PHILADELPHIA – The Explorers will travel south for their final weekend tournament before the start of the conference schedule. The Blue & Gold will play a double-header on Friday, facing tournament host Memphis at 2:00pm EST and Austin Peay at 5:00pm EST. The Explorers will wrap-up tournament action with a 4:00pm EST tilt with Arkansas – Little Rock.
 
Scouting the Explorers
 
The Explorers enter this weekend's tournament looking to rebound from a difficult stretch. This past weekend they were swept in all three matches of the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West Penn Invitational. While the overall results have not worked in the Explorers favor, the team's play has made great strides in the last week. The team played a hotly competitive four-set match against Temple on Sunday, and was competitive in all three sets of their Tuesday night loss to Morgan State.
 
A major factor in the match against Morgan State was that the Explorers were missing leading hitter Kelly Perillo. She has been an attacking terror for opponents, registering 117 kills and 3.08 kills/set average.  Her 117 kills rank seventh best in the Atlantic 10, while her 3.08 kills/set average is the eighth best mark in the conference.
 
Laura Kuhlmeier has played brilliantly in Perillo's absence, leading the Explorers in kills each of their last four matches. In her most recent match, she registered a season high 14 kills and .303 hitting percentage against Morgan State.
 
The Explorers team strength is in their setting. The Explorers boast two excellent setters in Rachel Melich and Michelle Healy. Melich leads the Explorers with 196 assists and a 4.45 assists/set average, including an excellent 24 assists in the Blue & Gold's most recent match with Morgan State. Healy has been equally impressive, registering 185 assists and a 4.20 assists/set average.
 
The Explorer defense is led by sophomore libero Erin Noga. Noga has been excellent on the back line for La Salle, leading the team with 162 digs and a 3.68 digs/set average. Her 162 digs are the fourth highest mark in the Atlantic 10, while her 3.68 digs/set average rank sixth best in the conference.
 
La Salle Explorers (1-12) at Memphis Tigers (6-4)
Friday Sept. 20, 2013 | 2:00 PM EST | Elma Roane Fieldhouse (Memphis, Tenn)
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Scouting the Tigers
 
Memphis enters this weekend's action coming off a weekend split at the Evansville Invitational. Memphis alternated wins and losses, defeating Valparaiso and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and falling short against tournament host Evansville and Arkansas State.
 
The Tigers ranks near the top of the American Athletic Conference in most team offensive categories. The Tigers rank second in the conference in both kills/set average (13.56) and assists/set average (12.74).  They rank third in the conference in both total team kills (529) and total team assists (497).  The Tigers are fourth best in the conference with a 1.46 service aces/set average.
 
Defensively, Memphis is not particularly intimidating at the net front, notching only 1.67 blocks/set on average. However, the Tigers rank second in opponent hitting percentage, holding them to a stifling .170 average. This is due to the Tigers spectacular defense on the back-end. The Tigers are first in the AAC in both total digs (735) and digs/set average (18.85).
 
A trio of talented hitters leads the Tigers attack. Senior Viktorija Teivane and freshman Catlin Lilly are tied for seventh in the conference both notching 123 kills and a 3.15 kills/set average. Junior Lauren Hawkins has amassed 69 kills, but is hitting at a .305 clip, the third best mark in the AAC.
 
Redshirt sophomore setter Veronica Zimmerman has been one of the best in the AAC. Her 436 assists and 11.18 assists/set average both rank second in the conference.
 
Redshirt junior libero Aleksandra Petronijevic leads the strong Memphis defense. The Serbian national is first in the conference in digs (229) and digs/set average (5.87).
 
La Salle Explorers (1-12) vs. Austin Peay Governors (2-10)
Friday Sept. 20, 2013 | 5:00 PM EST | Elma Roane Fieldhouse (Memphis, Tenn.)
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Scouting the Governors
 
Austin Peay enters this weekend's action having dropped their last six matches. Most recently, they were swept over this past weekend at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic, losing matches against Tennessee, VCU, East Tennessee, and Wichita State.
 
The Governors rank near the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference in most offensive categories. They rank tenth in the twelve-team conference in hitting percentage, kills/set, assists/set, and service aces/set average. Defensively, they rank last in blocks/set, while ranking ninth in digs/set.
 
Calyn Hull headlines the Austin Peay attack. The senior hitter leads the Governors with 132 kills, the fifth most in the OVC. Her 3.07 kills/set average is the eighth highest mark in the conference. Senior middle blocker Lauren Henderson supplements the attack with 79 kills, while junior outside hitter Jada Stotts has amassed 78 kills in only five matches played this season.
 
The Governor attack flows through junior setter Cami Fields. Fields leads the Governors with 360 assists, the seventh most in the conference. Her 8.37 assists/set average is the ninth best mark in the OVC.
 
The defense is led by sophomore libero April Adams. She leads Austin Peay with 113 digs, while Cami Fields also plays excellent two way game chipping in 105 digs.
 
La Salle Explorers (1-12) vs. University of Arkansas - Little Rock Trojans (5-4)
Sat. Sept. 21, 2013 | 4:00 PM EST | Elma Roane Fieldhouse (Memphis, Tenn.)
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Scouting the Trojans
 
UALR enters this weekend on a bit of a roll. They have won four of their last five matches, including a weekend sweep at the New Mexico State Tournament.  They defeated Northern Illinois, tournament host New Mexico State, and Southern Utah to win the tournament outright.
 
The Trojans are very strong offensively, holding the top mark in the Sun Belt Conference in both kills/set average (13.95) and assists/set average (13.35). They also rank second in the conference in hitting percentage with a scintillating .257 success rate.
 
UALR is also quite strong defensively. Their 2.35 blocks/set average is the third best mark in the conference, while their 14.38 digs/set average is the fifth highest mark in the Sun Belt.
 
Two sparkling outside hitters headline the Trojan attack. Junior outside hitter Edina Begic leads the Trojans with 198 kills through the team's first nine matches, while sophomore outside hitter Sonja Milanovic has chipped in an impressive 141 kills on the season. They rank first and second respectively in the Sun Belt in kills/set average, Begic registering a whopping 5.35 average, while Milanovic marking a strong 3.81 average.
 
The Trojan attack is filtered through junior setter Marleen de Zoete. She leads the conference with an 11.57 assists/set average, while ranking second in the Sun Belt in total assists with 428.
 
Middle blockers Adisa Hodzic and Carolee Dillard lead the Trojan defense at the net front. Hodzic holds the top mark on the team with 36 total blocks, while Dillard has contributed 34 including an impressive 12 solo blocks on the season.
 
The backline defense is led by junior libero Capri Rino. Her 4.00 digs/set average is the eighth best mark in the conference. Defensive specialist Allison Wyatt leads the Trojans with 100 digs on the season.