Friday & Saturday Live Stats | Friday Video
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team will recognize five seniors this weekend as it faces off against Mercyhurst on Friday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. and Gannon on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 1 p.m. in its final two home matches of the 2016 season inside Keystone Arena. KU will honor its senior class before the start of the Gannon matchup on Saturday as part of its Senior Day celebration.
The five seniors on the team this season are
Anna Conti (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City),
Madison Brake (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley),
Zandria Zielinski (York, Pa./York Catholic),
Tori Wakelee (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) and
Rachael Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton).
Conti ranks third all-time in program history with 3,103 career assists and eighth with 1,061 digs. She is one of just two players all-time to record 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs. This season, Conti ranks 10th in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with 672 assists and is third on KU with 174 digs.
The Ohio native, Brake, is second all-time in KU history with 1,632 career digs. She has averaged at least 3.4 digs-per-set in each of her four seasons with the Golden Bears and her 504 digs in 2015 are the fifth-most in a season in program history. Brake leads KU with 332 digs and is second with 55 assists.
Zielinski leads the Golden Bears with 50 total blocks and is tied for 11th in program history with 265. She has posted 423 career kills and ranks third on the team this season with 130.
Wakelee has been a solid contributor for KU during the last four years, posting career totals of 214 kills and 449 digs. This season, she has recorded 40 kills and is fourth on the team with 150 digs.
The native of Collegeville, Picozzi, has appeared in 20 career matches for KU, posting totals of 20 kills and 17 total blocks. She has appeared in 12 matches this season and has recorded 11 kills, nine blocks and four digs.
Kutztown (4-18, 1-10 PSAC) heads into this weekend coming off a straight-set victory over Cheyney last Saturday in its first home win of the year. KU won by scores of 25-8, 26-24 and 25-12.
Sophomores
Brittney Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain (Lock Haven)) and
Jessica Howe (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) led the offensive charge, finishing with 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Fellow sophomore
Niki Carpenter (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion Area) and freshman
Taylor Brown (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern) each posted three kills and led the team with two blocks.
Conti posted her sixth double-double of the year with a match-high 22 assists and team-high 12 digs. Brake set a career-high with six assists, while Wakelee contributed with eight digs.
Moyer has had an outstanding season in her first year in Maroon and Gold, posting 312 kills (second in PSAC), 3.71 kills-per-set (third) and 246 digs. She has posted 10 or more kills in 18 matches and posted a season-high 27 kills against both Chowan and Millersville.
Mercyhurst enters Friday's matchup with a 12-10 overall record (4-7 PSAC), including a 3-2 win over Edinboro last Saturday. The Lakers are cold of late with losses in five of their last six matchups.
Lauren Kenny and Haley Adams lead the offensive charge with 169 and 141 kills, respectively. Adams also leads the team with 58 total blocks. Makayla Mollé and Hannah Tombaugh have recorded 329 and 327 assists, respectively.
Gannon has been one of the top teams in the PSAC this season as it enters weekend play with a 20-3 overall record, including 9-2 in the PSAC. The Golden Knights have won six of their last seven matches, including an impressive 3-2 win over Edinboro last Friday.
Kelsey Ansec leads Gannon with 234 kills, while Hannah Kren has posted 233. Carolyn Knollman ranks sixth in the PSAC with 753 assists. Lauren Beck has a team-high 79 total blocks and Sara Crandall leads the Golden Knights with 374 digs.
Following its two matches this weekend, KU plays its final five regular-season tilts on the road. It starts off the road trip on Friday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. as it faces off with Slippery Rock inside Morrow Field House.
