PHILADELPHIA – The Explorers travel spans the A-10 landscape this weekend as they hit the road for matchups against Saint Louis on Friday evening and Fordham on Sunday afternoon. The Blue & Gold will look to avenge a straight sets loss that the Billikens dealt them earlier this season, while the matchup Sunday will be the first of the two game set against Fordham.
 
Scouting the Explorers
La Salle is coming off a difficult straight sets defeat against red-hot George Washington. The Colonials smothered the Blue & Gold with suffocating defense, out-digging the Explorers 44-19, while out-blocking them 11-7. The offense never was able to establish a consistent rhythm, but the team hopes the week-long layoff before this Friday's match will pay dividends, as the team hopes to work out a few of the kinks.
 
The Blue & Gold offense is still headlined by the dual outside attacking of sophomores Kelly Perillo and Laura Kuhlmeier. Perillo leads the Explorers with 173 kills (.148), while Kuhlmeier has notched 133 kills (.085). Both have experienced relatively cold streaks during recent weeks, as neither has notched double-digit kills in the last five matches. They hope to get back on track during this weekend road trip.
 
Two Explorers who seem to be heating up in recent matches are junior middle hitter Jennifer Whelan and freshman Phoebe Cook.
 
Whelan has amassed a streak of five straight matches where she has recorded at least 5 kills. Before this current streak, she had only three other such matches where she marked 5+ kills, none of which were consecutive. She looks to extend her streak to seven matches by the end of the weekend.
 
Cook has been a streaky hitter since gaining a more prominent role in the Explorer offense during the middle of this season. She had a three-match stretch at the end of September where she notched 8, 5 and 9 kills against George Mason, Rhode Island and Penn respectively. Her 8 kills against George Mason led the team. The hot three-match run was followed by a cold streak where she failed to record a kill in three consecutive matches. Cook seems to have entered into a hot stretch again during the team's last two matches, recording 7 kills (.208) at George Mason and 5 kills (.333) against George Washington.
 
The offense continues to flow through the hands of the strong setting combination of sophomore Michelle Healy and junior Rachel Melich. Healy leads the Blue & Gold with 325 assists and a 4.01 assists/set average this season. Unfortunately, she fell one assist short of extending her streak of recording 10+ assists to nine matches, recording 9 in her last match against George Washington. Melich has recorded 313 assists this season and seems to be stepping up her play of late. She currently has a four-match streak of recording double-digit assists, after failing to crack double-digits in four of the prior six matches entering the streak.
 
Freshman middle hitter Ashley Felton leads the Explorer defense at the net front. She has recorded 51 total blocks (6 solo – 45 assist) this season. She has already equaled last year's team high for solo blocks and is just two total blocks short of Jennifer Whelan's 2012 team high of 53.
 
Sophomore libero continues to lead the Blue & Gold defense on the back line. She leads the Explorers with 311 digs on the season. Her 3.84 digs/set average is the fifth best mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
 
La Salle Explorers (1-24; 0-7 A-10) at Saint Louis Billikens (8-14; 4-3 A-10)
Friday, October 25, 2013 | 8:00 PM EST | Chaifetz Arena – St. Louis, Mo.
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Scouting the Billikens
Saint Louis enters Friday's match on a bit of a midseason swoon. The Billikens have dropped four of their last five matches, including dropping two of three conference matches, sandwiching a four-set win over Fordham between a four-set loss to Duquesne and a straight sets defeat at the hands of VCU. The Billikens will look to get back on track against the Explorers, who they defeated in a competitive match earlier this season.
 
The Billikens boast one of the most potent offenses in the Atlantic 10. They lead the conference with a 13.27 kills/set average and a 12.53 assists/set average. They also rank second in the conference with a strong .217 hitting percentage.
 
The Billiken offense is led by a trio of players who have all notched 200+ kills this season.
 
They are paced on the outside by a pair of dynamic freshmen hitters. Mallory Dillon leads the team with 308 kills (.174), while Danielle Rygelski is not far behind her with 294 kills (.223). Dillon ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in both kills and kills/set average (4.00), while Rygelski ranks fourth in both kills and kills/set average (3.82).
 
The offense is supplemented in the middle by the contributions of sophomore Megan Gilbert. She has added 208 kills to the offensive attack, while she leads the Billikens with a blistering  .342 hitting percentage. Her hitting percentage is the third best mark in the Atlantic 10.
 
The offense flows through the creative hands of sophomore setter Meridith Boe. Boe has collected 739 assists on the season, the third highest amount in the conference, while her 9.60 assists/set average ranks fifth best in the A-10.
 
The defense is led by sophomore libero Anna Church. She has recorded 292 digs on the season. Her 3.79 digs/set average is the seventh best mark in the Atlantic 10. She has also been exceptional while on serve, notching a team leading 19 service aces and a 0.25 service ace/set average which is good for tenth best in the conference.
 
La Salle Explorers (1-24; 0-7 A-10) at Fordham Rams (8-15; 1-5 A-10)
Sunday, October 27, 2013 | 1:00 PM | Rose Hill Gym – Bronx, N.Y.
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Scouting the Rams
Fordham enters this weekend looking to end a long streak of futility. They enter Friday night's match against VCU on a six-match losing streak, and have only notched one victory, a four-set victory over George Mason, in their last ten matches.
 
Although the Rams have struggled to put together victories during the last few weeks, they still boast a strong offense. They rank middle of the Atlantic 10 pack in both kills and assists, while they are also excellent on serve ranking third in the conference.
 
The Rams filter most of their attack through the outside hitters. Senior Lisa Hipp has been one the best hitters in the Atlantic 10 this season. She leads the team and is sixth best in the A-10 with 257 kills (.096), while her 3.21 kills/set average is the seventh best mark in the conference.
 
A duo of sophomores supplements Hipp's attack on the outside. Brianna O'Neil has notched 199 kills (.140), while Brennan Delsing has added 185 kills (.129).
 
Complimenting the Fordham attack in the inside is senior middle hitter Carina Thompson. She has marked 129 kills on the season, with a strong .220 hitting percentage. Junior Lindsay Ritchie has added 90 kills. While she has not been a focal point of the offense, she makes the most of her opportunities logging a scintillating .297 hitting percentage, which is good for seventh best in the Atlantic 10.
 
The offense flows through the setting of senior Sara Konkel. She has gathered 739 assists on the season, leading the team by a wide margin. She ranks fourth in the conference in both total assists and assists/set average (9.70).
 
Senior libero leads the Fordham defense. She has notched 298 digs on the season, with her 3.59 digs/set average ranking eighth best in the Atlantic 10. She has also been dazzling while on serve for the Rams this season. Her 33 service aces and 0.40 service ace/set average are both the second best marks in the conference.
 
Up Next
After this weekend's action the Explorers will continue their five-match road swing with a tilt against the conference leading VCU Rams on Friday November 1^st.