10/22/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball has two remaining regular season matches this week, and Tuesday night will mark the first, as the Falcons will travel to Harrisburg for the last EPAC matchup of the season, a tilt with Harrisburg Area CC.
 
First serve is set for 6:00pm ET in the state's capital, inside the HACC gymnasium. There will be a video livestream available for the match, via the Harrisburg Area CC Twitch Channel, which can be accessed HERE.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (15-7, 8-3) has lost three straight matches, falling to Lehigh Carbon in five sets ten days ago, then dropping three sets and four sets to Northampton CC and Hagerstown CC last Wednesday and Friday. The Falcons have not lost three straight matches since the beginning of the 2023 season, where they dropped the first three matches of the year.
 
Lackawanna College swept HACC earlier this season in a tri-match back on September 21^st at home. The Falcons had seven different players record a kill, and put up seven aces and eight total blocks in the victory. Lackawanna won the sets by scores of 25-17, 25-13, and 25-16. You can read the recap from that match HERE.
 
In 2024, the Falcons are hitting at a collective .133 clip, averaging 10.1 kills per set this season, which is first among all Region XIX teams. The Falcons have 257 aces in 22 contests, averaging 3.13 aces per set, fifth in the region. They're also up to 17.2 digs per set so far this year. Opponents are hitting .124 on the year and have 135 aces vs. 187 errors on serve so far this season. The Falcons are at 0.9 blocks per set, and their opponents are at 1.7 blocks per set.
 
First-year outside hitter Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO) leads the squad this season with 229 kills through 22 matches, fifth in the region and first in Division II. Hofmann is also first on the team with 69 service aces and is third on the team with 250 digs. She's hitting at a .190 clip, first on the team among players with 340 or more attacks, and she's averaging 2.8 kills per set. Hofmann has double-digit kills in 12 matches this season, hitting her season-high of 20 against Northampton on 10/5. She had 20 kills on .300 hitting, with 12 digs and a solo block, to help the Falcons beat Northampton. She had 18 kills in a five-set win against Penn State Hazleton on September 14^th, where she hit .200 and had three aces and 21 digs. Her most efficient hitting day came against Cecil, putting up 14 kills on .406. Hofmann was deadly on serve against Westchester, putting up a season-best 13 aces in the straight-set victory. Hofmann was recently named EPAC Player of the Week in women's volleyball, putting up a combined 40 kills, ten aces, and 32 digs in three matches two weeks ago. She had eleven kills on .250 hitting, with three aces and seven digs, in the four-set loss to Hagerstown on Friday night. Against HACC back on 9/21, she had nine kills, two aces, and 12 digs in the three-set sweep.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Aryana Girvan is second on the team with 170 kills this year, hitting .118 through 22 matches. That's third on the team among players with 340 or more attacks. Girvan has 47 service aces, second on the team, and 274 digs so far this season, tops on the squad. Girvan is averaging 2.13 kills per set and has seven matches with double-digit kills this season. Girvan put up her season-high of 22 kills against Lehigh Carbon on 9/28, hitting .275 and putting up 16 digs and three service aces in the loss to the Cougars. She had 20 kills on September 14^th in a win against PSU Hazleton, on a season-high 59 attacks. She also had 22 digs. Girvan has 12 matches with double-digit digs, putting up a season-high 26 digs against Montco on 10/2, while also putting up three kills and four aces. Her best serving match came against PSU Scranton last weekend, where she had eight aces in the win. Girvan put down six kills and three aces, along with 22 digs, against Hagerstown CC last Friday. She had eleven kills and 14 digs in the win against HACC on 9/21.
 
Sophomore middle hitter Nadia Toth is third on the team with 114 kills so far this season, hitting at .186, second-best on the team among players with 340 or more attacks. Toth has 16 service aces so far on the season, while last season she had 35 aces. She averages 1.58 kills per set, and her 30 total blocks this season are first on the team. She also has 58 digs this year. Toth had a team-best 12 kills against PSU Hazleton earlier this season, hitting .323 in the match. She has twice gone over double digits for kills, putting up ten in the win against Delaware Tech on September 13^th. She had a season-high five digs and three total blocks in the five-set win over PSU Hazleton on September 14^th. She had a season-best six total blocks, including four solo blocks, against Harrisburg Area CC on 9/21. Toth had four kills, four digs, and two solo blocks in the loss to Hagerstown on Friday.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Alasiah Cater has double-digit kills on the year with 86 through her 20 matches. Carter is hitting .046 on the season, and has eleven total blocks this year. She has 49 digs and nine block assists on the year. She hit her season-high ten kills in the win against Delaware Tech on 10/5, hitting .350 on 20 attacks, and putting up three digs. She had a season-high eleven digs and six kills in the win against Northampton CC on 10/6. Carter had four kills on .200 hitting in the loss to Hagerstown last week. She had four kills and a block assist in the sweep over HACC back on 9/21.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Angelique Fuentes has 94 kills through 19 matches, fourth on the team. She has 24 service aces, fourth on the team, 25 digs, and 12 total blocks on the year. Fuentes hit a season-high with nine kills in the win against Montco on September 7^th, where she hit .500. She had six kills on .444 hitting in the win against Westchester. She had five kills on .167 hitting, with five aces, in the win against Morris on September 10^th. Fuentes had eight kills on .318 hitting in the win against Northampton on 10/5. She has gone for five or more kills in eight of her last eleven matches. Fuentes had three kills in the loss to Hagerstown on Friday, and also had three kills in the win against HACC on 9/21. She led the team last year with over 200 kills. She averaged a little over 2.5 kills per set last year, and hit .150, second on the team. Fuentes had eleven matches with double-digits in kills, with a season-high 20 coming against Chesapeake last season. She had a season-best eight service aces against Delaware Tech earlier in the season and led last year's team with 51 service aces on the year. Fuentes was a first-team All-EPAC selection last season.
 
