Holly Young Invitational Welcomes URI, Siena, Dartmouth (Sept. 15-16)

Friday, September 15

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

Siena College

Holly Young Invitational Welcomes URI, Siena, Dartmouth (Sept. 15-16)

9/14/2017 7:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

UNH VOLLEYBALL
12^th Annual Holly Young Invitational
Sept. 15 & 16 • Lundholm Gym • Durham, N.H.

Friday, Sept. 15
Dartmouth (3-3) vs. Rhode Island (3-6), 4:30 pm • Video • Stats
Siena (0-8) at UNH (2-9), 7 pm • ESPN3 • Stats
Saturday, Sept. 16
Dartmouth vs. Siena, 10 am • Video • Stats
Rhode Island at UNH, 12:30 pm • ESPN3 • Stats
Siena vs. Rhode Island, 4:30 pm • Video • Stats
Dartmouth at UNH, 7 pm | Pack The Arena • ESPN3 • Stats

ABOUT HOLLY YOUNG

Holly Young was a member of the UNH's volleyball team for a short time, but her impact on the program carries on. Holly passed away Jan. 24, 2008 after a courageous three-year battle with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
At the annual team banquet, one of the awards presented is the Holly Young MVP.
This past May, the 13^th Annual Volley 4 Holly raised close to $1,500 for the Holly Young Fund, which benefits The Jimmy Fund.

ABOUT THE TOURNEY

Wildcat fans are challenged to help the UNH volleyball program break its home attendance record when UNH battles intrastate rival Dartmouth on Saturday at 7 p.m.
All three UNH matches will be on ESPN3.

WELCOME BACK TO THE TOURNEY

URI is making its third appearance in the Holly Young Invitational tournament. The Rams also competed in 2008 and 2014.
Dartmouth is competing in the Holly Young Invitational tourney for the second time. The Big Green's previous appearance was in 2010.

WELTI NAMED AMERICA EAST DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK

Sophomore Logan Welti was honored as the America East Defensive Specialist of the Week on Tuesday (Sept. 12). She averaged 4.90 digs per set and helped UNH limit the opposition to a .179 hitting percentage in three matches last week.
Welti recorded a match-high 17 digs against PAC-12 school Washington State and finished the Fairfield Invitational with a team-leading 19 digs against the host school.
Also of note, Welti's 13 digs vs. Bryant University on Sept. 5 helped limit the Bulldogs to a .134 hitting percentage and led the Wildcats to a straight-set victory

FIVE SET THRILLER IN BOSTON

UNH won two of the first three sets but Northeastern University rallied to capture the last two sets for a 3-2 victory at Cabot Center on Tuesday night. It was the Wildcats' first five-set match of the season.
The set scores were 25-20, 21-25, 26-28, 25-13, 15-12. Recap • Box
Sophomore outside hitter Kennedi Smith recorded her third double-double of the season – fourth career – with a team-high 15 kills and 17 digs.
Junior middle blocker and captain Gabri Olhava finished with 14 kills, a .243 hitting percentage, six blocks and five service aces.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

UNH enters the Holly Young Invitational at Northeastern with a 2-9 overall record that includes 1-0 at home.
New Hampshire has a 2-3 record in three-set matches, 0-5 record in matches decided by four sets and is 0-1 in five-set matches.
UNH has lost the first set in 7 of 11 matches. The opposition has won the fourth set all six times.
UNH is averaging 11.1 kills per set on a .144 team hitting percentage; in comparison, the opponents' numbers are 13.1 kills/set at a .233 clip. The opposition has a 96-49 edge in blocks. The Wildcats have the smallest of advantages – 67-66 – in service aces.

PUT ME IN, COACH

Junior middle blocker and captain Gabri Olhava is the only Wildcat who has played all 40 sets in 11 matches.
Freshman setter Emma Patlovich and Logan Welti have seen action in 39 of 40 sets.

TOP 'CAT

Sophomore outside hitter Kennedi Smith is UNH's leader in kills, with 117, and kills per set at 3.25; she is also atop the team leaderboard in points (136) and points/set (3.78).
Smith has led the team (or tied for the team lead) in kills each of the past eight matches, including a season-high of 14 against Sacramento State, Butler and Bryant.

BLOCK PARTY

Gabri Olhava has a team-best 31 blocks (7 solo, 24 assisted); she has tallied 16 blocks – more than half the season total – the past two matches.
She has led the team (or tied for the team lead) in blocks eight times this season.
Olhava recorded a career high of 10 blocks at Fairfield last Saturday; the last time a Wildcat reached double digits in blocks was Oct. 19, 2014 (Demi Muses, 11, at Hartford); Cassidy Croci also had 11 blocks Aug. 30, 2014.
In other stats, Olhava is second in kills (95), kills/set (2.38), points (131) and points/set (3.28)

SMOKING ACES

Gabri Olhava has a team-high 17 service aces, and she has also led – or tied for the lead – in aces six times.
She recorded five aces this past Tuesday at Northeastern; that total is tied for the most by a Wildcat this season (established by Kennedi Smith at St. John's).
Olhava recorded three aces in 2 of three matches at the Michigan Tournament. (against Wisconsin Green Bay and Butler)

DIG THIS

Logan Welti has a team-high 174 digs and is averaging 4.46 per set.
She has led UNH in digs in 8 of 11 matches, including 19 each of the past two matches and a career-high 21 vs. UConn.

