University of Massachusets Athletics
Volleyball To Face La Salle, Temple On The Road
November 10, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 10, 1999
AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts volleyball team is facing some crucial matches the next two weekends, as it fights for a berth in the Atlantic 10 tournament from Nov. 26-27 in Philadelphia, Pa. The top four teams in the conference participate in the tournament. The Minutewomen are currently in sixth place in the conference standings at 8-6 (14-11 overall).
"We have been practicing really well," head coach Bonnie Kenny says. "And that is encouraging because the last couple of weeks we practiced well and then played well."
UMass? first test will come this weekend when the Minutewomen square off against ninth-place La Salle and first-place Temple on Nov. 12 and 13, respectively, in Philadelphia, Pa.
UMass? dynamic senior duo of Kari Hogancamp (Huntington, Beach, Calif.) and Jill Meyers (Huntington Beach, Calif.) will have to put in some solid performances this weekend if they want to end their UMass career playing in a postseason tournament. The pair is leading the squad in kills and in digs with Meyers averaging 4.24 kills per game and Hogancamp collecting 5.21 digs per game. Hogancamp has led the nation in digs for the past seven weeks.
"We don?t beat anybody in the conference without Kari and Jill playing well," Kenny says.
The Minutewomen are also hoping junior Rebecca Hasson (Riverside, Calif.) can continue to put in some substantial numbers offensively and defensively for the team. Hasson hit .413 last week during three matches, averaging 4.33 kills per game to lead the squad. She tallied a career-high .647 hitting percentage against Duquense on Nov. 5. Hasson is third on the team in kills with 3.12 kills per game and ranks first on the squad in blocks with 1.23 a game.
UMass as a team in ranked 11th in the nation in digs per game and is 4-6 on the road this season.
The Minutewomen will take on the Explorers on Friday at 7 p.m., who are coming into the match with a 2-11 mark in the Atlantic 10 (15-15 overall). Melissa Hodge is averaging 4.35 kills and 1.01 blocks per game. UMass swept La Salle at home on Oct. 9 and is undefeated in the series with 14 wins.
"I have a real concern for La Salle," Kenny says. "It is obviously a team that is playing really well on paper. They had a big win against Penn and they defeated Virginia Tech, which nobody in the conference expected. Melissa Hodge, who didn?t play against us earlier this season, is playing now, and she is a primary attacker for them. We have our work cut out for them."
The Minutewomen will face the Owls at 3 p.m. on Saturday, who come into the match with a 11-2 record in the conference (17-5 overall). Alma Kovaci leads the squad with 5.11 kills and 4.30 digs per game. She is ranked 11th in the nation in kills per game. Temple defeated UMass in Amherst, 3-0, on Oct. 8, and lead the series, 14-6.
"We have to play great against Temple," Kenny says. "They are the top team in the conference, and they are playing really well player for player. They don?t have too many weaknesses and they are pretty deep."
The Minutewomen will finish up the regular season the following weekend on Nov. 19 and 20, versus seventh-place Virginia Tech and fourth-place George Washington at 7 p.m. in Curry Hicks Cage.