First-year middle hitter Neurdia Osias (Huntington Station, NY) has 54 kills in 14 matches this season. Osias is second on the team with 21 total blocks this year, including 16 block assists. Neurdia had a combined 14 kills in two matches against PSU Hazleton and Cecil, including eight kills on .412 hitting against Hazleton at home. She followed that up with six kills on .545 hitting in the sweep over Cecil College. She was dominant at the net against Delaware Tech, putting up a season-high five total blocks, including four block assists, in the win for the Falcons on 9/13. She had eight kills in three sets against Harcum on 9/21 but left with an injury late in the third set. She had five matches in a row before returning to action two weeks ago. Neurdia had five kills, two digs, and a block assist against Hagerstown CC on Friday. She did not play against HACC back on 9/21.
 
Sophomore setter Maddilyn Durfee leads the team with 409 assists on the year, and has 36 service aces, third on the team. Durfee also has 123 digs on the year, sixth on the team. She has reached double-digit assists in 20 of 22 matches this year, with a season-and-career-best 39 coming in the five-set loss to Cairn on September 19^th. Durfee also put up her season-high of eleven digs against the Highlanders. She had a combined 50 assists in the tri-match sweep for the Falcons against Montco and Westchester on September 7^th. Durfee had a combined 40 assists and three aces, along with 15 digs, in the sweep against Harcum and HACC, putting up 25 assists and ten digs to beat Harcum. She had a combined 50 assists, four aces, and eleven digs in the wins against Del Tech and Northampton on 10/5. She put up 21 assists and an ace in the loss to Hagerstown on Friday. She had 15 assists and three aces to knock off HACC on 9/21. Durfee was the main table-setter for Lackawanna a year ago, putting up nearly 500 assists for the Falcons. Durfee averaged just under six assists per set, still managed to put up 40 kills, and had 36 service aces on the year. She had 13 matches with 20 or more assists, and seven matches with 30 or more. Her best came against Chesapeake, where she dished out 37 helpers for the Falcons. Durfee was third on the team with just under 200 digs on the year and had double-digit digs eight times. Her season-best was 20 digs, which she did twice in matches against Bergen CC and Montgomery County CC.
 
The head coach is Shelby Reese, now in her third season at the helm of the Falcons. Reese took over in 2022 and had to re-tool from a roster that was limited the year before, and a program that had been dormant after the pandemic before that. Reese helped the Falcons leap forward, winning their first match in nearly three years in her first season, then winning 14 matches and a Region XIX championship, the first in 17 years, in year two. Before coming to Lackawanna as the Athletic Academic Advisor in 2021, Reese was the head coach at Cedar Crest College for seven years. There, under similar circumstances, she took over a program that needed rehabbing, and turned the Falcons into a perennial conference contender, culminating in a 20-win season in her final year, which included a conference championship and an NCAA Division III tournament appearance. Reese is 32-29 in her time at Lackawanna and won 86 matches in seven years at Cedar Crest.
 
About Harrisburg Area CC
The Hawks (15-9, 6-5) are on a bit of a roll, having won seven-of-eight matches, including five straight, heading into Tuesday night's matchup. In that streak, HACC has wins over Lehigh Carbon in four sets, Delaware Tech in five, and Harcum in four. Their only loss in that run came to Montgomery County in five sets back on October 7^th. In their last match, last Wednesday at Cecil College, the Hawks swept past Cecil in straight sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-18), placing four players with seven or more kills and putting down nine aces to get the win.
 
This year, the Hawks are averaging 9.4 kills per set, hitting .209 collectively and putting up 310 service aces, tops in all of Region XIX. The Hawks average 14.2 digs per set and have 122 solo blocks and 126 total blocks this season, a 1.46 blocks per set clip. The Hawks are limiting their opponents to .144 hitting, giving up 7.3 kills per set, while limiting their opposition to just 141 aces.
 
