Oct. 12, 2009
Center Valley, Pa. -- Army moved to 5-0 and Colgate to 4-1 to take command of first and second place, respectively, in the Patriot League.
Two freshmen led the way for the two League leaders last week.
Kaleigh Durket, the Player of the Week, helped Colgate defeat Bucknell for their third straight League victory, while Ariana Mankus won her fourth Rookie of the Week award for Army with her double-double against Holy Cross.
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Player of the Week (10.5.09-10.11.09)
Kaleigh Durket, Colgate Fr., RS, El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge Durket helped the Raiders move to 4-1 in the League and take sole possession of second place with a 3-1 win over Bucknell on Friday. Durket notched 16 kills and 12 digs in the win, pushing her weekly total to 27 kills (3.86 per set) and 15 digs. She also had three blocks and a service ace. This is Durket's first Player of the Week award after having won the Rookie of the Week award for the first time last week.
Rookie of the Week (10.5.09-10.11.09)
Ariana Mankus, Army Fr., OH, Lisle, Ill./Benet Academy Mankus won her fourth League Rookie of the Week award with her double-double against Holy Cross, which improved Army to 17-3 overall and 5-0 in the League. With Mankus leading the way in kills, Army has won nine straight matches. Mankus recorded 13 kills and 13 digs against Holy Cross Saturday in a 3-0 win. She posted a hitting percentage of .480. She also had three aces, two assists and two blocks.
Honorable Mention Performances Last Week
Krysta Cicala, American Fr., S, Northville, Mich./Louisiana Tech Cicala recorded 29 assists in a 3-0 win over Navy Friday. She also had three digs, two blocks and a kill.
Cara Mulholland, Lafayette Sr., OH, Jenkintown, Pa./Mount St. Joseph Mulholland led the Leopards to two wins last week with 30 kills and 15 digs. She posted 19 kills in a 3-1 win over Howard.
Patriot League Notebook
True Test: Army vs. American
Not much can overshadow an Army-Navy matchup, but this Saturday's annual Star Match will move to the passenger seat and let the Friday night Patriot League matchup take the wheel. The defending League champion, American, travels to Army, which is 5-0 and leading the League by one match over second-place Colgate (4-1). The Black Knights defeated the Eagles in the season finale at West Point last season, winning 3-1. A win in Friday night's 7 p.m. match for Army would be its 10th straight this season. The Black Knights would then search for No. 11 against Navy at 7 p.m. Saturday. Army swept Navy in two matches last season.
Fresh Leaders
It's getting younger among the top teams in the League this season. The League-leading Army Black Knights have been powered by four-time Rookie of the Week Ariana Mankus, while second-place Colgate has enjoyed the contributions from freshman Kaleigh Durket. Fourth-place American also has found a gem in setter Krysta Cicala, who is second the League in assists with 646 (10.25 per set). Mankus is the League leader in kills with 247 (3.48), while Durket is fifth 210 (3.18). Holy Cross freshman Megan Lynch also is in the top five in kills at No. 3 with 223 (3.23). Bucknell freshman Ragin Jackson leads the League in blocks with 0.95 per set (54). Army has led the way in the freshman category by taking five of the first seven Rookie of the Week awards with Ariana Mankus winning four times and Francine Vasquez winning once.
Ready, Set, Assist!
Army and Colgate returned two of the League's top three setters from 2008 in Maureen Bannon and Meghan Fanta. For Army, Bannon has won the Patriot League Setter of the Year award twice (2006 and 2007) and entered the 2009 season with a school-career-record 11.4 assists per set. With her 750 assists in 2009, she has vaulted up to seventh place in League history with 3,783 career assists. She is 27 away from moving into sixth place and 597 away from tying the League record. Fanta is ranked eighth with 3,670 assists. Fanta's 3,670 assists is a school record at Colgate. Fanta is ranked sixth in the League in 2009 with 6.48 assists per set, while Bannon is first with 10.27. American freshman Krysta Cicala is second in the League with 10.25 per set.
