Nov. 3, 2008
Center Valley, Pa.Army joined League-leading American in the Patriot League Tournament field. The Black Knights improved to 9-1 in League play with a 3-0 win over Holy Cross to clinch a spot in the tournament. Army remained a match behind American for the top spot in the League. The Eagles improved to 10-0 with a 3-0 win at Navy.
Colgate climbed up the standings, as well. For her efforts in Colgate's 3-0 win over Bucknell, record-breaking setter Meghan Fanta was named Patriot League Baden Player of the Week. American outside hitter Rebecca Heath was named Patriot League Baden Rookie of the Week for the sixth time this season.
Patriot League Volleyball Release 11.03.08 
Patriot League Baden Player of the Week
Meghan Fanta, Colgate Jr., S, Hillsboro, Wisc.
Fanta led the Raiders to a key 3-0 victory over Bucknell. She dished out 36 set assists, in addition to two aces, 11 digs, two block assists and one kill to help the Raiders claim sole possession of third place in the Patriot League. Fanta is the all-time leader in assists at Colgate with 3,026. It is the first time this season that Fanta has received the honor.
Patriot League Baden Rookie of the Week
Rebecca Heath, American Fr., OH, Naperville, Ill.
Heath helped lead American to a 3-0 win over Navy. She had 11 kills, five digs, one block and one assist. She also notched a .364 hitting percentage against the Mids. It is the sixth time this season that Heath has been named Rookie of the Week.
Honorable Mention
Claire Recht, American
Jr., MB, Canby, Ore.
Recht registered nine kills with zero errors, while also accumulating five blocks.
Rachel Breinling, Army
Sr., MB, Fremont, Mich.
Recorded 19 kills in two matches, incluing a match-high 11 kills against Holy Cross. Did not commit an error against Sacred Heart. Also tallied five blocks on the week.
Hedie Kamp, Bucknell
So., MB, Springfield, Ore.
Averaged 3.33 kills in three sets. Led the Bison with 10 kills, while also contributing two digs and one block.
Katrina Racibarskas, Lafayette
So., OH, Chatham, N.J.
Notched 22 kills in two matches, including a match-high 14 in a four-set win over rival Lehigh. Also provided 15 digs, four assists and seven blocks during the week.
Maxie McCoy, Lehigh
Jr., RS, Plano, Tex.
Led the Mountain Hawks with 11 kills in a four-set loss to Lafayette. Added two digs and three blocks while hitting.400.
Patriot League Notebook
Patriot League Recap
Army captured its ninth win in 10 Patriot League matches with a 3-0 win over Holy Cross. The victory secured the Black Knights' 10th straight Patriot League Tournament berth. Army remained one match behind League-leading American, which improved to 10-0 in League play with a 3-0 win at Navy. Colgate gained sole possession of third place with a 3-0 triumph over Bucknell. Bucknell holds a slight one-match advantage over Lafayette, which topped rival Lehigh, 3-1, on Friday.
Patriot League Preview
Non-League match-ups are scattered throughout the schedule prior to the big weekend in League play. American will travel down Interstate 95 for a non-League battle with Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond, Va. on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Lafayette will host St. Francis (N.Y.). On Thursday, American will return home for a 7 p.m. bout with North Carolina Central. League play will resume on Friday, with four matches on the docket: American at Lehigh, Army at Colgate, Holy Cross at Bucknell and Navy at Lafayette. On Saturday, four more key matches will be on the slate: American at Lafayette, Holy Cross at Colgate, Navy at Lehigh and Army at Bucknell.
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 13 matches with a straight-sets victory at Navy. American moved to 10-0 in the Patriot League, maintaining a one-match advantage over second-place Army. American has now won 18 straight matches against Patriot League foes. The Eagles have a busy week ahead of them with four matches, including three on the road. American will travel down Interstate 95 to Richmond, Va. to take on Virginia Commonwealth on Tuesday. The Eagles will be at home for a Thursday showdown with North Carolina Central. They will then hit the road for a Friday match at Lehigh and Saturday battle at Lafayette.
Army The Black Knights clinched their 10th straight berth in the Patriot League Tournament with a 3-0 win at Holy Cross. Army also claimed a straight-sets win over non-League foe Sacred Heart. The Black Knights hit .347 during their two matches last week. Army will hit the road for a pair of key League matches this weekend. They will travel to Hamilton, N.Y. for a Friday match-up with Colgate before hitting the road for a Saturday match at Bucknell.
BucknellThe Bison dropped to fourth place with a 3-0 loss at Colgate. Heidi Kamp had 10 kills with just one error in defeat. Kamp recorded a .500 hitting percentage for the Bison. Looking to remain in the top half of the standings, the Bison will host a pair of League matches this weekend. Bucknell will host Holy Cross on Friday before doing battle with Army on Saturday evening.
Colgate Megan Fanta added to her school-record assist total with 36 assists in a crucial 3-0 win over Bucknell. She now has a school-record 3,026 assists. Fanta now has 110 assists in her last three matches. The Raiders will seek to maintain their momentum with a pair of home matches this weekend. Colgate will host Army on Friday before welcoming Holy Cross on Saturday.
Holy Cross The Crusaders dipped to 0-10 in League play with a 3-0 loss to Army. Holy Cross has now lost 14 consecutive matches. The Crusaders will look to get back on the winning track with road matches at Bucknell and at Colgate this weekend.
Lafayette The Leopards gained sole possession of fifth place with a 3-1 win over arch rival Lehigh in Easton. Lafayette is now one match behind Bucknell for fourth place in the Patriot League. Katrina Racibarskas led the Leopards with 22 kills, 15 digs, seven blocks and four assists in the Leopards' two wins last week, which included a non-League triumph over Wagner. The Leopards will host St. Francis (N.Y.) on Wednesday before squaring off against Navy and American at home this weekend.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks dropped a 3-1 decision to arch rival Lafayette to fall into a tied for sixth place in the Patriot League. Maxie McCoy led Lehigh in defeat with 11 kills, three blocks an two digs in four sets. Lehigh will host American and Navy during weekend action.
Navy The Mids were topped by League-leading American, 3-0, in Annapolis on Thursday. After starting the year 12-4 in non-League play, Navy is 3-7 in Patriot League action. The Mids will hit the road this weekend to take on Lafayette and Lehigh.
