CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The win at Colgate on Friday night sealed home court advantage for American (24-7, 14-1 PL) in the 2016 Patriot League Volleyball Championship. The Eagles will host the tournament which begins with the semifinals on Saturday, November 19 and concludes with the championship game on Sunday.
With just one game left on the schedule, Colgate (16-10, 12-3) will play in the tournament as the No. 2 seed.
The remaining two spots are up for grabs, with three teams vying for a chance to make a run for the 2016 title.
Army West Point (18-10, 10-4) tallied a 3-0 win over Lafayette on Friday night and captured a crucial five-set victory over Navy on Saturday to hold a slight advantage leading into the final weekend. The Black Knights will need to add one more win to secure a spot in the tournament field, as they prepare to end their season with Lehigh and Bucknell.
A straight-set victory over American on Saturday kept Lehigh's postseason hopes alive, but a crucial road match at Army is ahead on Friday night. The Mountain Hawks (13-15) and Navy (18-8) both hold an 8-6 record against League opponents.
In League play, Holy Cross' Mandy Sifferlen leads the way with 231 kills and is averaging 4.62 k/s. American's Kennedy Etheridge holds a League best 10.57 assists per set while Lehigh's Lauren Bright is averaging a League-best 1.29 blocks per set. Navy's Sydney Shearn leads the League with 4.76 digs per set.
The final week of Patriot League action begins on Friday at 7 p.m. The League slate closes out in Baltimore on Sunday, as Loyola Maryland hosts Navy at 2 p.m.
Last Week's Results
Tuesday, November 1
Colgate 3, Bucknell 1 (25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 25-21)
Friday, November 4
Army West Point 3, Lafayette 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-13)
American 3, Colgate 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-19)
Loyola Maryland 3, Bucknell 1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23)
Navy 3, Holy Cross 1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-12, 25-19)
Saturday, November 5
Colgate 3, Loyola Maryland 0
Lehigh 3, American 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-19)
Holy Cross 3, Lafayette 1 (22-25, 26-224, 25-21, 25-17)
Army West Point 3, Navy 2 (25-20, 23-25, 25-17, 22-25, 15-10)
The volleyball weekly awards for Oct. 31 - Nov. 6 went to Lehigh's Ana Spangenberg and Army West Point's Haven Bethune.
Patriot League Volleyball Weekly Awards
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ANA SPANGENBERG, LEHIGH Fr., RS, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Spangenberg led the Mountain Hawks to a straight-set victory over American, the top team in the Patriot League. The freshman totaled 16 kills, two errors on 23 attempts to hit a blistering .609 in handing the Eagles their first League loss of the season. Her kills and hitting percentage both marked a career high for the rookie. Spangenberg also added three blocks.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
HAVEN BETHUNE, ARMY WEST POINT Fr., S, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Bethune guided the Black Knights to a pair of victories over the week, including a five-set win over Navy. In the straight-set victory over Lafayatte, the freshman posted 25 assists and added six digs and two kills. Against the Midshipmen, she registered a career-high 55 assists and dished out 13 digs to tally her fifth double-double of the season. Bethune finished the week with 80 assists (10 a/s) and 19 digs.
HONORABLE MENTION
CAROLYN BOCKRATH, ARMY WEST POINT Jr., MB, Newport Beach, Calif.
Bockrath led the Black Knights to a 2-0 week, recording seven kills (.455) in a straight-set win over Lafayette. The junior then added 16 kills and hit .452, while adding eight digs, in a five-set thriller over Navy.
ANN ERNST, LOYOLA MARYLAND Fr., OH, Chicago, Illinois
Ernst led the Greyhounds offense to a 1-1 week, registering back-to-back double-digit kill matches. In a four set win over Bucknell, the freshman totaled 20 kills and then added 10 in a three-set loss to Colgate.
Past Weekly Award Winners
Player of the Week
11.01.16 Carolyn Bockrath, Army West Point
10.25.16 Kathleen Harris, Colgate
10.18.16 Aleksandra Kazala, American
10.11.16 Patricia Mattingly, Navy
10.04.16 Aleksandra Kazala, American
09.27.16 Jaelah Hutchison, Colgate
09.20.16 Aleksandra Kazala, American
09.13.16 Mandy Sifferlen, Holy Cross
09.06.16 Amber Clay, Army West Point
08.30.16 Patricia Mattingly, Navy
Rookie of the Week
11.01.16 Bridgette Holland, Bucknell
10.25.16 Shannon Webb, American
10.18.16 Lauren Bright, Lehigh
10.11.16 Vela McBride, American
10.04.16 Bridgette Holland, Bucknell
09.27.16 Jessica Donaldson, Lehigh
09.20.16 Shannon Webb, American
09.13.16 Allie Strong, Army West Point
09.06.16 Allie Strong, Army West Point
08.30.16 Mimi Richards, Bucknell