Mids Home this Weekend for Two Matches; Free Youth Clinic Saturday

This weekend closes the first half of the league season

	Nikki England

Oct. 11, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy volleyball team will play host to Lehigh and Lafayette this weekend in Macdonough Hall in the final matches of the opening half of the Patriot League season. The Mids will face the Mountain Hawks Friday at 7 p.m., with the tilt against the Leopards taking place Saturday at 5 p.m.

In addition to the matches this weekend, the Navy coaches and select players will be conducting a free volleyball clinic for boys and girls in the fourth through eighth grades Saturday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in Macdonough Hall. Interested kids can register either by calling (410) 293-8786 by 4 p.m. Friday or by simply showing up at the gym Saturday. Additionally, a "reunion" for all former Navy summer volleyball camp participants will take place during Saturday's match against Lafayette.

Security restrictions at Navy remain in place for those interested in attending either the clinic or any of the matches this weekend. Everyone must park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium ($5.) and ride the free shuttle bus to and from Macdonough Hall. There is no admission charge for any Navy volleyball matches.

Navy and Lafayette, along with Bucknell, are tied for fourth place in the Patriot League standings with 2-3 records. Two of Navy's three setbacks have come in five-game decisions. Lehigh, meanwhile, is in seventh place, but stands only one win behind the previously mentioned trio of teams with a 1-4 mark.

The field for the season-ending Patriot League Tournament consists of just the top-four teams in the standings at the end of the year.

"We want to end each weekend with us placed among the top-four teams in the league," said Navy head coach Mike Schwob. "You never want to be in a position where you are fighting uphill against other teams.

"This weekend is the end of the first half of the season, but every match from here on out has playoff implications. These are two teams who we are battling for position with, and we still have to play in their buildings at the end of the year. That makes these two matches very important, for everyone. We've put ourselves in a position to win two matches on a weekend this season, but we haven't finished the job. That is something we will need to do to make it to the playoffs."

Navy as a team has totaled a .234 attack percentage through five league matches, while holding its opponents to a .203 percentage. The Mids have struggled to find a rhythm with its block since the start of the league play and are averaging 1.60 blocks per game, pretty much the same average opponents have posted against the team. Navy also is averaging 2.00 service aces and 14.10 digs per game, while opponents have dropped in 1.35 aces and grabbed 13.60 digs per game against the Mids.

Individually, the trio of Rachel Dougherty (Sr., Derwood, Md.), Jessie Sims (Jr., Etowah, N.C.) and Alexa Gibbs (Jr., Springfield, Ill.) are pacing the Navy offense with averages of 4.55, 4.00 and 3.45 kills per game, respectively. The trio also is hitting the ball very well and each rank among the top-15 players in the league for attack percentage. Navy's back row defense has been very balanced, with Aimee' Burns (Sr., Dallas, Texas), Marissa Watson (Jr., Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Sims all averaging over 2.00 digs per game.

Navy won both matches played a year ago against Lehigh. The Mids won a three-game decision in Annapolis and outlasted the Mountain Hawks in five games in Bethlehem. Lehigh enters Friday's match after its best weekend of the Patriot League season. The Mountain Hawks posted a three-game sweep over Holy Cross and lost in four games to second-place Army.

Lehigh has compiled a .123 hitting percentage during the league season, with opponents tallying a .228 mark against the squad. The Mountain Hawks rank third in the Patriot League in both digs (15.62 dpg) and blocks per game (2.31 bpg).

As with Navy, three players are averaging multiple kills per game for Lehigh. Shannon Spafford leads the squad with an average of 3.88 kills per game, while Brittany Thurston ranks second (2.31 kpg) and Mo McReynolds stands third (2.25 kpg) on the squad. Spafford also leads the team with a .200 attack percentage and with 1.19 blocks per game. Danielle Pimental's average of 3.75 digs per game makes her one of four players on the team to be averaging multiple digs this year.

Lafayette defeated Navy in both meetings last year, with the Leopards winning in four games in Annapolis and in three games in Easton. The Leopards, who play Friday at American prior to facing the Mids in Annapolis, are hitting .174 as a team during the league season and are allowing foes to hit .226. Both Lafayette and its opponents are totaling 16 digs a game, while the Leopards are being outblocked by a 2.07 to 1.33 blocks-per-game average.

Katrina Racibarskas is averaging 3.79 kills per game to edge Michaela Donohue's mark of 3.20 kills per game for the team lead. Defensively for Lafayette, Kari Horn is averaging a team-best 3.87 digs per game, with Donohue's mark of 3.60 digs per game placing her second in this category, as well.