GIVING ASSISTANCE

Emma Patlovich is UNH's leader in assists, with 265, and assists/set (6.79).
She has been UNH's top 'Cat in assists in 9 of 11 matches with 30-plus assists four times, including a career high 36 against Wisconsin-Green Bay.

CONFERENCE CALL

New Hampshire leads the America East conference in service aces (67) and service aces per set (1.68).
Logan Welti is atop the America East leaderboard in digs (174) and is No. 2 in digs per set (4.46).
Gabri Olhava has a league-high 17 service aces and is second in aces/set (0.43). She is also fifth in blocks/set (0.78) and ninth in hitting percentage (.212).
Kennedi Smith is No. 3 in kills per set (3.25) and No. 4 in service aces per set (0.39).
Emma Patlovich is sixth in assists per set (6.79) and eighth in service aces per set (0.33).
Senior outside hitter and captain Courtney Bowman ranks ninth in digs per set (3.00).

HIRSCHINGER'S HISTORY

This is the 22^nd year as UNH head coach for Jill Hirschinger. She recorded her 750^th career victory when the Wildcats prevailed 3-1 at UMBC last October.
Of her 757 career wins, 348 have been at UNH's helm.
Hirschinger has been named America East Coach of the Year six times.

UNH vs. SIENA

UNH has a 1-5 lifetime record against Siena College and that includes last year's 3-2 win at the Beantown Challenge (Harvard University).
- The set scores were 25-21, 21-25, 18-25, 25-16, 15-13. Recap • Box
Emily Tanski recorded her first career double-double (15 kills, 14 digs) to lead the Wildcats to victory .

SCOUTING THE SAINTS

Siena College (Loudonville, N.Y.) enters the weekend with a 0-8 overall record including five loses on the road.
The Saints lost all three matches last weekend (to Robert Morris, Penn and LaSalle) at the Penn-LaSalle Tournament.
The Saints are averaging 7.5 kills per set on a .061 attack percentage while their opponents have recorded 13.2 kills per set on a .313 attack percentage.
Nicole Deobler (2.45 kills/set) and Dakota Jackson (2.04 kills/set) are the top two options on offense.
Tyla Parker leads the team with 5.79 assists/set.

UNH vs. URI

UNH has a 3-21 lifetime record against Rhode Island.
The Wildcats prevailed in five sets the last time these teams met in the 9^th Annual Holly Young Invitational (Sept. 20, 2014). Recap • Box
- The set scores were 23-25, 25-20, 26-24, 26-28, 15-12.
That was the 700^th career win (291^st at UNH) for head coach Jill Hirschinger.

SCOUTING THE RAMS

The University of Rhode Island (Kingston, R.I.) enters the Holly Young Invitational with an overall record of 3-6 that following a 1-2 weekend at its Art Carmichael Invitational.
The Rams closed that tourney with back-to-back 3-1 losses to Northeastern and Columbia.
URI is 0-2 on the road and 2-2 at neutral sites.
URI is averaging 11.18 kills per set on a .146 hitting percentage.
Live Lunde Fossdal (2.61 kills/set) and Marie Gillcrist (2.33 kills/set) are the top two options on offense.
Lauren Pick leads the team with 8.76 assists set.
Marie Gillchrist (44), Lauren Pick (31), and Jenna McGuire (23) are the top three leaders in blocks

UNH vs. DARTMOUTH

UNH has a 15-10 lifetime record against Dartmouth College.
The Big Green prevailed 3-2 in the most recent meeting (Sept. 13, 2014).
- The set scores were 13-25, 25-21, 15-25, 25-20, 15-11.
- Recap • Box
UNH's most recent win against Dartmouth was Sept. 23, 2012; the Wildcats were straight-set victors at Lundholm Gym.

SCOUTING THE BIG GREEN

Dartmouth College (Hanover, N.H.) enters the weekend with a 3-3 overall record that includes 0-1 on the road and 1-1 at neutral sites.
Last week at the Dartmouth Invitational, the Big Green went 2-1 with a loss to Syracuse (3-1) followed by wins vs. Iona (3-1) and Sacred Heart (3-2).
DC is averaging 8.8 kills per set on a .097 hitting percentage in comparison to the opponent's 11.3 kills/set and .158 hitting percentage.
Abby Kott (1.92 kills/set) and Sara Lindquist (1.77 kills/set) lead the team in kills.
Tori Dozier is the primary setter at 6.57 assists per set.
Defensively, Lauren Douglas is averaging a team-high 3.65 digs per set and Carly Tower is at 1.35 blocks per set.

2017 WILDCAT ACCOLADES