10/4/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball has a massive weekend that could impact both the EPAC and Region XIX DII standings this weekend, as the Falcons travel to the Lehigh Valley for a tri-match with Delaware Tech CC and host Northampton CC.  
 
First serve is set for a 2:00pm ET start inside the Arthur L. Scott Spartan Center, where Lackawanna will face off with Delaware Tech. This is the second time the two EPAC and Region XIX DII rivals will face off, with Lackawanna winning the first matchup in three sets at home on September 13^th by scores of 25-22, 25-20, and 25-22. The second match is set for a 4:00pm ET start against fellow EPAC member Northampton CC. The Spartans have won 19 straight matches against Lackawanna, dating back to 2010.
 
There will be a video livestream available via the Northampton CC Athletics site, linked HERE.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (11-4, 5-1) is coming off a three-set sweep over Montgomery County CC by scores of 25-22, 25-20, and 25-19. The Falcons struggled early, twice blowing leads in the first two sets and allowing Montco to make things tight. However, Lackawanna kept taking advantage of Montco mistakes, and eventually rocketed out to a big lead in the third set and cruised to the win.
 
This year, the Falcons are hitting at a collective .145 clip, averaging 10.6 kills per set this season. The Falcons have 155 aces in 15 contests, averaging a shade under three aces per set, and are up to 17.7 digs per set so far this year. Opponents are hitting .126 on the year and have 83 aces vs. 123 errors on serve so far this season. The Falcons are at one block per set, and their opponents are at 1.4 blocks per set.
 
First-year outside hitter Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO) leads the squad this season with 146 kills through 15 matches. Hofmann is also first on the team with 50 service aces and is third on the team with 174 digs. She's hitting at a .196 clip, first on the team among players with 250 or more attacks, and she's averaging 2.6 kills per set. Hofmann has double-digit kills in eight matches this season, hitting her season-high of 18 twice this year. The first came in the five-set win against Penn State Hazleton on September 14^th, where she hit .200 and had three aces and 21 digs. The second came last weekend at Lehigh Carbon, where she had 18 kills on a season-high 53 attempts, hitting .226 and putting up four aces and 16 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 had eleven kills on .345 hitting and a pair of aces in the win against Montgomery County CC on Wednesday. She had eight kills and 12 digs in the three-set win against Del Tech back on September 13^th.
 
First-year outside hitter Aryana Girvan (Clarion, PA) is second on the team with 126 kills this year, hitting .141 through 15 matches this year. That's third on the team among players with 250 or more attacks. Girvan has 26 service aces, second on the team, and 186 digs so far this season, also second on the squad. Girvan is averaging 2.33 kills per set, and has five matches with double-digit kills this season, all in five of her last six matches. Girvan put up her season-high of 22 kills last weekend against Lehigh Carbon, 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 seven matches with double-digit digs, putting up a season-high 26 digs this past Wednesday against Montco, also putting up three kills and four aces. Her best serving match came against Morris, where she posted five aces. Girvan had six kills, an ace, and 17 digs in the win against Delaware Tech back on September 13^th.
 
Sophomore middle hitter Nadia Toth (Dalton, PA) is third on the team with 90 kills so far this season, hitting at .180, second best on the team among players with 250 or more attacks. Toth has eleven service aces so far on the season, fifth on the squad. Toth had 35 aces last year. She averages 1.67 kills per set, and her 26 total blocks so far this season are first on the team. She also has 38 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. Toth had nine kills on .161 hitting with two block assists and two digs in the loss to Lehigh Carbon last weekend. She had five kills and hit .167 in the win against Montgomery this past Wednesday. She had ten kills on .556 hitting in the win against Delaware Tech earlier this season.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Alasiah Cater (Coatesville, PA) has double-digit kills on the year with 63 through her 15 matches. Carter is hitting .051 on the season, and has eleven total blocks this year, fourth on the team. She has 31 digs and nine block assists on the year. She hit her season-high nine kills against Harcum on September 21^st. She had a season-high six digs and four kills in the first win against PSU Hazleton back on August 31^st. Carter had a kill and four digs in the win against Montgomery County CC on Wednesday night. She had four kills and three digs in the win against Delaware Tech earlier this season.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Angelique Fuentes (Miami, FL) has 53 kills through her first 12 matches. She has 14 service aces, fourth on the team, 15 digs, and ten 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 five kills on .308 hitting and two blocks in the win against Montco on Wednesday and did not see time against Delaware Tech at home on September 13^th. 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 been the most efficient hitter for the Falcons this year, hitting at a .224 clip this season with 43 kills. Osias is second on the team with 14 total blocks this year, including eleven 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. She had eight kills in three sets against Harcum but left with an injury late in the third set. She has missed the last three matches for Lackawanna.
 
