9/20/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball will return to NJCAA and EPAC play with an important tri-match this weekend, as the Falcons host Harcum College and Harrisburg Area at the Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium on Saturday, September 21^st.
 
The tri-match is free admission and open to the public and will start with Lackawanna and Harcum meeting in Region XIX DII and EPAC action at 10:00am ET. Harcum will then take on Harrisburg Area CC in the second match, tentatively scheduled for 12:00pm ET. The final match will then be between Harrisburg and Lackawanna at 2:00pm ET in EPAC action.
 
All three matches will be streamed live via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network PPV stream at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (8-3) suffered a setback in its last match, a five-set loss (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 23-25, 15-10) on the road at Cairn University this past Thursday. The Falcons struggled initially to keep pace with the older and deeper Highlanders through the first two sets but managed to rocket out to a big lead in set three, then held on for the win. In set four, both teams played a tight contest early, with Cairn holding an 11-9 lead through an extended delay at the scorer's table. Cairn saw a 15-13 lead slip away to a 16-15 deficit and the margin went back-and-forth until a kill gave Lackawanna a 20-18 lead. The Falcons led by a 23-20 margin, before Cairn got within a point at 23-22, then again at 24-23. Lackawanna won the fourth set by breaking serve on a kill to send it to five, where the Falcons just ran out of gas. Read the match recap HERE.
 
So far in 2024, the Falcons are hitting at a collective .146 clip, averaging 10.1 kills per set this season. The Falcons have 126 aces in eleven contests, averaging 3.2 aces per set, and are up to 16.1 digs per set so far this year. Opponents are hitting .129 on the year and have 65 aces vs. 102 errors on serve so far this season. The Falcons are at 0.9 blocks per set, and their opponents are at 1.3 blocks per set.
 
First-year outside hitter Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO) leads the squad this season with 96 kills through eleven matches. Hofmann is also first on the team with 40 service aces and 122 digs. She's hitting at a .191 clip, tied for first on the team among players with 180 or more attacks. Hofmann has double-digit kills in five matches this season, with a season-high 18 coming in the five-set win against Penn State Hazleton last weekend, 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 had 14 kills on .211 hitting, with two aces and 13 digs, in the loss to Cairn.
 
First-year outside hitter Aryana Girvan (Clarion, PA) is second on the team with 77 kills this year, hitting .132 through eleven matches this year. That's third on the team among players with 180 or more attacks. Girvan has 18 service aces, second on the team, and 105 digs so far this season. Girvan put up a season-high 20 kills this last weekend in the win against PSU Hazleton, on a season-high 59 attacks. She also had 22 digs, setting another season-best. Girvan has eight matches with six or more kills this year. Her best serving match came against Harford, where she had three aces. Girvan had eleven kills on .069 hitting, two aces, and 19 digs in the loss to Cairn on Thursday.
 
Sophomore middle hitter Nadia Toth (Dalton, PA) is third on the team with 65 kills so far this season, hitting at .191. Toth has eleven service aces so far on the season, tied for fourth on the squad. Toth had 35 aces last year. Her 15 total blocks so far this season are first on the team, and she has 25 digs on the 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 last Friday. She had a season-high five digs and three total blocks in the five-set win over PSU Hazleton this past weekend. She had nine kills and two digs in the loss to Cairn.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Alasiah Cater (Coatesville, PA) has double-digit kills on the year with 45 in eleven matches. Carter has 24 digs and seven block assists on the year. She hit her season-high six kills twice last week, the first time against Morris last Tuesday while hitting .308 in a Lackawanna win, then again last Saturday in the win against PSU Hazleton, putting up six kills in the five-set victory. She had a season-high six digs and four kills in the first win against PSU Hazleton two weeks ago. Carter had three aces and five kills against Cairn on Thursday. She was the fourth Falcon with 100 or more kills a year ago, and had three matches with double-digit kills last year, including a career-best 19 kills in a five-set thriller against Lehigh Carbon CC. She had a season-best seven service aces in a win against Delaware Tech last year, and she had nine or more matches with double-digit digs. Her season-best was 24 digs against Bergen CC.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Angelique Fuentes (Miami, FL) has 34 kills through her first eight matches. She has eleven service aces, seven digs, and six block assists on the year. Fuentes hit a season-high with nine kills in the win against Montco on 9/7, 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 last Tuesday. Fuentes is hitting at .129 on the season. Fuentes did not play against Cairn. 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 .231 clip this season with 35 kills. Osias is second on the team with 13 total blocks this year, including ten block assists. Neurdia had a combined 14 kills in two matches three weeks ago, including eight kills on .412 hitting against PSU Hazleton at home. She followed that up with six kills on .545 hitting in the sweep over Cecil College. She had two block assists in both matches. Osias had four kills, and two assists in the win against PSU Hazleton last weekend. She was dominant at the net against Delaware Tech last Friday, putting up a season-high five total blocks, including four block assists, in the win for the Falcons. She had five kills and a dig in the loss to Cairn.
 
