Saturday, November 10th at UAlbany (6pm)
(University Gym; Albany, N.Y.)
Watch Live | Live Stats
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell owns a 4-21 overall record (2-9 AE) after a 3-2 win against UMBC last Friday and a 3-2 loss on Senior Day to Binghamton on Sunday. Junior outside hitter
Katherine Claybaugh (Alamo, Calif.) led the River Hawks in two matches last week with 26 kills, which included 14 kills in Sunday's loss. Junior outside hitter
Madi Bell (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) leads the River Hawks' roster with 185 kills on the season.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: The River Hawks three-member senior class (Class of 2019), which includes middle blocker
Lade Adeniyi (Springfield, Ill.),
Erica Cappellino (Penfield, N.Y.) and
Lindsey Visvardis (Homer Glen, Ill.) will play their final collegiate match tomorrow night against the Great Danes.
SCOUTING THE GREAT DAMES: UAlbany owns a 14-8 overall record and a 8-1 mark in America East play, good for second place in the league standings. The Great Danes have won six of their last seven matches, which includes a 3-0 loss to Stony Brook in their most recent match on Sunday. Akuabata Okenwa leads the team with 246 kills on the season, while Nicole Otero has posted a team-best 421 digs.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UALBANY: The River Hawks are winless in 11 all-time meetings vs. UAlbany. The River Hawks fell to UAlbany, 3-1 on Friday, October 12th at Costello Athletic Center in the first meeting of the season series.
Malia Randolph recorded a match-high 13 kills in the win, while
Lindsey Visvardis registered 20 digs in the losing effort.
BILYEU NAMED AMERICA EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Freshman outside hitter
Kate Bilyeu (Omaha, Neb.) of the UMass Lowell Volleyball team was named America East Rookie of the Week for the second time this season, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday. Bilyeu recorded 25 kills for the River Hawks, which ranked second on the roster in the 1-1 week. She also added four digs and four blocks against UMBC and Binghamton. She totaled 12 kills in the 3-2 home win vs. the Retrievers on Friday and followed that up with a 13-kill effort in the 3-2 loss to the Bearcats on Sunday at Costello Athletic Center. "Kate came up big for us several times over the weekend and played with the confidence that the team needed," said UMass Lowell Head Coach
Resa Provanzano. "She is an extremely hard worker and a true team player. We are so proud of Kate for earning the attention of America East for the second time this season." Bilyeu's 181 kills ranks second on the River Hawks' roster and her 2.13 kills per set is tied for the team lead. She has amassed 10 or more kills in nine matches for UMass Lowell this season. She was also named River Hawk of the Week on Tuesday, as voted on weekly by the UMass Lowell Athletic Communications staff.
CAPPELLINO NAMED PREP VOLLEYBALL UNSUNG HERO OF THE WEEK: Senior OH/DS
Erica Cappellino was named Prep Volleyball Unsung Hero on the Week on Wednesday evening. Cappellino has been a part-time player in each of her four years with the River Hawks, but her value to the team is unmatched, never more so than the past week. Head coach
Resa Provanzano explains: "Erica is a senior and from day one has been one of the hardest-working and motivated athletes that I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. Under normal circumstances I would nominate her for Unsung Hero every week, but last week was especially difficult for Erica and she continued to inspire us all throughout it. Erica lost her mom, Mary Cappellino, suddenly and unexpectedly on October 20th to heart complications. Mary was an amazing woman and much loved by our team and within the volleyball community. Erica went home to be with her family and attend the memorial the week after her mom passed. We weren't sure if Erica would come back this season, but not only did she come back and join us on the court, she went into our match vs UMBC on Friday night (11/2) for the first time in the first set with the score tied 9-9 and served an ace and one more point before the side-out. This gave our team a huge boost and the motivation and momentum to win the 5th set 15-13. It was an amazing moment and one many of us will remember forever. Erica also played on Sunday in her final home game as a River Hawk and we battled hard against Binghamton but ultimately lost in 5 sets 15-12. It was an emotional day for her as her mother was not in the stands, but we all could tell that her spirit lives on with Erica."
LAST TIME OUT: The UMass Lowell Volleyball team was edged by Binghamton in five sets on Sunday afternoon at Costello Athletic Center in America East play on Senior Day. The set scores were 20-25, 25-21, 25-17, 20-25 and 12-15. Junior outside hitter
Katherine Claybaugh (Alamo, Calif.) totaled a team-best 14 kills and 17 digs in the losing effort for the River Hawks, which included both set-clinching kills in the second and third frames. Freshman outside hitter
Kate Bilyeu (Omaha, Neb.) chipped in with 13 kills. Senior middle blocker
Lade Adeniyi (Springfield, Ill.) added nine kills, a team-best .400 hitting percentage and four total blocks. Junior outside hitter
Madi Bell (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) recorded seven kills and 10 digs for the River Hawks, while
Erica Cappellino (Penfield, N.Y.) and
Grace Burkett (Lakeside, Calif.) each posted five kills apiece. Senior libero
Lindsey Visvardis (Homer Glen, Ill.) and freshman defensive specialist
Aleyna Kennel (Monument, Colo.) contributed 12 and 10 digs, respectively. UMass Lowell's three-player senior class was honored in a pre-match ceremony as Adeniyi, Cappellino and Visvardis all played in the final home match of the collegiate careers. The River Hawks amassed 13 kills in each of the second and third sets, posting a .290 hitting percentage in the third frame, after hitting at a .263 clip in the set two win. Gabby Alicea recorded a match-high 19 kills in the win for Binghamton, while Samantha Gioiosa managed a match-high 20 digs for the Bearcats defense.
VISVARDIS HITS 1,500 DIG MARK: Visvardis has recorded 1,592 digs in her 3+ years career since joining the River Hawks in 2015 and surpassed the 1,500 dig plateau on Friday, Oct. 12th vs. UAlbany, becoming the fourth player in school history to accomplish the feat. Visvardis' 3.47 digs per set is seventh best among America East players. She has amassed 323 digs in 91 sets this season, which is fifth among league players. She has registered 10+ digs in 17 of 25 matches and she totaled a season-high 30 digs at UMBC, which were three short of tying a career-high.
1. Allie Eide (2006-09) - 1,773
2. Julie Handy (2002-05) - 1,656
3. Lindsey Visvardis (2015-present) - 1,592
4. Erin Miller (1999-02) - 1,545
5. Stacey Graf (1999-02) - 1,452
AMERICA EAST LEADERS: Freshman defensive specialist
Aleyna Kennel's (Monument, Colo.) 22 service aces is tied for second among America East players and her 0.25 aces per set is tied for fifth.
Erica Cappellino's 0.24 aces per set is tied for seventh best in the conference.
Grace Burkett's (Lakeside, Calif.) 0.83 blocks per set ranks fourth among conference players.
-
