'Cats On the Road vs. Stony Brook (Oct. 26) & Hartford (Oct. 28)

Friday, October 26 • 6:30 pm • Pritchard Gymnasium • Stony Brook, N.Y.
UNH (9-12, 5-2 AE) at Stony Brook (14-8, 7-0 AE) • Video • Stats

Sunday, October 28 • 1:00 pm • Hartford Volleyball Gym • Hartford, Conn.
UNH (9-12, 5-2 AE) at Hartford (9-10, 2-5 AE) • Stats

UNH VOLLEYBALL DUO HONORED BY AMERICA EAST

Gabri Olhava and Emily Tanski were honored by America East as co-Player of the Week and Defensive Specialist of the Week, respectively. The announcement was made this past Tuesday.
Tanski has received this award four times this season. It is the second honor for Olhava.
Olhava recorded a match-high 17 kills on a .455 hitting percentage; she was also credited with seven digs and one block. The senior captain and middle blocker dominated the third set by recording 10 kills – and no errors – on 13 attacks for a .769 hitting percentage.
Tanski recorded a match-high 19 digs for an average of 6.33 digs per set; she also had one service ace. Tanski recorded eight digs in Set 2 to help limit the River Hawks to a .061 hitting percentage in that set.

UNH vs. STONY BROOK

New Hampshire has a 24-15 lifetime record against the Seawolves.
The Wildcats were defeated 3-1 by Stony Brook earlier this season on Sept. 30 at Lundholm Gymnasium. The set scores were 25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 25-19 • Recap • Box
- Gabri Olhava recorded a match-high 19 kills on 41 attacks, leading to a .341 hitting percentage. Mali Jereczek had a season high in assists with 34.
- After falling behind 8-2 and dropping Set 1, the Wildcats answered with a strong second set but ultimately fell 25-23. In the third set, the 'Cats jumped out to a 6-2 lead and never looked back, eventually stretching their lead to 18-11. The 'Cats won the set 25-21 to extend the match but fell in Set 4.
UNH entered the 2018 season with 10 consecutive wins in this series.
The most recent meeting in Stony Brook was Nov. 5, 2017, when the Wildcats overcame a 2-1 deficit to win by a score of 3-2; the set scores were 25-14, 25-27, 21-25, 25-20, 15-10. • Recap • Box
- Hannah Petke recorded a career-high 24 kills with a .455 hitting percentage while both Kennedi Smith (17k, 14d) and Emma Patlovich (24a, 15d) tallied a double-double.

UNH vs. HARTFORD

The 'Cats are 44-3 all-time against the Hawks.
Earlier this season, UNH defeated Hartford in straight sets at Lundholm Gymnasium on Sept. 28. The set cores were 27-25, 25-16, 25-19
- Gabri Olhava led the team in kills, with 14 on 24 attacks. Kennedi Smith had a career-high three service aces, alongside six kills and nine digs
- The Wildcats and Hawks battled back and forth through the first set, tying at 25-25, before the Wildcats pulled away with two straight points. In the second, after a tie of 9-9, the Wildcats responded with a 10-1 run to put the set away, and went on to win the third set decisively.
In the most recent matchup at Hartford Volleyball Gym (Nov. 9, 2017), UNH prevailed 25-20, 25-20, 25-18.
- Led by Hannah Petke (14 kills, .480 hitting percentage) and Gabri Olhava (10 kills, .389 hitting percentage), the Wildcats recorded a .320 hitting percentage.
Six of the last seven matchups have been decided in straight sets.
Hartford's most recent win was Oct. 13, 2012 on its home court.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

UNH's next home match is Friday, Nov. 2 against Binghamton (7 p.m.)
Tickets for all home matches are available at unhwildcats.com, the box office or by calling (603) 862-4000, as well as game day at the box office.

SHOP UNH

Check out UNHShop.com for the latest in official UNH Wildcats' merchandise.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED

New Hampshire bested the UMass Lowell River Hawks in straight sets on Oct. 19, for the second time this season • Recap • Box
Gabri Olhava finished with a match-high 17 kills on a .455 hitting percentage
Kennedi Smith tallied nine kills and eight digs.
Emma Patlovich directed the Wildcats' offense to a .217 hitting percentage with 34 assists.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE • schedule • stats • news • roster

UNH enters Friday's matchup with a 9-12 overall record that includes 5-2 in America East and 5-3 on the road.
Friday is the second of a three-match road trip for the Wildcats, and it wraps up against Hartford on Sunday.
New Hampshire is 3-2 the past five matches (all in conference play).
The Wildcats are one year removed from a stretch of four consecutive America East regular-season and tournament titles – as well as four straight NCAA tourney appearances. Head coach Jill Hirschinger, a six-time America East Coach of the Year, looks to lead the Wildcats back to the top in 2018.
UNH was picked second in the 2018 America East Volleyball Preseason Poll.

SET-BY-SET BREAKDOWN

UNH has a 4-2 record in three-set matches, 3-8 in four-set matches and 2-2 in five-set matches.
UNH has won Set 1 in 10 of 21 matches and has the edge in Set 3 (13-8). Opponents have won Set 2 in 13 of 21 matches and Set 4 in 9 of 15 matches. The fifth set is tied 2-2.