Sophomore setter Maddilyn Durfee (Buffalo, NY) leads the team with 300 assists on the year, and has 21 service aces, third on the team. Durfee also has 94 digs on the year, fifth on the team. She has reached double-digit assists in 14 of 15 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 15 assists and seven digs in the win against Montco on Wednesday. She put up 15 assists and four digs, along with a kill against Delaware Tech earlier this season. 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 for 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 28-26 in her time at Lackawanna and won 86 matches in seven years at Cedar Crest.
 
About Delaware Tech CC
Delaware Tech (8-3) is currently 2-1 in Region XIX DII, second in the region behind the undefeated Falcons. Their EPAC record is 3-2, tied with Northampton CC for third in the conference behind second-place Lackawanna (5-1) and first-place Lehigh Carbon (6-1). Del Tech has won their last three matches, including a five-set victory over Cecil this past Wednesday. Del Tech rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take the fourth set 25-20, then dominated in the fifth set at 15-7 to take the win. Del Tech had 45 kills and 16 aces, with nine total blocks and 69 digs on defense. Two players had double-digit kills, with Megan Carroll putting up 20 on .235 hitting, and Elizabeth Baughman getting 13 kills and 14 digs.
 
On the season, Del Tech is hitting .141, averaging 9.9 kills per set. Del Tech has 128 aces, averaging 3.37 per set, and averages 14.7 digs per set, while putting up 38 total blocks so far. Their opponents are hitting .167, averaging 5.87 kills per set, while only putting up 60 aces in eleven matches.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Megan Carroll has been the main offensive weapon for Del Tech, leading the team with 136 kills through eleven matches, a 3.58 kills per set average. Carroll is hitting .205 on 386 attacks and leads the squad in aces (30) and service receptions (141). She also has 82 digs, fourth on the team. Carroll has been excellent this season, hitting double-digits in kills in eight of eleven matches this season. She hit her season-high 20 kills in her last match, the five-set win over Cecil, hitting .235 with three aces and six digs. She had a season-best six aces in a sweep over Cecil back on September 4^th. Her best hitting performance came against Chesapeake back on August 30^th, where she hit .423 on 26 attempts with 15 kills. Against Lackawanna back on September 13^th, she had eleven kills, eleven digs, and an ace.
 
First-year outside hitter Elizabeth Baughman has 107 kills through eleven matches this season, averaging 2.82 kills per set, and is hitting .135 this year. Baughman has 26 aces, third on the team, and has 113 digs, second on the squad this season. Baughman has hit double-digit kills in four matches this season, a season-best 17 in the win over Lehigh Carbon back on September 7^th. She hit .250, had three aces, and a season-best 17 digs in the victory over the Cougars. Against Cecil, she had 13 kills on .100 hitting and 14 digs. In the loss to Lackawanna earlier this season, Baughman had 15 kills on .167 hitting, with two aces and 17 digs.
 
Sophomore right-side hitter Jazzlyn Maloney has 67 kills, third on the team, on .253 hitting. She averages 1.76 kills per set and has eight service aces and 41 digs this year. Maloney has hit double-digit kills three times this year, putting up a season-high 12 kills in a win at Cecil on September 4^th, where she hit .455. Her best hitting day came in the opening match, hitting .667 with eleven kills in a win over Chesapeake. She had five kills on .211 hitting with five digs in the win against Cecil on Wednesday. She had six kills on .200 hitting in the loss to Lackawanna on September 13^th.
 
First-year setter Alyssa Diem is the main table-setter for Delaware Tech, putting up 326 assists through eleven matches this year. Diem averages 8.58 assists per set and is second on the team with 28 aces this season. She has had 20 or more assists in nine of her eleven matches this year, putting up a season-best 45 assists just this past Wednesday in the five-set win against Cecil, where she also had five aces. Her best serving day came in a sweep over Harcum on September 7^th, putting up eight aces in the win. Diem had 32 assists, a kill, an ace, and ten digs in the loss at Lackawanna back on September 13^th.
 
The head coach for Delaware Tech is Lehigh DeSantis, now in her third season as the program's leader. DeSantis was an assistant for two years before stepping into the head job and has had volleyball coaching experience for the last 15 years at all school levels. DeSantis also currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force within the Air Force Reserve Command and is stationed as an air reserve technician at the Dover Air Force Base.
 
About Northampton CC
The Spartans (10-4) are 4-2 in Region XIX DIII and hold a 3-2 EPAC record this year. Northampton has won five straight, its last loss coming on September 12^th to Lehigh Carbon CC. Most recently, the Spartans beat Harrisburg Area CC on the road in five sets (28-26, 25-19, 21-25, 13-25, 15-12) this past Monday. The Spartans held a 2-0 lead into the third set, but frittered away that set, then got blown out in set four to set up the fifth, before avoiding the reverse sweep for the victory. Three Spartans players had double-digit kills, with Alyssa Eilenberger leading the charge with 17 kills on .400 hitting. Kailen Felty had 14 kills, and Lexi Womack had 13, while the Spartans had 12 aces and 27 total block assists.
 
