Blue Demons Continue Home Stand This Weekend
10/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
CHICAGO - The DePaul volleyball squad plays host this weekend to Villanova and Seton Hall in BIG EAST matches. On Friday, Oct. 23, the Blue Demons battle the Wildcats on the BIG EAST Digital Network at 7 p.m. CT. DePaul ends the weekend by facing Seton Hall for a 7 p.m. CT start on Saturday.
Tyler Graham has enjoyed conference play this year and has registered team-highs for digs in six of the last seven matches. Out of the last four matches, Graham surpassed 15 digs three times.
Colleen Smith tied a season-high when she tallied 58 assists against St. John's. The setter is just 48 assists away from breaking into the top-five career assist leaders for DePaul. Smith averages 9.80 assists per set.
Brittany Maxwell and Caitlyn Coffey cracked the 200-kill mark for the season. Maxwell leads the Blue Demons with 237 kills (2.89 kills/set), followed by Coffey with 202 (2.66 kills/set).
Randi Leath posted a team-high four total blocks against Providence last Saturday, including two solo stops. Leath has 39 total blocks on the year, third on DePaul.
Fans can watch the Villanova match on the BIG EAST Digital Network through FOX Sports GO. The BIG EAST channel on FOX Sports GO is available without authentication; meaning no cable login is required to watch over 225 BEDN events during the 2015-16 season. Visit the DePaul volleyball schedule page this weekend for all necessary live coverage links.
Last Time vs. Villanova
DePaul faced Villanova as the second part of a back-to-back road weekend trip on Saturday, Oct. 3. The Blue Demons suffered a loss in straight sets to the Wildcats. Maxwell led the Blue Demons attack with a team-high 12 kills and 31 total attempts. Coffey followed with eight kills and just one error on 15 attacks. Smith registered 28 assists over the three sets and added five digs. For Villanova, Gabby Pethokoukis and Al¬lie Loitz secured 14 kills each to lead the Wildcats.
Last Time vs. Seton Hall
The Blue Demons traveled to Seton Hall on Friday, Oct. 2 to start a two-match road weekend and fell to Seton Hall in straight sets. Smith finished the match with a double-double of 23 assists and 11 digs. Smith also added three kills, two service aces and two total blocks to her night. Maxwell led the Blue Demons with seven kills and six total blocks. Callie Huebener and Coffey each had five kills. Seton Hall was led by Cherise Hennigan on the attack with a match-high 16 kills on 38 total attempts.
Scouting The Wildcats
Villanova heads into Chicago with an 18-4 overall record and is the second-best team in the BIG EAST with an 8-1 conference record. Emma Pettit is tops in the BIG EAST for assists with 11.26 assists per set. Loitz shares the conference lead for service aces per set with a 0.39 average on the year, tied with DePaul's Callie Huebener. Loitz leads the Wildcats with a 3.55 kills per set average and ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in that category. As a team, Villanova leads the league in kills per set at 13.81. Opponents are hitting just .159 against the Wildcats this year, first in the BIG EAST.
Scouting The Pirates
Coming into the weekend, Seton Hall carries a 10-11 overall record and sits at 4-5 in BIG EAST play. The Pirates dropped their lone contest last weekend to Villanova in straight sets at home. Tessa Fournier is second in the conference in digs per set with an average of 4.81 over 80 sets. Amanda Hansen is the top attacker for Seton Hall. The senior boasts a 2.76 kills per set average, 11th in the BIG EAST heading into the weekend. Seton Hall is ninth in the BIG EAST for hitting percentage at .197 and last in kills per set with a mark of 12.27.