First-year outside hitter Peyton Maass is the team-leader with 222 kills this season, a 2.58 kills per set average. Maass is hitting .198 this season, with 46 service aces, second on the squad. Maass leads the team with 314 digs this year, averaging 3.65 per set, and she's tied for third on the team with 20 solo blocks this season. Maass has ten matches with double digit kills, and got her season-high with 19 kills in the four-set win against Harcum on 10/12, where she hit .292, put up three aces, and had 15 digs in the victory. Her best hitting performance came against Delaware County CC on 9/7, recording eleven kills on 13 attempts for an .846 clip, while also putting down a season-high six aces. She has recorded double digit digs in 15 matches this year, putting up a season-high 29 digs in the five-set loss to Montco back on 10/7. She had eight kills and 15 digs in the sweep over Cecil last Wednesday. Against Lackawanna on 9/21, she had seven kills and eleven digs in the loss.
 
First-year player Zoe Velez is second on the Hawks with 186 kills, averaging 2.42 kills per set. Velez is hitting .265 on the year, tops on the squad, and has 43 aces, third on the team. Velez has 179 digs, also third on the team, and is tied with Maass for third on the team with 20 solo blocks and 21 total blocks. Velez has nine matches with double digit kills, putting up a season-high 19 kills on .412 hitting in a five-set win against Raritan Valley on 9/14. Velez had a season-high 21 digs in a 3-1 loss to Northampton back on 9/7, recording 13 kills on .417 hitting, where she also had six blocks. Her best hitting match came against Delaware County CC, where she recorded 13 kills on 14 attempts for a blistering .929 clip, while also serving four aces. Velez had 13 kills and eight digs in the win against Cecil College last week. Against Lackawanna on 9/21, she had four kills and eleven digs.
 
First-year outside hitter Kelly Bastian has 177 kills this season, averaging 2.13 per set and hitting .200 this year. Bastian leads the Hawks with 89 service aces, averaging an ace per set, and is second on the team with 238 digs, while putting up 14 solo blocks this year. Bastian has eight matches with double digit kills this season, setting her season-high with 17 in the loss to Montco on 10/7, hitting .255 and putting up 23 digs. She recorded 13 aces in the win against Delaware County on 9/7, but had her season-high on 9/18 against CC of Philadelphia, scoring 17 aces in the win on 9/18. She has had double digit aces in three matches this season. Bastian had seven kills, an ace, and nine digs in the win against Cecil on Wednesday. She had three kills, one ace, and nine digs in the loss to Lackawanna back on 9/21.
 
First-year middle hitter Lezlie Nguyen has 76 kills this season, a 1.77 kills per set average, and is hitting .157 this year. Nguyen has 27 service aces, 103 digs, and is second on the team with 27 solo blocks and 28 stops overall. She missed the first eleven matches of the season, getting her first action on 9/27 in a three-set loss to Monroe University. She has two matches with two or more kills this year and is on a run where she has recorded six or more kills in her last six matches. Her season-high was her 12 kills on .267 hitting in the four-set win against Harcum on 10/12. She hit a season-high of five solo blocks on 9/28 in a three-set sweep against Del Tech. She had eight kills, nine digs, and two total blocks in the win against Cecil last week. She did not play against Lackawanna on 9/21.
 
First-year middle hitter Amber Sprout has 68 kills, a 1.28 kills per set average, so far this season. Sprout is hitting .241 this year and leads the Hawks in total blocks (36) and solo blocks (34). Sprout has two matches with double digit kills, getting her season-high of ten kills twice this season, coming against Raritan Valley on 9/14 on .471 hitting, and again against Lehigh Carbon on 9/23 on .381 hitting. She had a season-high five solo blocks in the win against Raritan Valley on 9/14. She has not played a match since 10/2 against Hagerstown, missing the last eight matches for HACC. She had three kills and three solo blocks in the loss to Lackawanna on 9/21.
 
Sophomore setter Camryn Heth leads the team with 585 assists this season, averaging 7.41 per set. Heth has 33 kills from her setter position and has 41 aces and 112 digs on the year. She has gone for double digits in assists in 20 matches this season, seven of which went for 40+ assists. Her season-best came with 51 assists in the four-set win against Harcum on 10/12. She has twice gone for five service aces, both times against Delaware Tech this year. She had a season-high five kills against Del Tech on 10/12. She had a kill, 33 assists, and two aces in the win against Cecil on Wednesday. She put up 16 assists and four aces in the loss to Lackawanna on 9/21.
 
Tom Frye is the head coach for Harrisburg Area, now in his tenth season in charge of the Hawks. Frye has seen a ton of success at Harrisburg, earning EPAC Coach of the Year in four different seasons, and being named as a NJCAA Division III District Coach of the Year in three different seasons. The Hawks have made nine Region XIX tournament appearances under Frye, and they are four-time EPAC champions under Frye, last winning in 2022. Frye graduated from the Altoona School of Commerce. Frye has a 130-52 all-time record at Harrisburg, making three national tournament appearances.
 
The Match-Up
First serve between Lackawanna and Harrisburg Area CC is set for 6:00pm ET in the state's capital, inside the HACC gymnasium. There will be a video livestream available for the match, via the Harrisburg Area CC Twitch Channel, which can be accessed HERE.
 
Lackawanna's next contest will be its final regular season and Region XIX DII match, when the Falcons travel to New Jersey to take on the County College of Morris Titans. The first serve is scheduled for a 6:00pm ET start in Randolph, NJ.