Northampton averages 10 kills per set this season, hitting .124 this year. The Spartans have 159 aces, averaging 2.94 per set, and average 19 digs per set this year. The Spartans average just over four blocks per set. Their opponents are hitting around .241 this year, averaging eight kills per set.
 
Sophomore blocker Kailen Felty leads the Spartans with 133 kills on .230 hitting this season. Felty averages 2.46 kills per set and is third on the team with 29 service aces. She also has 161 digs, third on the squad, and she has 136 total blocks, including 37 total blocks, tops on the team by far. Felty has seven matches with double-digit kills, including four of her last five. Felty's season-high in kills is 15, coming on September 26^th in a 3-1 win against Raritan Valley CC. Felty hit .186 and had three aces in the victory. She has hit double-digits in kills eight times, including a season-high 26 in a 3-1 loss to Harcum back on September 9^th. She had 14 kills on.206 hitting, with two aces and 20 digs, in the win against HACC on Monday.
 
First-year outside hitter Lexi Womack is second on the team with 132 kills, a 2.44 per set average and .126 hitting so far this year. Womack has 34 aces this season, second on the squad, and her 172 digs are also second this year. Womack has six matches with double-digit kills, getting double digits in three of her last four matches. Her season-best was 18 kills on .162 hitting in a five-set loss to Lehigh Carbon back on September 21^st. She has hit double-digits in digs in ten matches, putting up a season-high of 22 digs in a 3-1 loss to Nassau CC back on August 24^th. She had a season-best nine aces in a sweep over the CC of Philadelphia last weekend. She had 13 kills on .079 hitting with two aces and 14 digs in the five-set win against HACC on Monday.
 
First year player Alyssa Eilenberger is the third Northampton player with over 100 kills, putting up 110 so far this season in 13 matches. Eilenberger is hitting .154 this year and has 18 service aces. She also has 88 digs this season. Eilenberger has gone over 10 kills four times this year, hitting her season-high of 17 kills on three separate occasions. She did it first back on September 7^th against HACC, putting up 17 on .238 hitting in a 3-1 win. She did it again against Harcum last weekend, putting up 17 on .167 hitting and with 14 digs in a five-set win. She did it for a third time against HACC, again, this time on .400 hitting with two aces and 12 digs in the five-set win. Eilenberger has gone over double-digit digs in her last three matches and four times overall, twice digging out a season-high 15 attempts.
 
Sophomore setter Leana Angelone leads the squad with 433 assists through 14 matches, an 8.02 per set average. She has 116 digs, fifth on the team, and has 32 kills this year. Angelone has gone for double-digit assists in 13 of 14 matches this year, posting her season-high of 54 helpers in the five-set win against Harrisburg Area this past Monday. She also had three kills, an ace, and eleven digs in the win. She had a season-high eight kills to open the season against Genesee CC back on August 24^th. Angelone has had 30+ assists on eight separate occasions this season. She has gone for double-digit digs in seven matches this year.
 
Sophomore libero Mackenzie Davis has a team-best 38 aces this year, while digging out 268 attempts, also first on the squad. Davis has twice hit her season-high of eight aces, doing it against Delaware County on September 23^rd, and again against CC of Philadelphia last weekend. She has gone for double-digit digs in 12 of 14 matches this year, putting up her season-high of 36 in the loss to Nassau back on August 24^th. She had three aces, a kill, and 27 digs in the five-set win against Harrisburg Area on Monday.
 
The head coach for the Spartans is Rachel Aquila, now in her fourth season in charge. Aquila took her lumps in 2021, her first year, going 3-10, but then rounded the Spartans into shape the last two seasons, rattling off 34 combined wins and taking back-to-back EPAC and Region XIX championships. The Spartans twice qualified for the NJCAA national tournament. Aquila is a Lehigh Valley native, graduating from Nazareth HS and helping the Spartans as a player reach the 2015 and 2016 national tournament, winning All-Tournament honors in 2016. She is 47-19 in her time at Northampton.
 
The Match-Ups
First serve of the entire day is set for 10:00am ET, when Del Tech and Northampton get the action started inside the Arthur L. Scott Spartan Center. The second match is tentatively set for a 2:00pm ET start, pending the conclusion of the first match, and will feature Del Tech and Lackawanna. The third and final match of the day is set for a tentative 4:00pm ET start between the hosts, Northampton CC, and Lackawanna. There will be a video livestream available via the Northampton CC Athletics site, linked HERE.
 
Lackawanna will have another EPAC and Region XIX DII match to prepare for in their next contest, as the Falcons will travel to Bryn Mawr, PA on Tuesday, October 8^th for a 6:30pm ET showdown with Harcum College. The Falcons came back from down 2-1 to beat the Bears in five sets in the first meeting earlier this season.