Keep Track of the Patriot League Through Social Media
In addition to visiting www.patriotleague.org, League fans and followers have plenty of new ways to stay updated and involved during the 2009 season and beyond. The Patriot League has accounts on Facebook and Twitter, and has now started a blog to give more information on the action on the field. All three accounts are accessible through the multimedia link at the right-hand sidebar on the front page of www.patriotleague.org.
2009 Patriot League Championship
The 2009 Patriot League Volleyball Championship will take place on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21 and 22, at the site of the highest seed as determined by regular-season standings with the top four teams qualifying for the tournament. Two semifinal matches will take place on Saturday, Nov. 21, with the No. 1 seed facing the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed facing the No. 3 seed. The championship match will be played on Sunday, Nov. 22, with the winner earning the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
2009 Patriot League Preseason Poll
American was selected as the favorite to win its ninth straight Patriot League title, receiving 96 points and 12 first-place votes in the 2009 preseason poll. The Eagles ran away with the No. 1 spot in the poll that is voted on by Patriot League volleyball head coaches and sports information contacts. Colgate edged out Army for No. 2, earning 79 points and three first-place votes, while Army had 78 points and one first-place vote. Bucknell was fourth with 65 points and Navy was fifth with 49. Lehigh (34), Lafayette (31) and Holy Cross (16) round out the preseason poll.
Team Notebooks
American The Eagles swept Navy 3-0 on Friday in their only match of the week to improve to 3-2 in the League. American was led by Krysta Cicala, who had 29 assists in the win. American will host William & Mary at 7 p.m. Tuesday before traveling to Army and Holy Cross for back-to-back League contests on Friday and Saturday. The Eagles will play the Black Knights at 7 p.m. and the Crusaders at 4.
Army The Black Knights improved their League-best record to 5-0 and their win streak to nine matches with a 3-0 win at Holy Cross Saturday. Army hasn't lost since Sept. 13. Senior setter Maureen Bannon amassed 38 assists during the week, placing her 27 assists short of moving into sixth place on the Patriot League's all-time assists ledger. Army will return to the court with two big matches this week. The Black Knights will host American in a battle between the current League leader and the defending champs at 7 p.m. Friday. They will then face Navy in the annual Star Match at 7 p.m. Saturday. Army will support Dig Pink to raise breast cancer awareness during its match against Navy on Saturday night. The Black Knights will sport pink jersey tops and ribbons.
Bucknell The Bison fell to 2-3 in League play after a 3-1 loss at Colgate on Friday. Bucknell will host two League matches Friday and Saturday. Lafayette will travel to Lewisburg, Pa., on Friday for a 7 p.m. match with Lehigh to follow at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Colgate The Raiders have won three of their last four matches after going 1-1 last week. Colgate lost 3-0 to Syracuse on Tuesday before improving its League win streak to three matches with a 3-1 win over Bucknell on Friday. The Raiders will host Lehigh and Lafayette on back-to-back nights. They'll face the Mountain Hawks at 7 p.m. Friday and the Leopards at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Holy Cross The Crusaders went 1-1 last week, defeating Bryant 3-0 in a non-League match Thursday and losing to the League leader Army 3-0 on Saturday. Holy Cross will return to the court with a road contest at Quinnipiac at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Crusaders will then host two League matches when they entertain Navy at 7 p.m. Friday and American at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Lafayette The Leopards have won four of their last five matches after going 2-0 last week. Lafayette picked up a 3-1 non-League win over Howard on Tuesday before defeating League-rival Lehigh 3-1 on Friday. The Leopards will square off in three matches this week. Lafayette will host NJIT at 7 p.m. Wednesday before traveling to Bucknell and Colgate for back-to-back League matches. The Leopards will take on the Bison at 7 p.m. Friday and the Raiders at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks went 0-2 last week, falling to Delaware State 3-2 in a non-League match on Tuesday before losing to League-rival Lafayette 3-1 on Friday. Lehigh will begin a five-match road trip with a 7 p.m. contest at Colgate Friday. The Mountain Hawks also will face Bucknell at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Navy The Midshipmen lost their third straight home match, falling 3-0 to American Friday. Navy will compete in three matches this week starting with a non-League contest at Howard at 6 p.m. Tuesday and ending with the annual Star Match at Army at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Midshipmen also will travel to Holy Cross at 7 p.m. Friday.
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