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Millersville

WVB Celebrates

Women's volleyball seeks playoff revenge against Shepherd in PSAC Quarterfinals

11/19/2024 7:00:00 AM

By: Wes Champlin, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
  • Series: 5-11
  • Series Streak: Shepherd, 2
  • First Meeting: L, 1–3 (2009)
  • Last Meeting: L, 0–3 (2024)

ABOUT THE MATCH

  • The Millersville women's volleyball team (15-14, 7-7) enters Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Quarterfinal play against rival Shepherd (23-4, 14-0) in a win-or-go-home scenario. The Marauders enter the playoffs as the fourth seed in the bracket while the Rams' undefeated conference record gives them the first seed. Shepherd swept Millersville in the teams' most recent matchup on Nov. 16 to close out the regular season.

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

  • After vaulting themselves into the playoffs with an upset win over Shippensburg on Nov. 15, the Marauders fell in straight sets to Shepherd the very next day. Millersville began the conference season slow but has come on strong over the past month, posting a 6-3 record against league opponents since Oct. 18. 
  • They posted their best performance of the season on Friday night against the Raiders, upsetting the PSAC East's second seed in five sets. Key to that win was a strong first set-and-a-half on the defensive end, as Millersville had its best stretch of passing/receiving to that point; they had one reception error in each of first two sets and neither one was attributed to a player. Also important to the victory was their front line, as they had seven total blocks to the Raiders' four. 
  • Offensively, Millersville was carried by different players throughout the match. Emma Kerwin started hot, recording seven of her 18 kills in the first set. After she cooled off in the next two sets, Taylor Welter took over; the junior had seven of the team's 16 kills in the fourth set victory and didn't commit an error. Down the stretch, it was Welter and Sam White who were the main beneficiaries of Emma Ludwig's assists–White had a stretch of three straight kills in the final set to bring her team back and eventually take the lead. 
  • The next day was a different story, as the Rams entered Pucillo Gymnasium and defeated the Marauders soundly. One of the main reasons for the outcome was a bevy of errors in all facets of the game. Shepherd put up 12 total blocks to the ‘Ville’s three and the Marauders committed 12 receiving errors to Shepherd's five while recording a team hitting percentage a tenth of what they had the night before. 
  • Those three areas will most certainly determine the outcome of the match, as the Marauders sport an 8-3 record when they have five or fewer receiving errors this game. The magic number for hitting percentage has been .170; when Millersville hits below that mark, the team has a 1-7 record this season. 
  • Also key will be a balanced offensive attack, which is a tough task against Shepherd's strong front row. When White and Caroline Halsey consistently receive touches at the net, the Marauders are hard to stop. That pair ranks third and 12th in hitting percentage in the PSAC with marks of .342 (White) and .295 (Halsey). If that pair gets going, then life for the team's trio of regulars on the outside (Welter, Kerwin and Kylee Schurig) becomes much easier and the team's attack becomes more unpredictable and harder to stop. 

SCOUTING THE RAMS

  • After a down year in 2023, the Shepherd Rams have returned to dominance in 2024. The Rams have rattled off 15 straight victories since entering conference play on Sept. 27 including two sweeps of the Marauders. In an odd twist, all four of the teams' losses came in in the IUP tournament on Sept. 20 and 21, where they went 0-4. They have a perfect 12-0 record at home this season. While the Rams list only three of their players at six feet tall or more, many looked to be a bit taller than their listed height during their most recent trip to the 'Ville. 
  • Key to the team's success is an imposing front line and an evenly-distributed attack. Right side hitter Joi Fairweather paces the Rams in kills with 255 and just won PSAC East Athlete of the Week for her performances against West Chester and Millersville last week. Fairweather totaled 23 kills while hitting over .300 in both matches and recording nine total blocks in the two matches. 
  • Middle hitter Rylee Lenz has been the most efficient of the Rams' top attackers and was a problem against the Marauders on Nov. 16. She's posted a hitting percentage of .313 on 234 kills this season, a hitting mark that ranks eighth in the conference. Lenz had five kills and six total blocks on Nov. 16 at Millersville. Shepherd's other two top attackers are Sophia Ryan and Amya Davis, who have 214 and 215 kills, respectively. 
  • The Rams as a team have the second most total blocks in the conference (267.5) and are led by the aforementioned Ryan, who also leads the conference in denials with 139.0. The sophomore earned a PSAC East Athlete of the Week nod and a Defensive Athlete of the Week nod in the month of October. Ryan has reached double figures in total blocks twice this season and had five or more in seven straight matches between Sept. 21 and Oct. 12. Fairweather and Lenz have also made their presence known at the net this season and have totaled 119.0 and 108.0 blocks, respectively; Fairweather ranks sixth in the conference in that category while Lenz is right behind her at seventh.
  • Total blocks are one of eight statistics that the Rams rank top three in the conference in. Most telling of the others are the hitting percentages for and against Shepherd; they rank first in team hitting percentage at .231 and first in hitting percentage against at .133. 

THE LAST TIME OUT

  • Millersville & Shepherd : Millersville 0, Shepherd 3 (Nov. 16, 2024) - Millersville was swept at home by the Rams to close out the regular season. Shepherd entered on a 14-match winning streak and was able to secure a perfect conference record in 2024 with the victory. The hosts were plagued by receiving and hitting errors throughout the match in addition to losing the battle at the net with three total blocks to Shepherd's 12. 
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