Volleyball Eyes NEC Tournament Bid In Final Two Matches This Weekend

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (6-22, 4-10 NEC) vs.
St. Francis (N.Y.) College Terriers (8-19, 4-10 NEC)
Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010 - 2 p.m.
Burt Kahn Court - Hamden, Conn.

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (6-22, 4-10 NEC) vs.
Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils (9-17, 6-8 NEC)
Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010 - 2 p.m.
Burt Kahn Court - Hamden, Conn.

Bobcats Close Out 2010 Regular Season At Home
The Quinnipiac volleyball team plays its final two regular season matches this weekend, welcoming St. Francis (N.Y.) and Central Connecticut to the Burt Kahn Court, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Terriers and Blue Devils both defeated the Bobcats earlier in the season on their respective home courts. The Bobcats will need a reverse of fortune this weekend in order to reach the NEC Tournament, as a pair of wins and help from around the league is necessary for a league playoff berth.

Follow the Bobcats
Quinnipiac fans can follow this weekend's action via live stats and live audio. Only live stats will be available on Saturday, while both live audio and live stats will be available on Sunday. To access both live stats and audio, please click on the appropriate links on the volleyball schedule at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com.

Scouting the St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers
The Terriers (8-19, 4-10 NEC) are led by Anisa Lila, whose 4.09 kills per set lead the Northeast Conference. Liliana Rodriguez leads the Terriers in digs per set with 4.75, while Gina Giles' 0.70 blocks per set are a team best. Maria Kashavelova's 8.08 assists per set lead St. Francis, while Marina Georgieva's 0.38 service aces per set are a team best.

Scouting the Central Connecticut Blue Devils
The Blue Devils (9-17, 6-8 NEC) are led by Emily Cochran's 2.81 kills per set, while Blaike King is close behind at 2.57 kills per set. Amanda Bayer leads the Blue Devils offense at 9.26 assists per set. Three CCSU players comprise an intimidating block, in Tori Vaughan (0.91 b/s), Sara Delacey (0.97 b/s) and Jamie Rademacher (0.86 b/s). Kaitlin Petrella's 0.42 service aces per set and 4.76 digs per set are both team highs.

NEC Tournament Berth Still Within Reach
The Bobcats are in need of two victories and help from around the league in order to earn a berth in next weekend's Northeast Conference Tournament. If Quinnipiac defeats both St. Francis (N.Y.) and Central Connecticut, they'll also need a CCSU loss against LIU, a Fairleigh Dickinson loss at Robert Morris and a Saint Francis (Pa.) loss to Fairleigh Dickinson. They'd take the tiebreaker over CCSU, Saint Francis (Pa.) and FDU by virtue of wins over Robert Morris and LIU.

Senior Moment
The Bobcats will honor their lone senior, Amanda Armstrong, prior to Sunday's match as part of Senior Day ceremonies. Armstrong transferred to Quinnipiac following three years played at the University of Maine, and has led the Bobcats with 242 kills and a 2.30 kills per set average this season.

Aces Up
The Bobcats entered the week ranked 17th in the nation in service aces per set (1.69), after finishing 199th in the nation (1.14) in 2009. Individually, Kayla Lawler also ranked 13th in the nation at 0.49 service aces per set.

Dig It
Led by Logan Riker's 4.19 digs per set, the Bobcats ranked 103rd in the nation at 15.63 digs per set to begin the week.

Breaking Through At LIU
The Bobcats defeated Long Island for the first time in nearly nine years with a 3-1 victory in Brooklyn on Oct. 17. The last time the Bobcats had defeated the perennially-powerful Blackbirds was Oct. 27, 2001.

Finicky Five
The Bobcats have played to six five-set losses in seven tries this season. Following five straight losses in five-set matches, the Bobcats defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-2, on Oct. 24. Quinnipiac then lost to Long Island on Oct. 30. Previously, the Bobcats had fallen to Delaware State and La Salle at the Lafayette Invitational before falling at NEC foes Bryant, Fairleigh Dickinson and St. Francis (N.Y.).

Brave New Accomplishment
Kayla Lawler (Louisville, Ky.) became the first Quinnipiac player in nearly nine years to win NEC Player of the Week, Oct. 11, after leading the Bobcats to a weekend sweep of Robert Morris and Saint Francis (Pa.). Lawler compiled a pair of double-doubles and six service aces on the weekend. The last time a Quinnipiac player won the award, QU's mascot was the Braves. Heather Wollyung last won the award on Oct. 15, 2001, the last of her four honors. Shannon Dublin also won the award once, making Lawler the third in Quinnipiac history to be honored.

