DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Loras looks to get back to their winning ways in the Iowa Conference on Tuesday when they host Central in the Athletic & Wellness Center. On the weekend, the Duhawks will make their second trip to Minnesota this season, facing Hamline and Gustavus Adolphus.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST CENTRAL •••Central owns the all-time series at 11-6 dating back to 2001. The Dutch won the first eight meetings before Loras four in-a-row from October 2008 to October 2011.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST CENTRAL •••These two sides met in the Iowa Conference Tournament Opening Round last season. As the No. 3 seed, Central handed the Duhawks a 3-0 loss by scores of 25-19, 25-18, 25-16. Hannah Welter led the Dutch effort with 11 kills, while
Danni Kennedy led Loras with seven.
SCOUTING THE DUTCH •••Central looks to Jenna Dille to set the pace for their offense. Dille is averaging 1.66 kills per set and is operating at a .346 attack percentage. Central's offense runs through Madison Egger, who is averaging 5.47 assists per set. The defense is well balanced for the Dutch, who have three players with more than 100 digs and seven players with double-digit blocks. Compared to their opponents, Central has committed twice as many ball handling errors as their opponents.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST HAMLINE •••Dating back to 2001, Hamline has won all three meetings against Loras. The Pipers have won two of the three meetings by 3-2 scores. When they met back in 2013,
Tara Blake finished with nine kills and 11 digs, while
Therese Schultz added eight kills and three blocks.
SCOUTING THE PIPERS •••Julia Zolnosky is a force to be reckoned with, averaging 4.38 kills per set. Her 285 kills have come on 849 attacks, but Zolnosky's effectiveness has been limited due to her 173 attacking errors. Amelia Jensen is the primary setter for Hamline, entering the week with an average of 8.22 assists per set. Beth Goodman and Alexandra Ojekwe combine to be a force in the middle, totaling 88 blocks between the two of them. As a squad, Hamline has experienced a roller coaster of a ride this season, alternating wins and losses for most of the year. In the MIAC, Hamline is 2-2 and hosts Saint Benedict on Tuesday night.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS •••Dating back to 2001, Loras and Gustavus Adolphus have met twice, with each team taking a victory.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS •••Loras and Gustavus Adolphus last met in the Athletic & Wellness Center in 2009, with the Duhawks earning a 3-0 victory. Julianne Lord led Loras with nine kills and a .227 attack percentage. Julie Rogers funneled the offense with 31 assists.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES •••Gustavus Adolphus is receiving votes in the AVCA National Poll as of October 6. After dropping their first two matches of the season to UW-Platteville and Cornell, the Gusties have rattled off 18 consecutive wins. Interesting enough, both of the Gusties' losses have come to opponents that Loras has defeated. Alyssa Taylor leads the Gustavus Adolphus offense with a .368 attack percentage and is averaging 3.10 kills per set. Not only is Taylor dominant on offense, she also leads her side with 85 blocks, including 26 solo. As a team, Gustavus Adolphus has 906 kills while limiting their opponents to a combined total of 708 kills.
SWEET HOME DUBUQUE •••Playing at home has been kind for the Loras women's volleyball team so far in 2015. Heading into Tuesday's matchup against Central, the Duhawks own a 7-3 record in the AWC, including a 2-0 record against Iowa Conference opponents. Both IIAC wins came against Wartburg and Coe, both who have had considerable success over the past few years.
STRONG SIDE, RIGHT SIDE •••The 2015 Loras women's volleyball team has a fresh, new energy that has carried them to an impressive 14-10 record thus far, matching their win total from a season ago. Much credit is due all around as the team has improved collectively, but it would be incomplete to talk about the Duhawks' success without mentioning a few of the new faces that have contributed to the new look Duhawk attack. Freshman right-sides
Claire Ritchie and
Jenna LaCorte have been an integral part of the Duhawk offense under
Jenna Ness and have found success early on in their collegiate careers. LaCorte and Ritchie have combined for an impressive 4.42 kills per set average and 363 kills in the first two-thirds of the 2015 campaign. Additionally, during the Duhawks appearance at the Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament this past weekend where they finished 3-1, LaCorte and Ritchie had a combined .293 hitting percentage and 83 kills in those four matches.
DUHAWKS DO NOT BACK DOWN •••Coming off a weekend where the Duhawks went 3-1 in the Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament at North Central, Loras will try to keep the momentum going as they host Central in the AWC on Tuesday night. The lone loss from the weekend came against No. 1 Washington-St. Louis. The Duhawks should be proud of their performance, taking the first set from the Bears and then coming close to forcing a fifth set when they had a 22-17 lead in the fourth, but could not hold on. Earlier in the season, Loras posted wins over IIAC powers Wartburg and Coe. The Duhawks will need to keep this mentality of not backing down to elite competition to get back on track in conference play.
SENIOR SKILL •••Senior
Liz Jendra has showcased her leadership on the court with the performances she has posted so far in 2015. She currently leads the team in service aces with 20 on the season and ranks third in digs (192). With her final season as a Duhawk approaching its end, fans should expect to see impressive play from Jendra.
BLOCKING THE COMPETITION •••Heading into this week's contests, Loras ranks second in the Iowa Conference in blocks per set with 1.81. With 147 total blocks, the Duhawks hold a slim .5 point lead over University of Dubuque for the conference lead in blocks. Junior
Danni Kennedy currently leads both the team and conference in blocks per set with 1.06. Her total of 84 blocks ranks second in the conference.
DUHAWKS STRONG ON DEFENSE •••Heading into this week's play, the women's volleyball team hasn't lost a game at home since Sept. 12 against Wheaton. The Duhawks are coming off a strong weekend at the Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament where they went 3-1. Their only loss was to #1 WashU. Also, the Duhawks are currently leading the conference in digs (275) with an average of 17.4 digs per set. Sophomore
Haley Bergan leads the Duhawks with 421 digs on the year, averaging 4.95 digs per set.
ALL HITTERS AVAILABLE •••Junior setter
Jenna Erickson and freshman
Claire Ritchie have proved that our offensive strategy this year has been working. At all times the Duhawks have a backrow setter which always allows three hitters to be front row. The Duhawks have posted 12.4 kills per set on the season which directly relates to being able to set anybody at any time. Combined with a strong set of hitters, the Duhawks have been hard to defend because everybody has been playing so consistently with six players averaging more than 1.63 kills per set.
