Losers of four in a row, the Stony Brook’s women volleyball team has a hard, must-win series coming up.
The Seawolves (10-13, 5-7 CAA) will return to Pritchard Gymnasium to battle against the William & Mary Tribe (12-10, 7-5 CAA) this weekend for a two-match set. William & Mary is looking to break out of its three-way tie for fourth place in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) standings, while Stony Brook needs two wins to ascend from 10th place. Opening set is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
The Seawolves’ identity is their high-scoring offense, as they rank fifth with 16.17 points per set. The combination of outside hitters Kali Moore and Leoni Kunz are at the forefront of their offensive scheme. After a devastating loss against Towson last weekend, Moore’s kills per set took a dip from fifth in CAA last week to seventh currently (3.17). She still ranks fifth in the conference with 3.80 points per set. Kunz is averaging 2.89 kills per set and 3.28 points per set, both of which are narrowly beneath the CAA’s top 10.
Fellow outside hitter Abby Stanwood provides additional firepower to Stony Brook’s attack, averaging 2.49 kills per set as the third option. Middle blocker Abby Campbell is very involved on offense, as she is the team’s third-leading scorer with 2.63 points per set.
The offense is run by setter Torri Henry, whose 10.55 assists per set are second-best in the CAA.
Attack errors have plagued the Seawolves all season long and relegated them to just the eight-best hitting percentage in the CAA at .202. Perhaps their strength is their service, as they rank fifth in the conference in service aces per set (1.54). Henry, Moore and libero Julia Patsos all are both ranked in the top 10 in aces, with Henry’s 40 ranking second. Moore is not far behind with 36 aces, landing her fifth. Overall, seven different Stony Brook players have served a double-digit number of aces.
The Tribe are nowhere near the level of the Seawolves’ offensive firepower. They rank in the bottom half of the conference in all of the major offensive categories.
William & Mary will look to middle blocker Olivia Esposito and outside hitter Taylor Burrell for some juice on offense. Esposito boasts a conference-best .407 hitting percentage, while Burnell is ninth in the CAA with 2.94 kills per set.
The Tribe will look for their floor general — setter Amy Schwem — for easy layups. Schwem is ninth in the conference with 5.37 assists per set.
Stony Brook’s defensive struggles have been on display for much of the season. After letting Towson have a field day, the Seawolves’ .222 opponents’ hitting percentage is the third-worst rate in the CAA. However, one bright spot on their defense has been their ability to dig the ball. Their 15.62 digs per set is third in the CAA. Patsos’ 4.33 digs per set is second-best figure in the conference. However, their blocking leaves a lot to be desired, as their 1.49 blocks per set is the second-worst rate in the conference. Campbell leads the team in total blocks with 48 blocks (two assists and 46 solo) while Kunz trails by only three.
William & Mary is 10th in digs per set with 13.64 per set, but libero Lindsay Kahren has been a bright spot, averaging the ninth-most digs per set (3.17) in the CAA.
The Seawolves may have trouble getting their attacks through the Tribe’s defense at the net. William & Mary is fifth in the conference in blocks per set (2.07). Esposito’s 1.27 blocks per set leads the CAA. Fellow middle blocker Sabrina Malcolm is second on the team in total blocks with 64 (53 assists and 11 solo). Stony Brook has been highly susceptible to blocks, as its opponents are blocking 2.21 attacks per set.
With just two weeks left in the season after this series, the Seawolves are in a must-win situation if they wish to climb into the top six and make the CAA tournament.
