BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College volleyball team opens play in the 2013 Landmark Conference tournament on Tuesday night as the No. 5 seed with a trip to No. 4 The University of Scranton at 7 p.m.
The Greyhounds (12-21) have never missed the Landmark tournament in the conference's seven-year history under 21st-year head coach Shelley Bauder, and are looking to advance to the semifinal round for the fourth consecutive season and sixth time since the advent of the conference in 2007. Moravian finished the 2013 conference slate with a 1-4 record. The Greyhounds are headed to the tournament on a high note after a two-win weekend at the Muhlenberg College tri-match, with a straight-set victory over Swarthmore College and a 3-1 defeat of the rival Mules in a Matte Award match.
"We are very excited to begin Landmark playoffs," Bauder said. "We had a great weekend together as a team and elevated our play to the best it's been all year, so we welcome this road trip to Scranton."
In the first round match on Tuesday, Moravian travels to Scranton (11-23, 2-3 Landmark) in what has shaped up to be an evenly matched all-time series as members of the Landmark Conference.
Since the two sides joined the conference in 2007, the Greyhounds and Royals have played four five-set matches, including a Moravian 3-2 victory in the 2011 Landmark tournament first round, the only time the opponents have met in Scranton. The Greyhounds are 3-1 in those four marathon matches.
The Royals tied the all-time Landmark series at four apiece earlier this year with a 3-1 win at Susquehanna. Moravian won the third set, but Scranton bounced back with the fourth to secure the win. Scranton's Julia Crilly paced all players with 17 kills and a team-high 19 digs. Sophomore libero Andrea Giardina finished with 22 digs, while senior setter Kelly Brown dished out 32 assists and sophomore outside hitter Lauren Hostetler finished with 11 kills to pace the Greyhound attack.
"We are playing much better now than we did in early October," Bauder said. "Our three seniors are ready to take the team into battle on Tuesday. Scranton is certainly a formidable opponent but we have fought through adversity this season and are eager to show everyone how we are stronger and more united than ever."
Both teams will be fighting for a chance to reach the Landmark semifinals. The winner will travel to No. 1 Juniata for the first of two semifinals on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Juniata is attempting to win its seventh straight Landmark Conference crown.
In the second first round match, No. 6 Goucher College visits No. 3 The Catholic University of America, with No. 2 Susquehanna University waiting to host the semifinal against the winner.
Brown currently sits in second place on the Landmark leaderboard with 1,140 assists this season. The senior setter was the third member to join the Moravian 3,000 Assist Club this season and currently has 3,646 career assists. Her 337 digs in 2013 helped her move into fourth place all-time in the school record books with 1,543 career digs.
Freshman middle hitter Taylor Kornmann has led the Moravian attack this year with 335 kills, which ranks fifth in the conference. She also leads the team with a .285 hitting percentage and 81 total blocks, 36 of which are solo stops.
Hostetler is next in line with 309 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Victoria Bobyak has added 176.
Giardina took over the libero position in October and has excelled in the position with 282 digs, 21 assists and 12 service aces.
Brown paces the club from the service line with 34 aces, while Bobyak is right behind with 32. Sophomore defensive specialist Megan Szkolnicki has fired 28 aces from the backline, while junior outside hitter Kelianne Comitalo and senior opposite hitter Katelynn Strohl have 25 and 23 aces, respectively.
The Royals are led by Crilly, a junior outside hitter, who has 391 kills to lead the Landmark Conference. Her 3.36 kills per set also leads the league, while her 368 digs and 57 aces are both team-highs. Rachael Kisto (165 kills), Stephanie Klug (153) and Lizzy Zimmermann (149) round out the balanced Royals' attack.
Freshmen Bailey Woods and Brittany Cafiero have shared setting duties for Scranton this season, with Woods recording 552 assists and Cafiero notching 238.
Freshman libero Victoria Reilly has added 319 digs, while senior outside hitter Michaela McCrudden is second on the squad with 329 digs.
You can follow live stats of the playoff matchup at http://livestats.prestosports.com/scranton/ and follow @MCGreyhounds on Twitter and @moravianathletics on Instagram for live updates during the match.
