QU Volleyball Opens 2016 Season At La Salle Invitational

Friday, August 26

Philadelphia, PA

2:30 PM

Quinnipiac University

Saint Francis University

QU Volleyball Opens 2016 Season At La Salle Invitational

8/24/2016 2:28:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac Bobcats at La Salle Invitational
Aug. 26-27, 2016
Philadelphia, Pa.
vs. St. Francis (Pa.), La Salle, NJIT, Morgan State
Live Stats: GoExplorers.com
Follow on Twitter: @QUWVB

2016 SEASON BEGINS
The Quinnipiac volleyball team plays its first four matches of the 2016 season at the La Salle Invitational this weekend. The Bobcats open up with Saint Francis (Pa.) University and host La Salle on Friday, and then take on NJIT and Morgan State on Saturday. A year ago, Quinnipiac picked up a win in its season-opening tournament, knocking off Holy Cross 3-2 at the Hampton Invitational in Virginia.

YOU AGAIN?
The Bobcats will face rematches with two of the four teams in the La Salle Invitational later this fall. Quinnipiac will have a second match against NJIT at the Terrier/Rose Hill Classic, co-hosted by Saint Francis Brooklyn and Fordham on Sept. 2-3, facing the Highlanders at Saint Francis on Friday, Sept. 2. The Bobcats will then face La Salle a second time on the opening day of the Providence Invitational on Sept. 9.

SENIOR CLASS
Quinnipiac enters the new season with a seven-member senior class, who will be looking to lead the Bobcats back to the postseason this fall. Setter Emma Ogden, middle hitters Allison Leigh and Sam Alechko, outside hitters Katie Urycki and Jamie Paolucci, and defensive specialists Cody Michaels and Jana Kmec give the Bobcats plenty of veteran leadership, in contrast to a year ago, when Chandler Thornton was the only senior on the roster.

LEIGH BACK IN LINEUP
The Bobcats have an important re-addition to the lineup this year, as senior middle hitter Allison Leigh is back after missing almost all of last season with an injury. She already ranks fifth in school history in career blocks with 286 in only two full seasons, as well as placing second among players who played their entire careers at the Division I level. Leigh was off to an impressive start last season before her injury, tallying 23 blocks in only three matches, including a high of 10. She ranked third in the MAAC in blocks per set as a sophomore with 1.16.

COFFEY TALK
Sophomore outside hitter Jen Coffey was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team last season in a vote of the league's head coaches. Coffey ranked third on the Bobcats with 176 kills in just 18 matches while leading the Bobcats with 2.71 kills per set. The freshman recorded double-digit kills in 10 contests, with a high of 18 against UMass-Lowell. She posted arguably her best match of the season in the Bobcats' 2015 finale at home against Manhattan with 14 kills in 18 attempts, giving her a 722 hitting percentage.

SISTER ACT
The Bobcats have two sets of siblings on this year's team, with the addition of freshman outside hitter Natalie Alechko and freshman defensive specialist Lauren Miller to the roster. Alechko's older sister, Sam, is a senior outside hitter on this year's squad, while Miller's older sister, Kat, is a sophomore setter.

DEEP FRESHMAN CLASS JOINS 2016 BOBCATS
Quinnipiac added six members of the Class of 2020 to its 2016 roster. In addition to Natalie Alechko and Lauren Miller (see above note), the Bobcats also added defensive specialist Maddie Lough, outside hitters Kaleigh Oates and Alejandra Rodriguez, and setter Maria Pansari. The recruiting class stretches south to Puerto Rico, where Rodriguez is originally from (before playing high school volleyball in Florida), and as far west as the Cleveland area (Lough). Alechko and Pansari are both from New Jersey, while Miller and Oates are products of the same Pennsylvania high school (see below note).

VILLA MARIA CONNECTION
Sophomore Kat Miller, freshman Lauren Miller (Kat's younger sister), and freshman Kaleigh Oates were all part of a successful Villa Maria Academy high school program in Pennsylvania before coming to Quinnipiac. Oates and Laura Miller helped Villa Maria earn a District 1 championship and an appearance in the state semifinals last fall, while the three alumnae were responsible for leading the team to AACA league titles and district finals appearances in 2013 and 2014.

MISS VERSATILITY
Sophomore Kat Miller was one of the most valuable members of the Bobcats in her freshman season, due to her ability to play multiple positions. Miller vacillated between the setter and outside hitter positions and was successful in both roles, tallying a team-high 454 assists and 280 digs, while also 164 kills and 73 blocks. Miller would often change positions in the same match, including a near-triple double with 21 assists, 12 digs, nine kills and four blocks in a win over Saint Peter's.

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS
The Bobcats return a wealth of talent from a year ago, including their top six leaders in kills. Senior Katie Urycki led the way last season with 279 kills, while junior Elizabeth Kloos was second with 218. Kloos was also the most efficient attacker with a .272 hitting percentage, followed by senior Sam Alechko with a .225 percentage. Sophomore Jen Coffey, meanwhile, was tops on the Bobcats in kills per set with 2.71, followed by Urycki's 2.61, while sophomore Kat Miller (454) was the team leader in assists. Defensively, Kloos (111) and Alechko (88) were 1-2 in blocks (senior Allison Leigh was at an impressive 1.92 blocks per set through three matches, before being lost to injury). Miller and senior Cody Michaels were 1-2 in digs with 280 and 235, respectively.

KLOOS LETS LOOSE
Junior middle hitter Elizabeth Kloos had a strong finish to last season, which she hopes will carry over into 2016. In late October and early November, she had a stretch where she hit .350 or higher five times in seven matches, including a .455 effort against eventual MAAC champion Fairfield (Oct. 22). Against UMass Lowell on Oct. 25, she tallied 12 kills in 22 attempts for a .409 percentage, and then she had eight kills in three straight matches against Canisius, Hartford and Rider on Nov. 1, 4 and 7. Her top effort of the season came on Sept. 23 against Saint Francis (N.Y.) with 14 kills in 21 attempts, hitting at a .571 clip.

NEXT UP
Quinnipiac will be back in action after the La Salle Invitational for its home opener, entertaining Bryant on Wednesday, Aug. 31 for a 7 p.m. contest. Bryant edged the Bobcats 3-1 in the season opener last year at the Hampton Invitational.