Women's Volleyball | October 10, 2019

PHILADELPHIA – Volleyball continues its home defense this weekend with matchups against Duquesne on Friday and Villanova on Saturday (both matches on ESPN+). The Explorers sit fifth in the A-10 standings at the time of writing; with a win over Duquesne and a Saint Louis loss at George Washington, La Salle could bump up a spot. Senior Kathryn Wood is coming off of a 67-assist weekend, while junior Samantha Graver tallied 28 kills and 15 digs as the Blue & Gold went 1-1.

ABOUT THE EXPLORERS

• La Salle enters this week with particular strengths in kills and assists. Its assists per set rate of 12.83 is 24th in the country, while kills per set of 13.66 is 31st. Both marks top all teams in the A-10.
• The Blue & Gold has had the advantage in most major categories through four conference games, leading in points (224-199), kills (186-155), aces (18-6), assists (176-142) and digs (197-190).
• Battening down: Conference opponents have found La Salle's defense difficult to crack. The Explorers rank first in opponent aces per set (0.43), seconds in opponent digs (13.57), fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.165), opponent assists (10.14) and opponent kills (11.07).
• Acing it: The Explorers have recorded more aces in each of the last six games (with a margin of 31-12 over that period). They have lost the battle of aces only twice all season (against Notre Dame and San Diego).
• Wood continues to lead the way for La Salle; her 10.25 assists per set this season is the top mark in the A-10.
• Graver is fourth in the conference in kills per set (3.79) and points per set (4.18), while freshman Rachel Hess is fourth in digs per set (4.38).

SCOUTING THE DUKES

• Duquesne sits at 7-10 this season with a 1-3 conference mark (eighth in the standings). The Explorers have emerged victorious in their last two contests against the Dukes, including La Salle's first ever playoff win.
• The Dukes have struggled in most categories when ranked against its A-10 foes. Their highest mark is a digs per set tally of 15.02 that checks in at fifth.
• Senior Liz Wayne has the highest hitting percentage on the team and ranks second in the A-10 (.368). She has played in most of Duquesne's sets, but ranks fourth in total attempts (299).
• Game time: Friday, 7 p.m.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

• With a 12-4 record, Villanova has gotten off to its best start since 2015. The Wildcats fell to St. John's on Wednesday after winning three straight Big East games previous to that.
• Villanova has been especially efficient at finishing off plays this season. Its hitting percentage of .273 is 14th in the country and best in the Big East. It has also defended well to the tune of a .181 opponent hitting percentage, third in the conference.
• Just pipping Wood in assists per set is Villanova senior Emma Decker with 10.30. The Wildcats also have senior Regan Lough who ranks 35th among D-1 players with 4.87 digs per set.
• More than just a rivalry: Assistant coach for Villanova is Jackie Scott, twin sister of La Salle's assistant Maggie Scott. The two will face off for the first time as coaches.
• Game time: Saturday, 7 p.m.