CHICAGO – The DePaul volleyball team hits the road this weekend, traveling to BIG EAST opponents Connecticut and St. John's. The Blue Demons will face UConn in Storrs on Saturday and travel to New York to tangle with St. John's on Sunday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. (CST).
DePaul (3-11, 0-3) enters the weekend on a five match slide, with their last victory coming against Western Illinois on September 13. The Blue Demons are averaging more kills (15.0) and digs (14.4) than their opponents, but their competition is swinging better, averaging a .272 attack percentage.
Junior outside hitter Ellen Hayes is having a career year for the Blue Demons and has become one of the best hitters in the BIG EAST Conference. The junior is ranked eighth in the conference with a .310 season attack percentage and ranks fifth with a .370 hitting percentage during conference play. Hayes also leads the Blue Demons defense, averaging 2.98 digs per game and has 25 blocks this season. Freshman middle blocker Cristina Correa pilots DePaul at the net, averaging 0.84 blocks per game and has tallied 42 total blocks this season.
The Blue Demons will kick off their east coast trip in Storrs, Connecticut, taking UConn (8-7, 1-2) for the first time in either teams history. The Huskies enter the weekend on a three match winning streak, defeating, Fairfield, Harvard and BIG EAST rival Seton Hall in the last two weeks. UConn's offense is piloted by setter Jenny Neelands, who leads the BIG EAST averaging 12.49 assists per game. Neelands also guided UConn with .313 attack percentage.
Following Saturday's match the Blue Demons will travel to New York to take on St. John's (15-5, 1-2) for the second time in either teams history. The Red Storm defeated the Blue Demons last season 3-2 at the IPFW Invitational.
St. John's freshman outside Hui Ping leads the Red Storm offense and is third in the BIG EAST .343 attack percentage. Senior Shameka Mitchell is also an offensive threat, averaging 3.64 kills per game.
The Blue Demons will break from conference action on Wednesday, October 12th, welcoming UW-Milwaukee to the DePaul Athletic Center for a 7:00 p.m. match.
