On The Road Again for Volleyball This Weekend
11/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
CHICAGO - The DePaul volleyball team heads east to face Providence and St. John's this weekend. On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Blue Demons face the Friars in a 1 p.m. CT match. The next day, DePaul travels to St. John's for another 1 p.m. start.
Callie Huebener returns to the court after earning her spot on the BIG EAST honor roll this past week. The senior outside hitter has 112 kills in conference matches, second on the team, and has 16 service aces.
Jasmine King continues to rack up the blocks in BIG EAST play. King has 56 total blocks and a per set average of 1.17 in conference matches, a mark that sits fifth in the BIG EAST.
Colleen Smith needs 60 assists to break the 1,000-assist mark for the season. DePaul's setter averages 9.79 assists per set and is fourth all-time for DePaul career assists.
In BIG EAST matches, DePaul is outblocking opponents, 2.42-1.95. In the last three matches, the Blue Demons held an advantage of 32.0-11.0 for total blocks.
Live Coverage
For Saturday's match versus Providence, the Friars provide live statistics and live video of the match through Friars.com. On Sunday, St. John's has live statistics and the match can be seen live on ESPN3. For all live coverage links, visit the DePaul volleyball schedule page.
Last Time vs. Providence
The DePaul volleyball team earned its second BIG EAST win of the year with a straight-set victory versus ProvÂÂidence. The Blue Demons' hitting percentage reached a mark of .444 by the end of the night, two points away from tying a season-best. Saige Gallop recorded a match-high 14 kills and four digs. Brittany Maxwell joined Gallop in the double-digit kills category with 11 kills on 19 attacks. Maxwell had a match-high five total blocks. Randi Leath tallied four total blocks, including two solo blocks. Allison Impellizeri led the Friars with 10 kills on 23 attacks. Providence committed 20 errors, compared to just six for DePaul.
Scouting The Friars
Providence is 1-13 in BIG EAST matches and 10-18 overall. Its lone BIG EAST win of the year came against Seton Hall on Oct. 7. Kayla Fitzgerald is seventh in the conference with a 3.37 kills per set average. The junior has 320 kills on the year, first on the team. Michelle Cruz leads the team with a 3.72 digs per set average, a mark that ranks sixth in the conference. Providence only averages 11.47 assists per set (last in the BIG EAST). The Friars are last in the conference for both hitting percentage (.189) and opponent hitting percentage (.259).
Last Time vs. St. John's
A dramatic match that saw both sides trade sets fell in St. John's favor as the Red Storm defeated DePaul, 3-2, on Oct. 16. King was a force at the net for DeÂÂPaul by tying a then career-high with seven blocks and added 10 kills with just one error. Smith tied a season-high for assists with 58 on the night. Smith enjoyed an all-around performance that included four total blocks, six digs and a service ace. Karin Palgutova led the Red Storm with 20 kills and 47 total attacks. It was a block party between the two teams, combining for 28.0 team blocks.
Scouting The Red Storm
St. John's begins the weekend with a 16-13 overall record, 6-8 in BIG EAST play. The Red Storm have lost three of their last four matches, recording a straight-set win over Providence. Danisha Moss has a slight advanÂÂtage as the top student-athlete for blocks in the BIG EAST. Moss carries an average of 1.25 stoppages per set and has a .02 lead over the student-athlete in second. Karin Palgutova is third in the conference with 3.89 kills per set. She is one of three student-athletes to break the 400-kill mark in the BIG EAST. St. John's is second in the conference with 2.37 blocks per set and fifth in hitting percentage at .232. The Red Storm are last in the BIG EAST for service aces per set at 1.01.
