10/24/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball has one more regular season match, before the Falcons shift into playoff mode, and that match is a road game in Region XIX DII play at County College of Morris on Thursday, October 24^th.
 
The first serve is set for 6:00pm ET inside the County College of Morris gymnasium in Randolph, NJ. There will be a video livestream available via the County College of Morris Athletics YouTube Channel, linked HERE.
 
This is the second match between the two, with Lackawanna taking a 3-0 (25-10, 25-11, 25-12) win at home back on September 10^th. Four Falcons had five or more kills, and Lackawanna had 20 service aces to run away with the win. You can read the recap from that match HERE.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (15-8, 5-0) has secured the #1 seed in next week's Region XIX DII playoffs, but has lost its last four matches, dropping results to Lehigh Carbon CC, Northampton CC, Hagerstown CC, and, just this Tuesday, Harrisburg Area CC. The Falcons haven't lost four or more matches since dropping eight straight to end the 2022 season. Lackawanna's last win came 12 days ago, a sweep against PSU Scranton.
 
This season, the Falcons are hitting at a collective .130 clip, averaging 10.1 kills per set, which is first among all Region XIX teams. The Falcons have 270 aces in 23 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 146 aces vs. 200 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 240 kills through 23 matches, fifth in the region and first in Division II. Hofmann is also first on the team with 73 service aces and is third on the team with 264 digs. She's hitting at a .186 clip, second on the team among players with 320 or more attacks, and she's averaging 2.8 kills per set. Hofmann has double-digit kills in 13 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 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. Against Morris earlier this season, she had five kills, four aces, and six digs in the win. She had eleven kills and 14 digs, along with four aces and two blocks, in the loss to Harrisburg Area on Tuesday.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Aryana Girvan is second on the team with 176 kills this year, hitting .120 through 23 matches. That's fourth on the team among players with 320 or more attacks. Girvan has 49 service aces, second on the team, and 300 digs so far this season, tops on the squad. Girvan is averaging 2.1 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 13 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. She matched that season-high for digs with 26 on Tuesday against Harrisburg Area. Her best serving match came against PSU Scranton on 10/12, where she had eight aces in the win. Against Morris the first time on 9/10, she had a team-high nine kills, alongside five aces and nine digs. Against Harrisburg Area on Tuesday, in addition to her 26 digs, she had six kills, four assists, and two aces.
 
Sophomore middle hitter Nadia Toth is third on the team with 119 kills so far this season, hitting at .190, best on the team among players with 320 or more attacks. Toth has 19 service aces so far on the season, while last season she had 35 aces. She averages 1.57 kills per set, and her 32 total blocks this season are first on the team. She also has 62 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 three kills in the win against Morris on 9/10. Against Harrisburg earlier this week, she had five kills, three aces, and four digs, as well as two solo blocks.
 
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 six kills in the win against Morris earlier this season. She did not play against Harrisburg this week.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Angelique Fuentes has 102 kills through 20 matches, fourth on the team. She has 24 service aces, fourth on the team, 27 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 nine of her last 12 matches. Fuentes had eight kills earlier this week against Harrisburg. 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 56 kills in 15 matches this season. Osias is second on the team with 22 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 missed five matches in a row before returning to action two weeks ago. Neurdia had two kills and a solo block in the loss to Harrisburg on Tuesday. She had four kills, an ace, and two blocks in the win against Morris on 9/10.
 
Sophomore setter Maddilyn Durfee leads the team with 426 assists on the year, and has 37 service aces, third on the team. Durfee also has 129 digs on the year, sixth on the team. She has reached double-digit assists in 21 of 23 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 17 assists and an ace in the loss to Harrisburg on Tuesday. Against Morris back on 9/10, she had 18 assists and two aces in the victory. 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 32-30 in her time at Lackawanna and won 86 matches in seven years at Cedar Crest.
 
About County College of Morris
The Titans (1-9, 0-5) had been winless through their first nine matches this year before finally getting in the win column with a 3-1 triumph at Middlesex on Tuesday night. Morris had five players with four or more kills in that win, coupled with ten service aces and four blocks.
 
On the year, Morris is averaging around five kills per set and has 53 aces on the year. The Titans average 1.66 aces per set, while averaging 7.84 digs per set.
 
First-year player Nayeli Gomez leads Morris with 30 kills this season. She also has 29 digs and a team-high 15 solo blocks. She had three kills in the loss to Lackawanna on 9/10. She had a team-high nine kills in the win against Middlesex on Tuesday.
 
First-year player Kim Relyea has 25 kills, second on the team, and has 25 assists, also second on the squad. She's second on the team with ten aces this season, and has 28 digs and eight solo blocks. She had three kills and two assists against Lackawanna earlier this season. She had three kills and 23 assists in the win against Middlesex on Tuesday.
 
Sophomore Evalynne Boyle has 23 kills this year, along with three aces and 42 digs. Boyle had two kills and nine digs in the loss to Lackawanna on 9/10, while putting up eight kills and an ace in the win against Middlesex on Tuesday.
 
Sophomore Ashley Eng has 22 kills this season, along with 12 digs, six total blocks, and five aces. Eng did not record a kill against Lackawanna earlier this season, but put up four in the win against Middlesex this week.
 
Sophomore Sarah Shortino leads the team with 17 aces, 60 assists, and has 12 kills this year. Shortino also has 14 digs on the year. She had ten assists and an ace in the loss to Lackawanna earlier this season. She had four kills and three aces in the win against Middlesex on Tuesday.
 
The head coach is Dan Crespo.
 
The Match-Up
The first serve between Lackawanna and Morris is set for 6:00pm ET inside the County College of Morris gymnasium in Randolph, NJ. There will be a video livestream available via the County College of Morris Athletics YouTube Channel, linked HERE.
 
Lackawanna's next contest will be in the Region XIX DII women's volleyball tournament, happening Saturday, November 2^nd, at the Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium. The Falcons will be the top-seed and will most likely play four-seed Harcum College at 10:00am ET in the first match of the day.