October 28, 2009

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (3-20, 2-8 NEC) at
Sacred Heart University Pioneers (17-7, 7-1 NEC)
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 - 7 p.m.
Pitt Center - Fairfield, Conn.

Rested Bobcats Return To NEC Action
The Quinnipiac University volleyball team faces intrastate NEC foe Sacred Heart Thursday in Fairfield following a 10-day idle period. The Bobcats are coming off a pair of losses, Oct. 17 and 18, both at Bryant. Meanwhile, the Pioneers are riding a hot streak, having won six consecutive matches. Sacred Heart has been especially tough at the Pitt Center, where the Pioneers have won all seven matches they've played.

Live Video and Live Stats Available
Live video and live stats are available for Thursday's match at no cost, courtesy of Sacred Heart. To access the live coverage of Thursday's match, please click on the appropriate links on the volleyball schedule at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com. A free registration must be completed to access the video stream.

Scouting the Sacred Heart Pioneers
The Pioneers (17-7, 7-1 NEC) are led by a pair of players who have eclipsed 200 kills for the season, Brittany Best (248) and Ashlyn Trimble (214). Trimble also leads the Pioneers in service aces with 38. Courtney Kidd-Kadlubek has run the offense efficiently, compiling 867 assists. The Sacred Heart defense is spearheaded by Jessica Colberg (356 digs) and Johanna Ovsenek (76 blocks).

Flourishing In Five
The Bobcats have gone 2-0 in five-set matches this season, with the two victories coming within five days of each other. Quinnipiac defeated St. Francis (N.Y.) on Oct. 9 before outlasting Holy Cross on Oct. 13.

Riker and Spiker
Logan Riker leads the Bobcats with 319 digs, while Kelby Carey has a team-high 249 kills.

Career Day at the Genovesi Center
A pair of Bobcats set new career highs at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Oct. 9. Kelby Carey smashed her previous career-high of 16 kills with 24 against the Terriers, while Kayla Lawler eclipsed her previous high of 41 assists with 53 against St. Francis.

Missed It By That Much
Kayla Lawler narrowly missed compiling what would've been her first career triple-double, posting a line of nine kills, 53 assists and 12 digs at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Oct. 9. The kill and assist figures were both career highs for the sophomore setter.

Double-Double Week Week
Kelby Carey compiled three consecutive double-doubles from Sept. 23-26. She started the streak with 11 kills and 16 digs at Central Connecticut on Sept. 23. She then compiled 12 kills and 12 digs, on the morning Sept. 26 at Yale, before posting a 15-kill, 14-dig performance that evening against CCSU.

Reaching New Heights
Several Quinnipiac student-athletes established season highs in the Bobcats' 3-0 sweep of St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sept. 20. Kelby Carey eclipsed her prior season-and-career-high with 16 kills, while Alyssa Naylor hit a season-best .588. Kayla Lawler established a new season-high with 40 assists, while Chelsey Pachoud had a season-best 12 kills to go along with 11 digs to compile her first career double-double.

Riker Rakes In All-Tournament Honors
Freshman Logan Riker earned St. John's Classic All-Tournament Team recognition in her first weekend as a collegiate volleyball player after registering a team-high 34 digs on the weekend. Included in the feat was a 16-dig performance in the season-opener against Fordham.

Carey-ing The Load
Sophomore Kelby Carey had a team-high 30 kills during the St. John's Classic, including a career-high 14 against Fordham.

Pachoud Packs A Punch
Freshman Chelsey Pachoud compiled 22 kills (2nd-team) and 29 digs (2nd-team) at the St. John's Classic. She finished the weekend with a pair of double-digit dig efforts.

Bobcats Boast Academic Success
The Bobcats were honored by the Northeast Conference and the American Volleyball Coaches Association last season after compiling a 3.61 team grade-point average. The Bobcats' GPA was tops in the NEC, while the AVCA honored QU with its Team Academic Award, given annually to teams that compile at least a 3.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale, for the third consecutive year.

Bobcats Bring Back Six
The Bobcats return six letter winners this season. Leading the group is graduate student Erin Overdevest (Bridgeton, N.J.), who missed last season due to injury. Senior Kristen Corinaldesi (Port Washington, N.J.) returns to the Bobcats after serving in a reserve capacity last season. Sophomores Stephanie Biediger (Houston, Texas), Kelby Carey, Kayla Lawler (Richmond, Ind.) and Alyssa Naylor (San Diego, Calif.) all started for the Bobcats in 2008, giving Quinnipiac an experienced returning core of players.

On Deck
The Bobcats play a pair of home matches on consecutive days when they welcome Fairleigh Dickinson and Robert Morris, Sunday and Monday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at the Burt Kahn Court.