Sophomore setter Maddilyn Durfee (Buffalo, NY) leads the team with 223 assists on the year, and has 17 service aces, third on the team. Durfee also has 64 digs on the year, fifth on the team. She has reached double-digit assists in ten of eleven matches this year, with a season-and-career-best 39 coming in the five-set loss to Cairn on Thursday. 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 9/7. Durfee had a combined 48 assists and three aces, to go with 15 digs in the two matches last weekend at PSU Hazleton. 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 25-25 in her time at Lackawanna and won 86 matches in seven years at Cedar Crest.
 
About Harcum College
The Bears (2-2) enter the weekend on a two-match win streak, having defeated Northampton back on September 9^th, and then Morris on September 16^th. In that match with Morris, a 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-9) victory, the Bears had 31 kills on .257 hitting, putting up 12 aces and giving up just one ace to the Titans. Two players scored in double-figure kills for the Bears in the victory.
 
In four matches, the Bears are averaging 9.38 kills per set and hitting around a .262 clip. Harcum has 35 service aces, and averages 17.3 digs per set this year. They also average just over two blocks per set. Harcum's opponents are averaging a .160 hitting percentage, while putting up eight kills per set. The Bears have given up 34 aces on the year.
 
First-year outside hitter Buse Sen leads the team with 41 kills this season, a 3.15 per set average through four matches, hitting at .274, which is second on the team. Sen has two aces and 42 digs, while also posting four solo blocks. She has hit double-digit kills in three of four matches, with her season-best of 16 kills coming against Northampton, a 3-1 win for Harcum. Sen hit .387 in that contest and had five digs and three solo blocks. She had eleven kills on .333 hitting in the win over Morris. She set a season-high in the loss to Del Tech with 24 digs.
 
First-year right-side hitter Jenna DeTemple is second on the team with 35 total kills through four matches, averaging 2.69 per set this year. DeTemple is hitting at .326, tops on the squad, and has 13 total blocks, including nine solos, also first on the team. DeTemple has two matches with double-digit kills, putting up her season-high of 14 kills in the win over Northampton. DeTemple hit .378 in that match, posting six solo blocks and seven total blocks in the win. She had 12 kills in a loss to Lehigh Carbon to open the year, where she hit .423 and had three solo blocks. Against Morris, DeTemple had five kills, a dig, and a block assist in the win.
 
First-year right-side hitter Arianna Rosario is third on the team with 30 kills this season, averaging 2.3 per set. Rosario is hitting .270 this year, posting nine aces, second on the team. She has 41 digs, third on the team, and two total blocks through four matches. Rosario has twice hit double-digits in kills, posting two straight matches of eleven kills against Northampton CC and Morris. Against Morris, she had eleven kills on .320 hitting and three digs in the win. Against Northampton, she had eleven kills on .257 hitting, with six aces and 13 digs. She set her season-high with 16 digs in the loss to Del Tech.
 
Sophomore setter Emma Guare is the main distributor for the Bears, putting up 76 assists, a 5.85 per set average, through four matches. Guare also has five kills and six aces so far this season, as well as 14 digs. She had a season-best 43 assists in the win against Northampton, where she also had two aces and four digs in the win. She has topped double figures twice in assists, putting up 26 in the win against Morris this past Monday. She also had a kill and four aces in the win over the Titans.
 
Sophomore libero Twyla Fitzgerald is the main defensive player for the Bears, with a team-best 107 digs and 113 serve receptions this season. Fitzgerald also is the best server, putting down 12 aces for Harcum this season. Her season-high came against Morris, where she had six aces in the victory over the Titans. She had a season-best 45 digs in the loss to Del Tech and put up 32 digs and had 54 serve receptions in the win against Northampton, where she also had a pair of aces.
 
