DOVER, Del. - Fresh off an emotional win Wednesday over Rider, La Salle volleyball will travel south this weekend for the Delaware State Tri-Match.
"A win is a win," head coach Dave Stever said when asked about the Rider victory. "We all felt it should not have gone to five games. However, we did come together in game five."
Senior Kelly Scanlon has been red-hot for La Salle, recording double-doubles in four of the last five matches. She has combined for 77 kills (.195) and 78 digs in those contests.
"I'm beginning to play with confidence now," Scanlon said. "In our first few matches this season I played timid and was afraid to make mistakes. Also, I have been connecting better with our setters. They have been working hard to become more consistent."
As one of the team's five seniors, Scanlon has embraced her role as a leader and believes her team's momentum will continue if they stick together.
"My biggest goal is for our team to be successful," she said. "I realized that in order for that to happen I must step up and become a teammate everybody can rely on."
"We as a team are expecting two more wins this weekend" she later remarked.
With their Atlantic 10 conference schedule set to begin September 21, La Salle is using this weekend as one of their final tune-ups before delving into the meat of their season.
"We have to get all our hitters clicking on offense," Stever said. "We have the players to put up good numbers. They just have to do it consistently."
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La Salle Explorers (2-10) vs. St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash (3-8)
Saturday, September 15, 2012 | 4PM | Memorial Hall Gym
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Scouting the Red Flash
St. Francis (Pa.) enters the weekend having lost five straight after a 3-3 start to their season. Senior middle blocker Elizabeth Williams ranks eighth in the Northeast Conference in hitting percentage (.224) and fourth in service aces/set (.46). Sophomore setter Alanna Blenkam's 9.32 assists/set are good for second in the conference while her .42 service aces/set are good for fifth-most in the league. As a team, the Red Flash lead the NEC in service aces/set (1.6) and are second in opponent hitting percentage (.202).
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La Salle Explorers (2-10) vs. Delaware State Hornets (2-7)
Saturday, September 15, 2012 | 7PM | Memorial Hall Gym
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Scouting the Hornets
After dropping their first four matches of the year, Delaware State has won two of their last five meetings entering Saturday. Junior outside hitter Jessica Russell-Croucher leads the Hornets in points/set (3.30) and kills/set (2.88), both which rank in the top 10 in the MEAC. Senior setter Christobel Fakaosi is the conference's fourth-leading setter (8.76 assists/set) and ranks sixth in the league in services aces/set (.39). As a team, Delaware State stands second in the MEAC in opponent hitting percentage (.219) and digs/set (14.21). They also average 1.88 blocks/set, good for fourth-most in the league.
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Up Next
La Salle is back on the hardwood Tuesday when they travel to Towson.
