Women's Volleyball | September 25, 2019

PHILADELPHIA –The Explorers will look to start A-10 action off right as they hit the road to take on VCU and Davidson. Last season's conference play began with the exact same fixtures: La Salle dropped its game against the Rams and then defeated the Wildcats in straight sets.
 
ABOUT THE EXPLORERS

• La Salle (5-6) is coming off of a 1-1 weekend where it won against Delaware and lost to Princeton. The Explorers had the advantage on offense overall, especially in aces with 13 to its opponents' six. 
• Speaking of offense, the Explorers rank first in the A-10 in aces per set (1.67), assists per set (12.92) and kills per set (13.79). The latter two numbers rank 23rd and 26th in the nation respectively.
• Senior Kathryn Wood is again pacing the conference in average assists with 10.92 per set, while junior Samantha Graver is third in the A-10 in kills per set (3.67) and points per set (4.01).
• Freshman impact: rookies Rachel Hess and Marisa Guisti are trending at the top for the Blue & Gold. Hess leads the team in digs (178), digs per set (4.56) and reception attempts (259), while Guisti paces the Explorers in total blocks (33) and is second in hitting percentage (.253) among players with at least 100 total attempts.

 SCOUTING THE RAMS

• VCU is 9-5 this season, coming off of a terrific weekend where it went 3-0. The Explorers have found the Rams to be a particularly difficult adversary, taking one set off VCU in its last five games against them.
• Block party: The Rams lead the nation in total blocks (178) and blocks per set (3.36), nearly replicating their 2017 season when they led in those categories in addition to opponent hitting percentage.
• Speaking of, VCU has allowed a hitting percentage of .219 in 2019, which is 177th in the country and sixth in the A-10. It's 12.70 digs per set is 10th in the conference. Questions could be raised of this defense if La Salle can get past the Rams' blockers.
• But what blockers they are—no other player in the nation has tallied more total blocks than VCU's senior Jasmin Sneed, who sits on 87. The player trailing Sneed? She plays with her: Redshirt senior Jaelyn Jackson has 80 total blocks. Classmate Kat Young follows with 57, rounding out the top-three blockers in the conference and 1-2-31 in the country.
• Game time: Friday, 6 p.m.

 SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

• Davidson has begun its season 5-8 and in poor form as of late, conceding four straight contests. Those numbers bode well for a La Salle side that is on a three-game winning streak against the Wildcats dating back to 2017. 
• Unlike VCU, Davidson's defensive strength is in the back end. It has posted 751 digs, which is 60th in the nation and third in the conference.
• The team is also rather aggressive on the offensive end with 1,746 attacks, good for second in the conference. Granted, the Wildcats hitting percentage (.193) and kills per set (11.29) are both 9th in the A-10.
• While as a whole it may not appear that Davidson can put plays away, there are a few individuals who will threaten if they get their opportunities—emphasis on "if." Junior Ellie Crosley has a .376 hitting percentage (best in the conference) on 165 total attempts (fifth on the team), while freshman Madeline Wynn is second in the A-10 with a .345 hitting percentage and ranks fourth on her team in total attempts (174).
• Game time: Sunday, 1 p.m.