DePaul Volleyball Versus Flames, Scarlet Knights and Pirates
10/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
CHICAGO - The DePaul volleyball team gears up for a busy week, hosting three matches in McGrath Arena. The Blue Demons begin by welcoming regional rival Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday, Oct. 27. at 7 p.m. (CST) BIG EAST Conference action resumes on Saturday when DePaul tangles with Rutgers at 1 p.m. and concludes at 2 p.m. on Sunday after a showdown with Seton Hall.
Live stats and video will be available all week, while Saturday and Sunday's league action can be listened to on Radio DePaul.
Last weekend DePaul (6-16, 0-8) suffered a 0-3 loss to current BIG EAST leader Notre Dame (13-5, 8-0). Kate Letcher paced the floor with 10 kills, while Sarah Cullen, Chelsea Thurlby and Katherine Knutson all finished with double-digit dig totals.
Cullen leads DePaul with 250 kills and digs, and averages 3.09 per game in both categories. Letcher tacks on another 2.46 kills per game, while Rachel Aumann leads the defense with 39 total blocks.
Fan the Flames
UIC is 12-13 after back-to-back wins against Chicago State and Youngstown State on its home court. When playing on the road UIC is just 3-7. The Flames rely on the swings of Casie Sullivan, Kelsey Safranek and Lana Lobdell who all boast over 200 kills this season. DePaul and UIC have met 33 times dating back to 1982 and the Flames currently hold an 18-15 all-time series lead.
Trick or Treat?
The Blue Demons and Scarlet Knights square off on the afternoon of Halloween in Lincoln Park. DePaul holds a 3-2 series advantage over Rutgers, including a decisive 3-0 win last season after tacking down 42 kills. Rutgers is currently 8-14 overall, including a 1-6 conference record. The Scarlet Knights are led by Caitlin Saxton, who averages 3.43 kills-per-game in addition to 2.51 digs-per-game.
Pirate Pointers
Seton Hall earned a BIG EAST win last week, defeating Rutgers 3-0, to improve its record to 9-15 (3-5 BIG EAST). The Blue Demons look to tally their first win against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon as Seton Hall has won all four previous matches. The team is led by Sarah Osmun and Maghan Matusiak, who boast 282 and 268 kills, respectively.
Up Next
DePaul makes its final road trip of the season next weekend, traveling to New York to face Syracuse on Friday, Nov. 6. They return back to the Midwest in time to make the short trip up to Marquette on Sunday to conclude the weekend's competition.
Noting the Blue Demons
Sarah Cullen leads the team with 250 kills and digs... Molly Creek set a new single-match high with .429 (3-0-7) attack percentage against Cincinnati last weekend... Chandler Carney improved her career-best attack percentage to .429 (11-2-21) against Villanova... Cullen has reached the double-digit kill plateau on 10 occasions this season... she has also registered a double-double (kills-digs) in eight matches this season bringing her career total to 35... other Blue Demons to record a double-double include Christy Landschoot (assists-digs) and Sammy Geiger (kills-assists)... Kate Letcher has surpassed the 10-kill total eight times this season... Sarah Cullen has reached double figures in digs during 14 matches this season to lead the squad, while Chelsea Thurlby has reached the plateau 11 times... while Rachel Aumann tops the overall blocks total with 39, Chandler Carney has recorded an impressive eight solo blocks.