More New Records For Lawler
Kayla Lawler had a career day, Oct. 17 at LIU. The junior setter had 54 assists, a new four-set career high, as well as 17 digs and six service aces, also career highs for matches of any length.

Western Pennsylvania Wipeout
Quinnipiac shook up the NEC standings by earning its first sweep of the league's Western Pennsylvania teams with a pair of 3-1 victories against previously undefeated Robert Morris (4-0), Oct. 9, and Saint Francis (Pa.), Oct. 10, at the Burt Kahn Court. The win was the first in program history over the Colonials following 13 straight losses dating back to 1999.

Ashley's Aces
Freshman Ashley Kopacki (Mount Olive, N.J.) compiled a season-high six service aces against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Oct. 10. Her previous season high was three.

Spike Stopper
Amanda Armstrong (Waukesha, Wis.) set a new single-match season high among Quinnipiac players with seven blocks at Sacred Heart, Sept. 29. The previous season-high, set by Armstrong, Olivia Grattan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Taylor Payne (Warwick, N.Y.), was five.

Record-Breaking Performances
Despite falling in five sets to Bryant, Sept. 26, Kayla Lawler set a new career-high in assists with 61, Logan Riker had a career-high 31 digs and Olivia Grattan compiled a new high of 17 kills in just her freshman season.

2K-ayla Assists
With 44 assists in the Bobcats 3-2 defeat to Delaware State on Sept. 17, junior Kayla Lawler eclipsed the 2,000-assist mark.

Earning Their Spots After Hart-Break
After sweeping the University of Hartford for their first win in 12 tries against the Hawks at the Division I level, Sept. 11, in Hamden, the Bobcats swept Lafayette for their first victory over the Leopards in four tries, Sept. 18.

Record Breaker
Just two weeks after setting a new personal four-set single-match record with 46 assists against Fordham, Aug. 28, Kayla Lawler compiled a new personal three-set single-match record with 43 assists against Hartford, Sept. 11. Her previous record four-set record was 41, set twice in her freshman year of 2008. Meanwhile, Lawler's prior three-set record was 40, set last Sept. 20 against St. Francis (N.Y.). Her five-set record is 61, set Sept. 26, 2010, at Bryant.

Good To Biediger Back
Sophomore Stephanie Biediger (Houston, Texas) made her return to the court after missing more than a year due to injury on Sept. 10. In her first tournament back, the outside hitter led the Bobcats with 25 kills in three matches and added 34 digs, earning Quinnipiac Invitational All-Tournament Team honors. Joining Biediger on the all-tournament team was Lawler, who piled up 110 assists in three matches.

Grattan Grabbing Attention
In three matches during the Quinnipiac Invitational, freshman Olivia Grattan had team highs in both kills (25) and blocks (10).

Riker's Versatility Rewarded
Logan Riker was named to the Yale Invitational All-Tournament Team after compiling 12 kills and 28 digs, Sept. 3-4. Riker took her customary position at libero to rack up 23 digs in the first two matches of the weekend, before moving outside to compile 10 kills against Stony Brook.

Starting Strong
A pair of newcomers to the Bobcats made impressive debuts at the Beanpot Classic. Graduate student transfer Amanda Armstrong was named to the All-Tournament Team after totaling 30 kills on the weekend, including 15 against Fordham. Freshman Tracy Wright (Fair Lawn, N.J.) had 44 digs on the weekend, including 17 to conclude the weekend against Boston College.

Sophomore Surge
Taylor Payne began her sophomore season with a team-high 31 kills at the Beanpot Classic. At 3.10 kills per set at the first tournament of the year, Payne showed marked improvement from her 0.90 kills per set average as a freshman.

Returning Cast
Quinnipiac returns much of last season's core of student-athletes, as well as its 2008 Team MVP. Junior setter Kayla Lawler, who almost solely ran the Bobcats' attack, returns as team captain after dishing out 785 assists in 2009. The team's leading hitter, Kelby Carey (Surfside, Calif.), also returns for her junior season, a year after piling up 317 kills. Sophomore libero Logan Riker is also back for the Bobcats after compiling 406 digs as a freshman. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Biediger returns to the Bobcats after missing the 2009 season due to injury. Biediger was named Team MVP as a freshman after recording 233 kills, 244 digs, 31 blocks and 66 assists. Taylor Payne is the top returning blocker at 0.37 blocks per set.

On Deck
The Bobcats hope to continue play at next weekend's Northeast Conference Tournament. Either Robert Morris or Sacred Heart will host the event, beginning Friday. The league's regular season champion earns the right to play host to the tournament.