ABOUT THE MARAUDERS
• Millersville's 2018 season opens Wednesday at home against Goldey-Beacom. The Marauders return four starters from a team that went 18-11 and posted its best winning percentage since 1999. The Marauders missed a spot in the PSAC Tournament by one win and were picked third out of four teams in the PSAC East preseason poll. The Eastern Division is a new home for Millersville after playing the last two seasons in the Central. Millersville's new in-division opponents are West Chester, Kutztown and East Stroudsburg. Millersville had more wins and a better conference record than both Kutztown and East Stroudsburg in 2017.
• Millersville has posted a winning record at home in each of the last three seasons. Millersville has also won its season opener in each of the last five years. Wednesday's match marks the first time since 2015 that Millersville has opened its season at home.
• Millersville's returners are outside hitter
Lindsey Blevins, setter
Katie Laughman, libero
Kat Forry and outside hitter
Haley Butler. Millersville does not have a senior on its roster, but Butler and Laughman are both two-year starters. Blevins ranked fourth in the PSAC in kills as a freshman, and Forry ranked eighth in the PSAC in digs as a freshman.
Samantha Miller also started 10 matches in 2017.
Courtney Turocy was one of the top servers in the PSAC, totaling 30 aces in in just 67 sets played.
• The Marauders ranked 15th out of 16 teams in the PSAC in blocks in 2017, but the front line will be bolstered by the addition of 6-3
Jayci Suseland. Suseland was an All-GLIAC selection at Grand Valley State in 2016. She ranked fourth in the league in kills per set, 12th in block assists and 13th in solo blocks. Last season she totaled 59 blocks, which is exactly half of Millersville's full team total in 2017.
SERIES HISTORY
Series vs. Goldey-Beacom: 15-0
Series Streak: Millersville, 15
First Meeting: 2002 (W, 3-0)
Last Meeting: 2017 (W, 3-1)
Last 10 Meetings: 10-0, Ville
Brian Smith vs. G-B: 3-0
THE LAST MEETING: MILLERSVILLE 3, GOLDEY-BEACOM 1 (Sept. 1, 2017)
• Millersville won a narrow 26-24 decision in the opening set and Goldey-Beacom took the second. The Marauders rolled in sets three (25-18) and four (25-16). Millersville posted a .296 hitting percentage and recorded at least 14 kills in each set. Blevins totaled 23 kills to just three errors. Laughman set a career-high with 50 assists.
SCOUTING THE LIGHTNING
• Goldey-Beacom went 12-19 in 2017 and are off to a 1-2 record with a win over Salem and losses to New York Tech and Kutztown. Through three matches, the Lightning have posted a .096 hitting percentage with 101 kills and 74 errors. Shayla Boyce was named CACC Rookie of the Week last week after totaling 31 kills in the opening three matches. Sophomore Linsay Przywara was named to the weekly honor roll with 40 kills, 26 digs and five kills. Przywara was the 2016 CACC Rookie of the Year but missed all of 2017 with an injury. Makinsie Balderson ranked sixth in Division II with 60 aces in 2017.
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