Xainaly Valdes is the head coach for Harcum, bringing with her nearly a decade of extensive experience. Valdes is a veteran of club volleyball and played for the Bears from 2019 through 2021. She also serves as the assistant coach for the men's team at Harcum.
 
About Harrisburg Area CC
The Hawks (4-3) come into the weekend as winners of three of their last four matches. They had wins last weekend against Frederick (3-0) and Raritan (3-2), then a loss to Lancaster Bible (3-1) on Monday, before a 3-0 win over CC of Philadelphia this past Wednesday. The Hawks beat the Lions on Wednesday by scores of 25-17, 25-2, and 25-8.
 
Through the six matches with stats, the Hawks are averaging 9.9 kills per set, hitting .271 collectively and putting up 70 service aces, averaging just over three aces per set. The Hawks average 14.8 digs per set and have 39 solo blocks and 42 total blocks this season, a 1.89 blocks per set clip. The Hawks are limiting their opponents to .132 hitting, giving up 6.6 kills per set, while limiting their opposition to just 40 aces.
 
First-year player Zoe Velez leads the Hawks with 64 kills in the six matches with stats, averaging 2.9 kills per set. Velez is hitting .368 on the year, tops on the squad, and has 12 aces, third on the team. Velez has 60 digs, also third on the team, and is second this season with ten solo blocks and eleven total blocks. Velez has four matches with double digit kills, putting up a season-high 19 kills on .412 hitting in a five-set win against Raritan Valley last weekend. 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.
 
First-year outside hitter Peyton Maass is second on the team with 62 kills, a 2.82 kills per set average. Maass is hitting .283 this season, with 15 service aces, second on the squad. Maass leads the team with 82 digs this year, averaging 3.7 per set, and she's third on the team with seven solo blocks this season. Maass has three matches with double digit kills, and got her season-high with 17 kills in the five-set win against Raritan Valley last weekend. She hit .483, put up six aces, and had 27 digs in the victory. Her best hitting performance came against Delaware County CC, recording eleven kills on 13 attempts for an .846 clip, while also putting down six aces.
 
First-year outside hitter Kelly Bastian has 44 kills this season, averaging two per set and hitting .241 this year. Bastian leads the Hawks with 25 service aces, is second on the team with 79 digs, and has six solo blocks on the year. Bastian has two matches with double digit kills this season, setting her season-high with 15 in the loss to Northampton back on 9/7. Bastian hit .433 and had 33 digs in the loss. She recorded 12 kills and had 18 digs in the five-set win against Raritan last weekend. She recorded 13 aces in the win against Delaware County. She had six aces and eight kills in the loss to Lancaster Bible.
 
First-year middle hitter Amber Sprout has 26 kills, a 1.37 kills per set average, so far this season. Sprout is hitting .286 this year and leads the Hawks in total blocks (15) and solo blocks (13). Sprout has one match with double digit kills, getting her season-high of ten kills on .471 hitting in the five-set win against Raritan Valley. Sprout also had five solo blocks in the win. She had four solo blocks and five kills in the loss to Northampton.
 
Sophomore setter Camryn Heth leads the team with 100 assists this season, averaging 4.76 per set. Heth has nine kills from her setter position and has six aces and 36 digs on the year. She had a season-high 42 assists and a pair of aces in the win against Raritan, where she also had a pair of kills. Heading into the match with CC of Philadelphia, she had four straight matches with double digit assists. She had three aces in the loss on Monday to Lancaster Bible.
 
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 120-46 all-time record at Harrisburg, making three national tournament appearances.
 
The Match-Ups
The tri-match between Lackawanna, Harcum, and Harrisburg Area CC is free admission and open to the public inside the Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium. The day will start with Lackawanna and Harcum meeting in Region XIX DII and EPAC action at 10:00am ET. Harcum will then take on Harrisburg Area CC in the second match, tentatively scheduled for 12:00pm ET. The final match will then be between Harrisburg and Lackawanna at 2:00pm ET in EPAC action.
 
Lackawanna will get the week off before getting back to action next Saturday, September 28^th, when the Falcons will travel to Lehigh Carbon CC for a tri-match with the Cougars and Middlesex College. The first match between Lackawanna and Lehigh Carbon CC starts at 11:00am ET, followed by the second match between Lackawanna and Middlesex at 1:00pm ET.