PHILADELPHIA – The Explorers will hit the road for two Atlantic 10 conference matchups this weekend. First, they will travel to Washington D.C. to take on George Washington in the Explorers' conference road opener Friday evening at 7:00pm. The Blue & Gold will follow up with the conclusion to their season series against George Mason on Saturday evening at 5:00pm.
 
Scouting the Explorers
La Salle enters this weekend coming off a hard-fought three set loss to Saint Louis last Saturday. The Explorers dug an early two-set hole, but did not give up. The Blue & Gold battled Saint Louis to extra points in the third set, but ultimately the Billikens were able to hang on for the three set victory. The Explorers played a strong match against the talented Billikens and hope to translate that into their first two Atlantic 10 road matches this weekend.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Kelly Perillo continues to be the spark that drives the Explorer offense. Her 158 kills are the eighth highest mark in the Atlantic 10, while her 2.87 kills/set average is ninth best in the conference. She has been held in check recently by the strong defenses of Dayton and Saint Louis, but will look to get back in rhythm this weekend.
 
The Explorers welcomed the return of their other strong outside attacking presence of sophomore Laura Kuhlmeier. Kuhlmeier missed three matches, including the first two conference matches of the season, nursing an injury, however, she made her return to the Blue & Gold lineup last weekend. She stepped right back into midseason form notching 8 kills and 8 digs against Dayton last Friday. Kuhlmeier has done it all for the Explorers this season, ranking second on the team in both kills (120) and digs (158), while ranking in a tie for third in total blocks (16).
 
A duo of talented middle hitters has led the way in the middle, providing offense and defense. Sophomore Elena Lamping ranks third on the Explorers with 85 kills, while ranking second on the team in total blocks with 17. Talented freshman Ashley Felton ranks fourth on the Explorers with 80 kills, while leading the team by a wide margin in total blocks with 48.
 
The Explorers continue to filter their attack through their two talented setters. Sophomore Michelle Healy leads the Explorers with 295 on the season, while junior Rachel Melich has contributed 276 helpers. Healy has played exceptionally strong of late, notching double-digit assists in the Explorers last six matches. Her five double-doubles on the season lead the Explorers and are tied for the ninth best mark in the Atlantic 10. Melich leads the Blue & Gold with 18 service aces on the season, tied for the sixth most in the conference.
 
Sophomore libero Erin Noga has continued her breakout season as a regular in the Explorers lineup. Her 17 service aces are the eighth most in the Atlantic 10 this season. She has also played exceptional defense on the backline. Her 275 digs are the second most in the conference, while her 3.82 digs/set average is the seventh best mark in the A-10.
 
La Salle (1-21; 0-4 A-10) at George Washington (6-10; 1-1 A-10)
Friday, October 11, 2013 | 7:00 PM | Washington D.C. – Charles E. Smith Center
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Scouting the Colonials
George Washington enters this weekend's matchup coming off a 1-1 start the their conference season. The Colonials dropped their conference road opener to VCU in straight sets last Friday, before traveling to Rhode Island for their second road tilt on Sunday. George Washington battled hard with Rhode Island, taking the second and third sets after dropping the first. The Rams rallied to win the fourth and force a decisive fifth set. The Colonials were able to stymie the Rams comeback run and hung on for the five set victory to even their conference record.
 
Junior outside hitter Kelsey Newman leads the Colonial offense with 138 kills, while senior Rachael Goss compliments her attack on the outside with 112 kills on the season.
 
Freshman middle blocker Chidima Osuchukwu has been the most intimidating presence at the net front for the Colonials both offensively and defensively. She is second on the team with 122 kills, while far and away leading the team in total blocks. She ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 in hitting percentage with a blistering hot .328 success rate. She also ranks eighth in the conference with 66 total blocks, while ranking seventh with a 1.10 blocks/set average.
 
George Washington boasts two strong situational servers. Senior Jamie Armstrong and sophomore Maggie Skjelbred rank ninth and tenth respectively in the Atlantic 10 Conference with 0.26 service ace/set averages.
 
The Colonial attack flows through the capable hands of a duo of setters. Sophomore Jordan Timmer leads the team with 308 assists, while her 8.11 assists/set average ranks eighth best in the conference. Freshman Emily Clemens has chipped in 217 assists on the season.
 
Sophomore libero Maddy Doyle leads the Colonial defense at the back. Her 269 digs are tied for fourth most in the conference, while she ranks tied for second in the Atlantic 10 with a 4.48 digs/set average.
 
La Salle Explorers (1-21; 0-4 A-10) at George Mason Patriots (5-12; 1-2 A-10)
Saturday, October 12, 2013 | 5:00 PM | Fairfax, VA – RAC
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Scouting the Patriots
George Mason enters the matchup coming off a 1-2 start to their Atlantic 10 slate. They defeated the Explorers in three sets two weekends ago in the conference opener for both squads. Since then they have dropped two straight matches by 3 set to 1 margins against Fordham and Saint Louis.
 
The Patriots are led on attack by the explosive duo of outside hitters. Freshman Jessie Greenslade leads the Patriots with 132 kills on the season, while sophomore Morghan Martin is right on her heels with 129 kills. While neither appear within the Atlantic 10 leaderboard, they have done an excellent job stepping up in the absence of senior Lana Zonjic who started the season at a torrid pace racking up 108 kills in the team's first eight matches. 
 
Another strong combination complements the George Mason attack in the middle. Redshirt sophomore Lolade Owokoniran has notched 107 kills, while senior Laura Spencer has contributed 88 kills. Although they do not form the majority of the Patriot attack, they usually succeed when given the opportunity. Owokoniran leads the Patriots and ranks ninth in the conference with a .279 hitting percentage, while Spencer has an equally impressive .269 success rate that lands her just outside of the conference top-10.
 
The George Mason attack flows through the creative hands of senior setter Tori Price. Price leads the Patriots in assists by a wide margin. Her 541 helpers are the sixth most in the A-10, while her 9.17 assists/set average is also sixth best mark in the conference.
 
The strength of this George Mason squad is their defense. They rank second in the conference in team blocking, fourth in team digging, which translates to the third best rank in opponent hitting percentage, as they hold opponents to a .179 success rate.
 
Owokoniran leads the defense at the net front, proving to be an intimidating presence with her exceptional blocking skills. She ranks first in the conference in blocks/set average (1.48), while she ranks second in total blocks with 89. Spencer has contributed 70 blocks of her own, which place her tied for sixth most in the conference. Her 1.17 blocks/set average is tied for fourth best in the A-10.
 
Sophomore libero Bernetta Moore leads the backline defensively. She ranks first in the conference with 299 digs and a 4.98 digs/set average.