PHILADELPHIA – Coming off a tough four set defeat in their road opener against Howard, the Explorer women will hit the road again this weekend to take part in the Radisson Cross Keys Greyhound Invitational.
 
The team hopes that it can get back on track after dropping four straight matches following their season opening win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Explorers hope to avoid following the same path as last year's squad.
 
"Obviously, we're excited and optimistic about getting some wins this weekend, but at the same time I think there is some pressure that we need to come off with a win this weekend," senior captain Rachel Finkbeiner said. "We're a very different team then we were last season, but last season we won our first game of the La Salle tournament and then didn't win again for a long time."
 
Kelly Perillo leads the Explorers offensive attack. The sophomore outside hitter leads the Atlantic 10 Conference with 61 kills. The team hopes that they can establish a strong attacking presence from the opening serve this weekend.
 
"The key for us this weekend is going to be coming out with our A game right away," Finkbeiner said. "This weekend we have to start off strong right away."
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Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds (1-2) vs. La Salle Explorers (1-4)
Friday September 6, 2013 | 7:00 PM | Reitz Arena
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Scouting the Greyhounds
 
Loyola (Md.) enters the weekend with a 1-2 record after participating in the Appalachian State Invitational over Labor Day weekend. The Greyhounds earned a five set victory over Norfolk State, sandwiched between losses to Appalachian State in the season opener and Sam Houston State in the tournament capper.
 
Loyola (Md.) ranks at or near the bottom of the Patriot League in most offensive and defensive categories. While no Greyhound ranks in the Top-10 in the conference rankings for kills, they offer a balanced attack with four players accounting for 19+ kills (Faye Lukas 28, Jac Bullock 27, Mindy Maloney 20, Simone Reid 19).
 
The attack flows through junior setter Lauren Anderson, as she has accounted for 101 of the team's 114 assists this season. Her 8.42 assists/set average is the sixth best mark in the Patriot League, while her 101 assists rank fourth.
 
One area that the Greyhounds excel is in serving. Loyola (Md.) leads the Patriot League with 26 service aces through their first three matches, while their per set average (2.17) ranks second in the conference. The duo of Micah Duzey and Jac Bullock each have accounted for 7 service aces, tied for the individual conference lead. Their identical per set average (0.58) is tied for the fifth best mark in the Patriot League.
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La Salle Explorers (1-4) vs. Delaware Blue Hens (0-3)
Saturday September 7, 2013 | 11:30 AM | Reitz Arena
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Scouting the Blue Hens
 
Delaware comes into the weekend looking to crack the win column for the first time this season, after getting swept 0-3 in the season opening weekend. The Blue Hens traveled to Malibu, California to participate in the Pepperdine Asics Classic over Labor Day weekend. The west coast swing did not prove hospitable to the Blue Hens as they failed to win a single set in any of their three matches, dropping three setters against Wisconsin, Iona, and tournament host Pepperdine.
 
The Blue Hens rank at the bottom of every statistical category in the Colonial Athletic Association, except for digs where they rank seventh out of the eight-team league.
 
They offer a fairly balanced attack with three players contributing 17+ kills. Katie Hillman leads the Blue Hens with 20 kills and a 2.22 kills/set average. Liz Brock and Katie Hank are tied for second on the team with 17 kills apiece.
 
Mackenzie Olsen is the primary table setter for the Blue Hens offense, accounting for 64 of team's 71 total assists. Her 7.11 assists/set average ranks fifth best in the Colonial Athletic Association, while her 64 assists rank ninth most in the conference.
 
Ariel Shonk is the defensive spark plug for Delaware. Her 35 digs rank in a tie for ninth most in the conference, while her 3.89 digs/set average is the fifth best mark in the Colonial.
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La Salle Explorers (1-4) vs. UMBC Retrievers (1-3)
Saturday September 7, 2013 | 4:30 PM | Reitz Arena
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Scouting the Retrievers
 
UMBC enters this weekend's play on somewhat of an emotional roller coaster. They began the season by participating in the GW Nike Invitational. The Retrievers dropped their first two matches, against Ole Miss and George Washington, before rebounding to defeat rival Maryland for the first time in program history in the tournament capper. Riding an emotional high, the team could not parlay their strong effort against Maryland into a winning streak. UMBC's struggles against A-10 competition continued as they dropped their home opener against George Mason in four sets.
 
The Retrievers slow start is a bit of an anomaly as they rank at or near the top of the America East Conference in several statistical categories. They lead the conference in kills/set average (11.79) and assists/set average (11.07). The team ranks third in total blocks (25.0) and blocks/set average (1.79). The Retrievers also are strong in digs, as they rank fourth in digs (212) and digs/set average (15.14).
 
The Retrievers attack is well balanced as they boast four players with 30+ kills on the season (Sherelle Walker 41, Krystal Mlemchuckwu 35, Hannah Schmidt 34, Ali Goc 32). Sherelle Walker leads the team with 41 kills and her kills/set average of 2.93 ranks fifth best in the America East Conference. Hannah Schmidt's hitting percentage (.278) ranks fourth best in the conference.
 
Mallory McIntyre is the table setter of the UMBC's diverse attack. She has accounted for 135 of the team's 155 total assists on the young season. Her 9.64 assists/set average lead the America East Conference, while her 135 assists rank second. She was named America East Conference Setter of the Week for the opening week of the season.
 
The Retrievers feature a duo of strong defensive presences at the net front. Kristen Cooper and Hannah Schmidt are tied for the team lead in blocks with 10 apiece. Cooper, freshman Ivan Kostic, and Schmidt rank fourth (1.00), fifth (0.86), and ninth (0.71) respectively in blocks/set average for the conference. The team also features strong digger Casey Griffith who ranks fifth in total digs (50) and sixth in digs/set (3.57).