Women's Volleyball | August 23, 2018

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University volleyball team will commence the 2018 season on Friday, Aug. 24, looking to break through in the Atlantic 10. After improving their league win total in each of the last two seasons, the Explorers are primed to take that next step and earn a spot into the Atlantic 10 Tournament for the first time in program history.

Despite losing leading scorer Bryanna Davis to graduation, La Salle figures to have a balanced attack that features seven of the team's top eight leaders in kills from a year ago. Former Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection Devin Corah, two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week Sam Graver and juniors Jenny Edwards and Madison Kuch are experienced players that will again be utilized on the outside.

In the middle, sophomore Reilly Lowe, junior Catherine Edgington and senior Maya Barton all return with a combined 108 matches played between them. Lowe played in all but one match as a freshman last season, leading the team in blocks and ranking fifth in kills. Edgington looks to bounce back from an injury-plagued sophomore season and will hope to replicate a freshman year that saw her pace the Explorers in blocks.

Defensively, senior libero Jensen Sharrits looks to continue her ascent up the program's career digs list in her final season at La Salle. Sharrits, who was named to the Atlantic 10's All-Rookie Team in 2015, has accumulated 1,564 digs in her three-year career to rank second all-time behind Carolyn Judge (2,080). A pair of defensive specialists also return in juniors Emily McCann and Jenna Nagle.

Another previous A-10 All-Rookie Team honoree, Kathryn Wood, comes off a season in which she compiled 1,156 assists, the sixth-most in La Salle single-season history. Over her two years with the Explorers, Wood has 2,138 career assists to rank seventh in school history.

A group of four newcomers will provide depth and look to make an immediate impact. Outside hitter Elizabeth Osborn comes to Philadelphia from Beaverton, Ore., where she was an all-state selection for Valley Catholic. Two imports from the Midwest - setter Sarah Nahas and defensive specialist Samantha Fulkerson-Bird - also join the mix, as does sophomore transfer Allison Laucella.