Oct. 28, 2011
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army hosts Holy Cross on Sunday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. with a chance to clinch a berth in the Patriot League Tournament with a victory. The Black Knights are looking to extend their streak to a league-best 13-straight tournament berths. Fans can follow along with the match via GameTracker (live statistics) on www.goARMYsports.com.

The Black Knights encourage fans attending Sunday's match to dress in appropriate Halloween costumes for the matinee event. Army is also celebrating its Alumni Weekend this weekend with a bevy of former players making their way back to West Point.

Army (17-6, 8-1 Patriot League), winner of six-straight matches, enters the weekend tied with American for first place in the Patriot League standings. Holy Cross (7-19, 3-6) sits in a tie with Bucknell for fifth place.

Freshman setter Mary Vaccaro set a Patriot League record with her seventh Molten Patriot League Rookie of the Week award on Monday afternoon. The rookie sensation leads the league and ranks 16th in the country with an 11.55 assists-per-set average. She is coming off three consecutive double-doubles (assists, digs).

Vaccaro has played a huge role in the success of a plethora of Army hitters this season. Junior outside hitter Ariana Mankus leads the team averaging 3.60 kills per set. She is one of nine players in Army history to reach 1,000 career kills and has posted double-digit kills 16 times. Megan Wilton (2.76 kps), Margaux Jarka (2.35), Rachel Willis (2.33) and Fabiola Castro (2.12) are all averaging at least 2.00 kills per set this season.

Mankus and Wilton led Army to a 3-0 mid-week win at Manhattan on Wednesday night, totaling 16 and 11 kills, respectively. The Black Knights enjoyed their second-best outing of the season as they hit for a .331 attack percentage as a team.

The Black Knights' depth and young talent has resulted in them leading the league in kills (13.64), assists (12.90), digs (18.16), blocks (2.01) and opponent hitting percentage (.155). Army ranked eighth nationally in digs per set as of Monday and has relied heavily on Mankus (3.75 dps) and sophomore libero D.J. Phee (4.34) to anchor the defense. Phee ranks second in the league in digs, while Willis and Wilton land third (0.95) and fourth (0.90) in total blocks per set, respectively.

Army holds a 40-5 lead in an all-time series with Holy Cross that dates back to 1982. The Crusaders' last win over Army came in 2005 in Worcester, Mass.

Holy Cross has lost seven of its last eight matches, but the Crusaders' three Patriot League wins are just one short of tying last season's conference win total. Under the direction of first year head coach Erin Walker, Holy Cross has defeated Lafayette twice and Navy once.

Junior OH Megan Lynch leads the Patriot League averaging 4.01 kills per set, while rookie S Hannah Grace Stokes lands fourth in the league averaging 8.44 assists per set. A mainstay for the Crusaders' attack since arriving in Worcester, Mass., she ranks fifth all-time for career kills. Lynch was a second team All-Patriot League selection in 2010.

Junior L Elizabeth Watters is in her third year as the Crusaders' starting libero. Senior MH Kathleen Colpoys helps to anchor Holy Cross' defense with 0.81 blocks per set, which ranks sixth in the league.

Today's match marks the start of a three-game road stint for the Crusaders. Holy Cross visits American and Navy next weekend.