Nov. 10, 2011

WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Army volleyball team hosts Colgate and Bucknell this Friday and Saturday, respectively, in the Black Knights' final tune-up before the Patriot League Tournament takes place in just over a week. The Black Knights beat both teams during the first half of Patriot League play and are looking for their ninth win in the last 10 matches.

Friday night's match-up against Colgate will be available live online via ITT Knight Vision beginning at 7 p.m. GameTracker and Twitter (@ArmyAthletics) will be available for both matches. Army will hold its annual Senior Day recognition on Saturday prior to taking on Bucknell, honoring co-captains Fabiola Castro and Rachel Willis. The pair enters this weekend's matches owning a 90-31 record since arriving on the banks of the Hudson, including three 20-win seasons. They also helped Army to its first Patriot League title in 15 seasons in 2009.

Army has already secured its spot in the Patriot League Tournament for a record 13th-straight year. American, Colgate and Lehigh have done so as well and will round out the four-team field. Seeding and hosting rights will be determined after this weekend's matches. American currently sits one game ahead of Army at 11-1 in conference play. The Eagles beat Army twice during the regular season to hold the tie-breaker, meaning American must lose twice and the Black Knights must win twice for Army to host the tournament. American hosts Lehigh and Lafayette at Bender Arena this weekend. Lehigh defeated American in the first meeting of 2011, while Lafayette has yet to beat American since the Eagles joined the league in 2001.

The Black Knights, who are 10-3 at Gillis Field House this season, saw their eight-match win streak come to an end last Saturday at American (3-1). Junior outside hitter Ariana Mankus and sophomore middle blocker Megan Wilton paced the Black Knights with 16 and 12 kills, respectively. Mankus' 13 kills in a 3-0 win over rival Navy the night before led all players.

Mankus' 3.69 kills per set top the team and rank second in the league. The Lisle, Ill., native recorded her 100th career service ace in last week's setback at American. She also moved into sole possession of sixth place on Army's career kills list with 1,130. Mankus is one of nine players all-time to reach the 1,000-kill mark. Her 1,017 digs also rank ninth all-time and make her one of four players to reach the 1,000-kill and 1,000-dig mark. She joins Deann Machlan '96, Sunny Barse '95 and Elizabeth Lazzari '09 in the elite group.

Wilton's .300 hitting percentage lands third among the league's most efficient hitters. Wilton's 0.90 blocks per set are good for fifth in the league. Willis leads the team and ranks third in the conference with a 1.01 blocks-per-set average.

Freshman setter Mary Vaccaro, a nine-time Molten Patriot League Rookie of the Week winner this fall, leads the league and ranks 17th nationally averaging 11.41 assists per set.

The Black Knights lead the conference in kills (13.57), assists (12.81), blocks (2.04), digs (17.87) and opponent hitting percentage (.156). Army's 17.87 digs per set currently land 17th in NCAA Division I. The Black Knights spent the majority of the season ranked in the top 10. Sophomore libero D.J. Phee leads the team averaging 4.27 dps, while three other players are averaging at least 3.0 dps.

Army and Colgate have battled through some epic matches in recent memory, including this year's 3-2 Army triumph in Hamilton, N.Y. The Raiders eliminated Army from the Patriot League Tournament in 2008 and 2010. The Black Knights own a 32-23 edge in the all-time series.

Playing for seeding in next weekend's Patriot League Tournament, the Raiders visit West Point on Friday before closing out the regular season at Holy Cross on Saturday. Colgate bowed 3-2 at Lehigh last Saturday, snapping a three-match win streak and putting the Raiders alone in third place. The Raiders rank second behind Army in the Patriot League in digs (15.70 per set). Sophomore libero Caitlin Cremin anchors the defense averaging 3.62 digs per set.

The Raiders attack features sophomore middle blocker Lindsay Young leading the way and ranking third in the Patriot League averaging 3.43 kills per set. Sophomore setter Kaylee Fifer, in her second year as a starter, ranks third in the league with a 9.47 assists-per-set average.

Head coach Ryan Baker is in his sixth season and has reached the Patriot League Tournament in each of the last five years.

The Black Knights have won eight-straight matches against Bucknell, leaving head coach Alma Kovaci undefeated against the Bison since taking over in 2007. Army's last loss to Bucknell came in the semifinal round of the 2006 Patriot League Tournament. The Black Knights lead the all-time series 25-13, including a 3-0 win in Lewisburg, Pa., earlier this fall.

Behind a 3-9 Patriot League record, Bucknell has been eliminated from Patriot League Tournament contention after playing as the No. 4 seed in last year's tournament. Battling in their final matches of the season on the road, the Bison visit Holy Cross on Friday night before taking on Army on during its Senior Day on Saturday.

Under the direction of 22nd-year head coach Cindy Opalski, Bucknell has league wins over Lafayette, Holy Cross and Navy - the other four teams left out of the 2011 tournament field. Sophomore Jessica Serrato and freshman Morgan Mientus lead the team averaging 2.61 and 2.58 kills per set, respectively. Starting setter Kat Tauscher is averaging 7.95 assists per set as her junior season winds down. Four Bison players average at least 2.00 digs per set to balance the defense.

COBRA volleyball net