Nov. 17, 2008

Center Valley, Pa.Liz Lazzari, who helped Army win its final seven regular season matches, has been named Patriot League Player of the Week. Lazzari and the Black Knights ended American's bid for an undefeated run through the Patriot League regular season. American, which had already clinched the top seed prior to its loss, will host the upcoming Patriot League Tournament.

Patriot League Volleyball Release 11.17.08

Baden Player of the Week (Nov. 10-Nov. 16)

Elizabeth Lazzari, Army Sr., OH, Seal Beach, Calif.

Lazzari led the Black Knights with 24 kills and eight total blocks to help Army finish the regular season with a seven-match winning streak. She averaged 3.43 kills per set and 2.14 digs per set in Army's two weekend victories. Lazzari notched 12 kills and four digs while hitting .435 in the Black Knights' 3-0 win over arch rival Navy on Friday. She matched a career high with six blocks on Saturday, which accounted for half of Army's season high 12 blocks in the Black Knights' 3-1 win over first-place American. She also added 12 kills and 11 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Though her 52 attempts were more than any other Army player, Lazzari committed just five errors throughout the weekend.

Baden Rookie the Week (Nov. 10-Nov. 16)

Kaylee Dougherty, Colgate Fr., MB/RS, Landisville, Pa.

Dougherty averaged 2.33 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .440 during two Colgate victories. She also accounted for three blocks. In the Raiders' 3-0 win over Lafayette, Dougherty registered five kills with a .800 hitting percentage, helping Colgate clinch the third seed in the Patriot League Tournament. On Saturday, Dougherty pounded out 10 kills in Colgate's straight-sets win over Lehigh. She hit .350 and assisted on two blocks. She committed just three errors in 25 attacks during her team's six sets.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Heidi Kamp, Bucknell So., MB, Springfield, Ore.

Kamp notched 21 kills, five aces, three digs, five blocks and an ace in Bucknell's two victories last week. She finished with a match-high 13 kills in the Bison's 3-0 win over Lehigh. For the weekend, she hit .562.

Casey Ritt, Colgate So., MB, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Ritt recorded 21 kills while hitting .594 in a pair of Colgate wins. She also finished the week with four blocks, including two solo blocks against Lehigh on Saturday. She committed just two errors in 32 attacks.

Liz Auger, Holy Cross Jr. OH, Barnstable, Mass.

Auger averaged 10.5 kills per set in two matches. She also contributed nine digs, three blocks and four aces. Her four aces in Saturday's loss to Navy established a career high for Auger.

Patriot League Notebook

Patriot League Recap The Patriot League Tournament field is now set after the final weekend of regular season play. Army upended American, 3-1, on the final day of League play to close the regular season on a seven-match winning streak, including six straight wins against Patriot League foes. The Black Knights also swept rival Navy on Friday. Army, which finished tied atop the Patriot League standings, will be the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. American will host the tournament after clinching the top seed on Friday with a 3-0 win over Holy Cross. Colgate earned a pair of convincing victories to earn the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Raiders swept Lafayettte and Lehigh. Bucknell earned the final tournament spot after collecting wins over Lehigh and Lafayette. Lafayette finished tied for fifth with Navy, which lost to Army but beat Holy Cross. Lehigh closed the season in seventh place in the Patriot League standings. Holy Cross, which lost to American and Navy, rounded out the standings in eighth place.

2008 Patriot League Tournament The 2008 Patriot League Volleyball Championship will take place Friday-Saturday, Nov. 21-22 at Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington, D.C. Two semifinal matches will take place on Friday, Nov. 21 with top-seeded American facing fourth-seeded Bucknell and second-seeded Army meeting thir-seeded Colgate. The championship match will be played on Saturday, Nov. 22 with the winner earning the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Championship History American has earned the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament in eight consecutive seasons. The Eagles will be pursuing their eighth straight Patriot League crown. Last season, American beat Colgate, 3-0, to claim their seventh straight Patriot League title. The Eagles are undefeated in League championship matches. Second-seeded Army will be chasing its fourth League title. The Black Knights won three titles in four years from 1991 through 1994. Army's last appearance in the championship match was in 2005, the second of two consecutive runner-up seasons for the Black Knights. Third-seeded Colgate has made 10 appearances in the League title match, winning four. The Raiders last won the title in 1999, defeating Navy for the crown. Fourth-seeded Bucknell was the last team to win the Patriot League Championship prior to American's current streak. The Bison have won the tournament twice, most recently in 2000 when they topped Colgate for the crown.

Team Notebooks

American The Eagles suffered their first Patriot League loss in the regular season finale against Army, but American wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the eighth straight year with a 3-0 win against Holy Cross on Friday. The Eagles will pursue their eighth straight League title under head coach Barry Goldberg when they host the Patriot League Tournament on Friday and Saturday. American will open the tournament against fourth-seeded Bucknell on Friday.

Army The Black Knights closed the regular season with a seven-match winning streak, including six straight wins against Patriot League competition. Army's 25 wins this season are the most for the program since 1993. The Black Knights picked up emotional wins over rival Navy and League-leading American on the final weekend of the regular season. On Senior Day against American, Army's seniors accounted for 45 of the Black Knights' 51 kills. Second-seeded Army will take on third-seeded Colgate in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament.

Bucknell The Bison won both weekend matches to clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. It is the 16th time that Bucknell has qualified for the tournament and the first time since 2006. The Bison topped Lehigh and Lafayette to earn their spot in the post-season. Freshman Kyleigh McAhren, who notched eight kills against Lehigh, recorded a career-high .636 hitting percentage against the Mountain Hawks. Bucknell will open the Patriot League Tournament on Friday against top-seeded American.

Colgate The Raiders earned convincing victories over Lafayette and Lehigh to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. Casey Ritt led the team with 21 kills in six sets while recording a .594 hitting percentage. Colgate finished the regular season on a three-match winning streak. The Raiders will open the Patriot League Tournament against second-seeded Army on Friday.

Holy Cross The Crusaders dropped to 0-14 in League play with losses to American and Navy. In the Crusaders' 3-1 loss to Navy, freshman Libby Malloy recorded her first career double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs, both career-bests. Molly Anderson wrapped up her collegiate career having played in all 105 matches during her Holy Cross tenure. She finished her career as one of only four players in Holy Cross history with at least 1,000 career digs, closing with 1,092.

Lafayette The Leopards were eliminated from Patriot League Tournament contention with a pair of losses on the final weekend of League play. The Leopards topped by Colgate and Bucknell, putting Lafayette in a tie for fifth place with Navy in the final League standings.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks were swept by Colgate and Bucknell on the final weekend of Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks closed the season with a seven-match losing streak, putting Lehigh in seventh place in the final League standings.

Navy The Mids were swept by Army on Friday, but rebounded for a 3-1 win over Holy Cross in their final match of the regular season. Jessie Sims finished as the school-record holder in digs with 1,424. She also finished her career ranked fifth in kills with 1,246. The Mids finished the season tied for fifth in the Patriot League standings.