ABOUT THE MARAUDERS
• Millersville returns to Pucillo Gymnasium for the first time since Sept. 14, bringing an end to a six-match road swing. The Marauders have won 10 of their last 11 matches and have won 15 consecutive home matches--a streak that has been ongoing since Sept. 8, 2018.
• Millersville is 5-0 at home this season and has won 18 of their last 19 matches in Pucillo Gymnasium. The only loss in that stretch came in five sets.
• Of Millersville's four losses in 2019, two came against nationally-ranked teams, two came in five sets and only one was in three sets. That was in the season opener against then-No. 7 Lewis.
• Millersville has recorded 50 or more kills six times in 15 matches and have hit better than .200 in 11 of the last 13 matches. The Marauders lead the PSAC in hitting percentage at .234.
• Despite having 100 more attack attempts than any other player in the top 12,
Jayci Suseland ranks fifth among PSAC players with a .328 hitting percentage. She is also fourth in kills per set. Suseland has produced at least 10 kills in 12 consecutive matches.
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Katie Laughman ranks fourth in the PSAC in assists per set (9.82). She has topped 40 assists six times already in 2019. She has also recorded 12 double-doubles this season and has hit double-digits in assists and digs in five consecutive matches.
• Laughman enters the weekend with 2,543 career assists, and trails Jessica Franz by 118 for fourth all-time. Laughman needs to average just under 27 assists per match over the remaining 17 regular season matches to become the third Marauder ever to hit 3,000 assists in a career. With 1,165 career digs, Laughman could very well pass her coach
Erin Harman for eighth place as soon as this weekend. She is just 33 digs behind Harman.
• Libero
Kat Forry has been a Marauder for just 71 matches but she has already piled up 1,231 digs, which places her sixth all-time at Millersville. She is 47 digs behind Laura Navin (2005-08) for fifth.
• Millersville is coming off a 10-ace performance against Seton Hill. It was the second time this season that the Marauders have totaled double-digit aces. Freshman
Rebecca Dalstad leads the team with 20. She had four against Seton Hill and has recorded at least one ace in nine consecutive matches.
SERIES HISTORY
Series vs. Pitt-Johnstown: 4-10
Series Streak: UPJ, 2
First Meeting: 1990 (L, 0-3)
Last Meeting: 2018 (L, 0-3)
Last 10 Meetings: 1-9
Brian Smith vs. UPJ: 2-9
• Millersville and UPJ went from 2003 to 2013 without playing. Since UPJ joined the PSAC, it has won nine of 11 matches against Millersville. UPJ won in a closely-contested 3-0 sweep in 2018 (25-20, 27-25, 31-29). Suseland had 16 kills to three errors in the match. The last time UPJ came to Millersville was in 2017, and the Marauders won that match, 3-0.
Series vs. IUP: 9-16
Series Streak: Ville, 1
First Meeting: 1992 (W, 3-1)
Last Meeting: 2018 (W, 3-0)
Last 10 Meetings: 3-7
Brian Smith vs. IUP: 3-6
• Saturday marks the third consecutive meeting between Millersville and IUP that has taken place in Pucillo Gymnasium. In 2018, Millersville won 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 26-24) behind 40 kills and a .245 hitting percentage.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
• Pitt-Johnstown had won six in a row before starting PSAC play against the Southeast Division last weekend. UPJ lost back-to-back 3-0 decisions to Shepherd and Shippensburg. Pitt-Johnstown has played just two true road matches this season and are 0-2 in those matches. Libero Erin Carmody ranks seventh in the PSAC in digs per set (5.18). The Mountain Cats rank 11th in the league in hitting percentage, 12th in kills and 13th in opponent hitting percentage. Caitlin Vrabel has had at least nine kills in every match and is hitting .342 on the season, ranking second in the PSAC.
• IUP has dropped five in a row but has played a tough slate as of late with matches against No. 21 Wheeling and PSAC Southeast leading Shippensburg and Shepherd. The Crimson Hawks did push Shippensburg to five sets on Sept. 27. They also face West Chester Friday before coming to Millersville on Saturday. IUP is 0-3 in true road matches. IUP ranks 15th in the 17-team league in hitting percentage, last in assists and last in kills.
