Volleyball Begins WHAC Play, Hosts Lourdes Wednesday

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE VERSION OF WEEK TWO GAME NOTES (PDF)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
Marygrove (1-4, 0-0 WHAC) vs. Lourdes (4-0)
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Detroit Jesuit High School – Detroit, Mich.
Coverage: Live Video | Live Stats (6:45 p.m.)

BY THE NUMBERS
59: The number of kills recorded by senior middle/outside hitter, Rachel Staudt (Novi, Mich./Lawrence Tech). After sitting out 2014 due to the WHAC transfer rule, Staudt started her final campaign on fire in Arizona, tallying an impressive 59 kills in five matches. The solid five-match effort lifted Staudt to the team lead in kills and hitting percentage (.388).

3: Three (3) Mustangs boasting 1.70 kills per set or more from last season return in 2015, including 2014 kills leader Ashley Murphy. Last season, Murphy paced the Mustangs attack with 253 total kills and 2.28 kills per set, while Hailey Brandes and Alixandria Pappas checked in with kills per set averages of 1.84 and 1.70, respectively.

1: Fourth-year head coach Jamie Baker and the Mustangs opened the 2015 season with a 3-0 win over Providence Christian College (Calif.) on Aug. 20 in Arizona. The 3-0 victory marked the first (1) sweep to open a season in program history and was the third time in four seasons the Mustangs picked up a season-opening win during the Coach Baker era.

MUSTANG ROUNDUP
The Mustangs finished their first ever Arizona trip with a 1-4 record. After winning the opener in sweeping fashion, the Mustangs fell in their final four matches out west despite battling tough in each contest. This week, the Mustangs begin WHAC play against Lourdes – the team’s lone match of the week – before hitting the road for a trio of away matches next week.

MURPHY AND STAUDT DOMINATE
Junior outside hitter Ashley Murphy (Southfield, Mich./Clarenceville High School) and senior Rachel Staudt enjoyed a dominant Arizona tournament, combining for 113 kills and a hitting percentage of over .300 through the team’s first five matches.

JURY SETS THE OFFENSE UP
Now this is how you get off to a fast start! Junior setter Hayley Jury (Plymouth, Mich./Ladywood High School) made the most of the season-opener trip out west by tossing up a stellar 174 assists to quarterback the Mustangs offense.

MEET THE NEW GIRLS!
Three new faces will be donning a Mustang Green and Gold jersey this season after Baker and assistant coach Breann Dotstry brought in community college transfers Brenna Donnelly (Mott CC), Gabby Landis (Cincinnati State CC) and Erica Wilson (Macomb CC).

DID YOU KNOW?
Former Mustang Millie Velez holds the record for kills in a match with 22 against Concordia-Ann Arbor. The 22-kill match happened on Oct. 23, 2013 at UD-Jesuit.

A LOOK AT LOURDES
Head coach Greg Reitz and the Lourdes Gray Wolves have jumped out to a 4-0 record, the best start in program history, after running through the competition at the RMU Eagles Invitational on Aug. 21-22. The Gray Wolves are one of the sleepers to win the WHAC this season after Reitz brought in NCAA Division I transfer talent to add to his corps of solid returners from 2014.

PAPPAS RETURNS
Senior captain Alixandria Pappas (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview High School) is back for her fourth and final campaign, one year after going down with a season-ending injury. Pappas recorded 22 kills during the Arizona trip, good for fourth on the team.

NEXT HOME MATCH IS SEPT. 16
The Mustangs will hit the road for three matches before returning to the friendly floor at UD-Jesuit High School on Sept. 16 when WHAC foe Indiana Tech visits the Motor City. Live video begins at 6:45 p.m. on marygrovemustangs.com/live.

LIBERO HERE, LIBERO THERE
Sophomore returner Amber Kelly (Mt. Morris, Mich./Mt. Morris High School) and newcomer Erica Wilson (Warren, Mich./Macomb Community College) split time at libero during the season-opening Arizona trip. Wilson saw the bulk of the time, appearing at libero in four matches. 

THE MUSTANG SPORTS NETWORK
Watch all home games via live video on marygrovemustangs.com/live – your home for in-game coverage with Jeremy Otto and Brendan Johnson on the call.

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