Davidson Set to Entertain Duquesne and La Salle

Teams	Davidson vs. Duquesne
Date	Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.
Venue	John M. Belk Arena
Live Stream	Atlantic 10 Network
Live Stats	Live Stats

Teams	Davidson vs. La Salle
Date	Oct. 25 at 1 p.m.
Venue	John M. Belk Arena
Live Stream	Atlantic 10 Network
Live Stats	Live Stats

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson volleyball team returns home to host Duquesne and La Salle this weekend as Atlantic 10 play continues. The Wildcats will first take to the court Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. against the Dukes and will face the Explorers Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m.

About Davidson
Davidson is 8-13 overall and owns a 2-5 mark in conference play. The Wildcats are currently in a four-way tie for sixth place with VCU, Fordham and George Mason. Davidson enters the weekend looking to snap a two-match losing streak.

Dig Pink
Friday's match against Duquesne will be the Cats' annual Dig Pink event to benefit The Side-Out Foundation, an organization dedicating to furthering breast cancer awareness, education and patient services. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support. There will be a silent auction, which features prizes such as basketball season tickets, and a raffle with a chance to win an Ipad. All proceeds will benefit the foundation.

Fans can also support the Side-Out Foundation and the Wildcats with a donation. Click here to learn more.

Friday night, the Wildcats will also welcome campers back from their 2015 summer camps. The first 25 campers will get to join the Wildcats on the floor for starting lineups.

Last Time Out
Davidson hit the road last weekend for a two-match swing at Dayton and Saint Louis. The Wildcats fell in straight sets to the Flyers on Friday night before dropping a 3-1 battle against the Billikens.

Againt Saint Louis, Kelly Friers controlled the offense for Davidson, finishing the afternoon with a team-high 10 kills, a .273 hitting percentage and five digs. Mikayla Derochie just missed a double-double with nine kills and 14 assists. Derochie hit .375 on the day. Ciera Cockrell registered seven kills and Sabrina Shepherd chipped din six of her own. Morgan Shannon added 28 digs with Mason Rooney totaling 23 assists. Davidson registered six total team blocks thanks to two solo blocks and three block assists from Emily Franklin.

Protecting the Net
Emily Franklin and Sabrina Shepherd have helped Davidson average 2.35 blocks per set through 21 matches, good for second in the conference. Franklin the team with 71 total blocks and is fifth in the A-10 with an average of 1.04 blocks per set. Shepherd has recorded 64 total blocks for an average of 1.02 blocks per set, good for eighth among conference leaders.

Immediate Impact
Davidson has benefited from a balanced attack thanks to a trio of freshman – Mason Rooney, Sabrina Shepherd and Ciera Cockrell. Rooney is averaging a team-best 1.81 kills per set to go with a .220 hitting percentage. Cockrell has turned in 124 kills for a 1.68 average, while hitting at the .131 clip. Shepherd has accumulated 121 kills for a 1.92 average per set. Shepherd owns a .312 hitting percentage, which ranks 10th among conference leaders.

Setting It Up
Junior captain and newcomer Mason Rooney have shared the setting duties as the team shifted into a 6-2 offensive system. The Wildcats are averaging 9.5 assists per set. Rooney has totaled 316 assists (4.21 per set), while Derochie has contributed 301 helpers (4.01 per set).

Scouting Duquesne (10-11, 4-3 Atlantic 10)
Duquesne carries a 4-3 A-10 record, and owns a 10-11 mark on the year after defeating George Mason in five sets and falling to George Washington in straight sets Oct. 16-18 at the A.J. Palumbo Center. The Dukes lead the conference with 15.13 digs per set, while ranking fourth in hitting percentage (.216) and fifth in assists per set (11.94) and kills per set (12.76).

Offensively, Madelynn Burnham paces the Dukes, ranking eighth in the conference with 2.90 kills pet set to go along with a .168 hitting percentage, while Lacy Levers owns the seventh-best hitting percentage in the conference (.329) and 2.72 kills per set. Mary Henry has accumulated 839 assists to own a 10.23 assists per set average, fifth among the conference best.

Defensively, Duquesne is the top-ranked passing team in the conference thanks to four players who are averaging over 2.00 digs per set. Sammy Kline leads the way with a team-best 3.83 digs per set, which ranks fifth Iin the conference, while Camryn Vecera has chipped in 2.81 digs per set, good for 10th in the A-10. Molly Davet (2.75) and Mary Henry (2.21) have helped to anchor the back row for the Dukes.

Scouting La Salle (6-18, 0-7 Atlantic 10)
La Salle enters the weekend with a 6-18 overall record, and a 0-7 mark in A-10 play. The Explores most recently fell at nonconference Maryland Eastern Shore, 3-0. In conference play, the Explores dropped matches against George Washington, 3-0 and George Mason, 3-1, Oct. 16-18. La Salle comes to Davidson looking to snap a 12-match looking skid that dates back Sept. 16.

Bryanna Davis paces the La Salle offense with 2.51 kills per set and a .180 hitting percentage, while Ashley Felton is registering 2.01 strikes per set. Taylor Hite is the primary setter for the Explorers and the freshman is averaging 8.43 assists per set, which ranks seventh in the A-10. Defensively, Jensen Sharrits has registered 345 digs to own a 4.11 average per set.

Looking Ahead
Davidson will travel to Richmond, Va., Oct 31 to face VCU. The match is set for 4 p.m.

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