Oct. 22, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - First place will be on the line Friday night when American and Army clash in Washington, D.C. That game is one of four matches on the Patriot League slate on Friday. Also on Friday, all eight Patriot League teams will help support breast cancer awareness with the Patriot League's DIG PINK Night. Another four League pairings are on the Saturday schedule, including the annual duel between rivals Army and Navy, which will be televised by ESPNU.
Volleyball Weekly Report 10.22.08 
Patriot League Baden Player of the Week
Maureen Bannon, Army Jr., S, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Bannon led Army to three consecutive straight-sets victories, all against Patriot League foes. She matched a career-high with eight service aces, including four in the first set, in a win over Lafayette on Saturday. Her eight aces against the Leopards ranks fourth on the She finished the week with 13 service aces, compared to zero service errors. She also led all Patriot League setters with 63 assists, including a match-high 37 in a three-set victory over Lehigh.
Patriot League Baden Rookie of the Week
Angelika Kopacz, Lehigh Fr., OH, Rutherford, N.J.
For the second straight week, Kopacz led the Mountain Hawks in kills in all matches. On Friday, she notched her third consecutive double-double with 11 kills an 10 digs against Army. Though her double-double streak ended against Holy Cross, Kopacz still registered a match-high 13 kills. She also recorded 13 service receptions while making just one receiving error.
Honorable Mention
Rubena Sukaj, American
Sr., OH, Tirana, Albania
Led the Eagles to three consecutive straight-sets victories. Pounded out 47 kills and hit .330 for the week. Also notched 21 digs.
Katrina Zawojski, Colgate
Sr., RS, Palo Alto, Calif.
Registered 41 kills in 10 sets while hitting .333. Also provided 23 digs while helping Colgate to a 2-1 week.
Kayly Elmer, Lafayette
So., OH, Wilmette, Ill.
Recorded her third and fourth straight double-doubles against NJIT and Holy Cross. Registered 14 kills and 16 digs against NJIT. Notched 16 kills and 15 digs against Holy Cross. Also hit for a season-high .500 against the Crusaders.
Kaitlin Segal, Bucknell
So., OH, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Provided the Bison with 28 kills and 21 digs in three matches. Also recorded three service aces against Navy on Sunday.
Patriot League Notebook
2008 Patriot League DIG PINK
The Patriot League is one of several organizations sponsoring DIG PINK, an effort by the Side Out Organization to combat breast cancer. Side Out and the Patriot League encourage fans to support breast cancer awareness by wearing pink at Friday's Patriot League matches.
Patriot League Recap
After three weeks of Patriot League play, both Army and American boast perfect League records. Army won three home matches to move to 7-0, while American claimed road victories against Bucknell and Colgate to keep even with the Black Knights. Bucknell picked up a 3-0 win over Navy to remain in third place at 4-3. Colgate and Lehigh both went 1-1 last week and are one game behind Bucknell for third place. Navy dropped into a tie for sixth place after dropping a pair of three-set matches. Lafayette, which beat Holy Cross but lost to Army, is even with the Mids at 2-5. Holy Cross remains winless at 0-7 after losing three matches last week.
Patriot League Preview
The Patriot League's DIG PINK Night could possibly determine the League's regular season champion. Defending champion American and fellow-unbeaten Army will square off on Friday at 7 p.m. at Bender Arena. Other games on the Friday slate include Bucknell at Lafayette, Colgate at Lehigh, and Holy Cross at Navy. On Saturday, rivals Army and Navy clash in Annapolis in an 8 p.m. match that will be televised by ESPNU. In earlier action, unbeaten American will host winless Holy Cross, Bucknell goes to Lehigh, and Lafayette welcomes Colgate.
2008 Patriot League Tournament
The 2008 Patriot League Volleyball Championship will take place Friday-Saturday, Nov. 21-22 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 Friday, 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 Saturday, Nov. 22 with the winner earning the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Team Notebooks
American The Eagles extended their winning streak to 10 matches with three straight-set victories. American started the week with a sweep of non-conference foe Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Eagles then swept Bucknell and Colgate to extend their Patriot League winning streak to 15 matches dating back to last season. The Eagles will put their unblemished League record on the line in a Friday showdown with fellow League-unbeaten Army. American will host Holy Cross on Saturday.
Army The Black Knights improved to 19-2 on the season with three straight League wins. Maureen Bannon's 63 assists and 13 service aces helped Army to three straight sweeps. The Black Knights have now swept 14 opponents this season, including their last four. The Black Knights commence a big week with a first-place battle against fellow League unbeaten American on Friday. The Black Knights then travel to Annapolis to take on rival Navy in a televised contest on Saturday.
Bucknell The Bison remain in third place after splitting a pair of home matches last week. Bucknell dropped a 3-0 decision against American, but rebounded for a 3-0 win over Navy. Shannon Pitsch moved into fourth place on the Bucknell charts for career service aces (129). The Bison will hit the road for a pair of League match-ups this weekend. Bucknell will play at Lafayette on Friday and at Lehigh on Saturday.
Colgate Megan Fanta became the all-time leader in set assists at Colgate (2,962) with 92 during the Raiders' three matches last week. She had a match-high 46 assists 3-1 win against non-conference rival Cornell. She followed that effort with 30 assists and four kills and four digs in a 3-0 win over Navy. Colgate went 2-1 on the week, beating Cornell and Navy, but falling to league-leading American in straight sets.
Holy Cross The Crusaders remained winless in League play, falling at home in straight sets against Lehigh and Lafayette, as well as a straight-sets road loss at the hands of league-leading Army. With eight digs last week, Molly Anderson moved into 18th place in career digs in the Patriot League (1,024). The Crusaders will play at Navy on Friday and at American on Saturday.
Lafayette Sophomore Kayly Elmer extended her double-double streak to four matches in contests against NJIT and Holy Cross. Elmer had her streak snapped in a 3-0 loss at Army. Elmer has five double-doubles this season. She leads the team with 221 kills and a .242 attack percentage. The Leopards went 2-1 last week, including a 1-1 mark in League play. Lafayette hosts Bucknell and Colgate this weekend.
Lehigh Freshman Angelika Kopacz recorded her third consecutive double-double in a 3-0 loss to league-leading Army. Though her double-double streak was snapped against Holy Cross, the Mountain Hawks claimed a 3-0 win over the Crusaders to pick up their first road win of the season. With the win, Lehigh remains a game back of Bucknell for third place. The Mountain Hawks will host Colgate and Bucknell this weekend.
Navy The Mids have now dropped four straight contests after being swept in their three most recent matches. Navy fell in League matches at Colgate and at Bucknell. The Mids were then topped by Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday. Navy looks to regain its winning form at home against Holy Cross on Friday. The Mids then host arch rival Army at 8 p.m. Saturday for an ESPNU televised contest.
