pride attack to a (-.036) hitting percentage.
Northeastern looks to keep its postseason dreams alive as it enters play this weekend two games out of the fourth and final spot for the 2009 CAA Volleyball Championship with a 5-5 league mark and a 12-11 overall record. Junior setter Britney Brown leads a balanced Huskies attack that features four players with more than 150 kills this season as she boasts a team-best 2.86 kills per set while senior setter Jessica Tkachuk is second with 2.14 kills per set. The Huskies also feature one of the most proficient hitters in the league in junior middle hitter Jillian Robinson, who leads the circuit in hitting percentage with a .351 attack clip. Senior libero Leah Neubeck highlights the team's defensive efforts with 3.74 digs per set while Robinson is among the league leaders in total blocks with 0.86 total blocks per set.
Northeastern has won all eight meetings between the two programs, including a 3-2 victory in the first meeting this season on Oct. 4 at Hanover Hall. Brown and Thachuk each posted a triple-double to lead the Huskies in the five-set victory. Senior outside hitter Lindsey Strucko posted a double-double with 12 kills and 17 digs to lead the Seahawks.
UNCW closes out the regular season next weekend as it returns home to host William & Mary (Nov. 13) and Virginia Commonwealth (Nov. 15) in a pair of conference matches at Hanover Hall.