DOUBLING UP

Kennedi Smith recorded a double-double (14k, 18d) against Albany (Oct. 14) to bring her season total to 10. She tallied 15 kills, 16 digs the previous match at Binghamton and 11 kills, 15 digs before that at UMBC.
Smith has more double-doubles than the rest of her teammates combined.
Emma Patlovich recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 37 assists and 10 digs vs. Princeton on Sept. 14.
Hannah Petke has recorded two double-doubles. She finished with 11 kills and 11 digs at UConn (Aug. 31), and tallied 10 kills with 10 digs vs. Stony Brook (Sept. 30).
Mali Jereczek tallied her only double-double of the year vs. Stony Brook (Sept. 30) with 34 assists and 10 digs.

PUT ME IN, COACH

Three Wildcats enter the weekend having played all 82 sets this season – Gabri Olhava, Emily Tanski and Logan Welti.
Kennedi Smith and Maddie Wiedenfeld have played in 81 of 82 sets. Emma Patlovich has seen action in 77 of 82.
Those are the six players who have played all 21 matches.

'CATS ON THE ATTACK

Gabri Olhava, a second-year captain, leads UNH in kills (262), kills/set (3.20), hitting percentage (.292), points (301.5), points/set (3.68), blocks (54) and blocks/set (0.66).
Maddie Wiedenfeld ranks second in kills (216), kills/set (2.67), points (242) and points/set (2.99), blocks (49) and blocks/set (0.60).
Kennedi Smith is third in kills (194) with an average of 2.40 kills per set; she has a team-high 693 attacks. Smith is also second in digs (259) and digs/set (3.20).

READY TO ASSIST

Emma Patlovich was UNH's primary setter through 17 matches, then split time with Mali Jereczek the weekend of Oct. 5-7. In that weekend, Patlovich tallied 49 assists for an average of 7.00 per set while Jereczek had 29 assists for an average of 4.14 per set.
With Jereczek sidelined the Oct. 14 match against Albany, Patlovich tallied a career high of 58 assists; her previous high was 49 vs. Iona College earlier this year.
For the season, Patlovich has a team-high 717 assists for an average of 9.31 per set. She is also third on the squad in service aces with 19.
Patlovich has recorded 40+ assists eight times, including a stretch of five consecutive matches spanning Sept. 1-8. That streak began with 49 vs. Iona (Sept. 1). She followed that with 47 at Bryant, 43 against both URI and Yale, and 42 vs. Army.
Jereczek recorded a season-high 34 assists Sept. 30 against Stony Brook. She has 125 assists (3.12 per set).

MAKING A DEFENSIVE STAND

Emily Tanski, a junior who was All-Conference First Team in 2016, has transitioned from the front line to the back row this season and has become the Wildcats' primary libero.
Tanski has been named America East Defensive Specialist of the Week four times this year, including each of the first two weeks.
She has amassed 412 digs –153 more than the closest teammate (Kennedi Smith, 259) – for an average of 5.02 digs per set.

SERVING IT UP

Logan Welti is UNH's leader with 26 service aces. Emily Tanski (21) and Emma Patlovich (19) are next.
Welti has recorded multiple aces in a match eight times, including a high of four vs. Iona College (Sept. 1).
Tanski established a season high of three aces vs. UMass Lowell (Sept. 21) and matched that Oct. 14 against Albany.

CONFERENCE CALL

New Hampshire is atop the America East leaderboard in both service aces (1.30 per set) and digs (16.30 per set); the Wildcats also rank second in kills (12.55/set) and assists (11.83/set).
Gabri Olhava is No. 4 in both kills/set (3.20) and hitting percentage (.292), is No. 7 in points/set (3.68/set)
Emily Tanski leads the conference in digs per set (5.02) and is sixth in aces per set (0.26).
Logan Welti is second in aces per set (0.32).
Emma Patlovich is No. 3 in assists per set (9.31) and is No. 7 in aces/set (0.25).
Kennedi Smith is No. 8 in digs/set (3.20).
Maddie Wiedenfeld is No. 10 in kills/set (2.67).

CONFERENCE PLAY

In six America East matches, Gabri Olhava is averaging 3.40 kills per set on a .312 hitting percentage, as well as 0.80 blocks/set.
Kennedi Smith (2.60 kills/set), Hannah Petke (2.57 kills/set) and Maddie Wiedenfeld (2.36 kills/set) have been the other top threats on attack.
The setting duties have been split by Emma Patlovich (9.14 assists/set in 21 sets) and Mali Jereczek (5.71 assists per set in 14 sets).
Emily Tanski is averaging a team-high 4.56 digs per set. She is followed by Kennedi Smith (3.44).

HIRSCHINGER'S HISTORY

Jill Hirschinger began her UNH tenure in the 1996 season. She has amassed a 368-325 record with 10 seasons of 20+ wins.
Hirschinger has been named America East Coach of the Year six times.

SCOUTING STONY BROOK • website

Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, N.Y.), enters Friday's match with a 12-8 overall record, including a 5-2 home record.
The Seawolves are riding a 10-match win streak and have won 13 straight sets. Most recently they beat Iona, 3-0, on Oct. 21.

Stony Brook has a team hitting percentage of .239; in comparison, the opposition is at .198.
McKyla Brooks leads the Seawolves in kills with 238 (3.09 per set), followed by Emily Costello and Maria Poole with 214 and 177 respectively.
Kendra Harlow leads the team in blocks with 61 and Brooks is next with 58.
Leanne Sakowicz is the primary setter with 804 assists (10.44 per set).
Kiani Kerstetter is atop the digs leaderboard with 322 (4.18 per set).

Four other Seawolves have eclipsed 100 digs – Costello with 218 (2.87 per set), Kardasia Hitchcock with 193 (2.51 per set), Sakowicz with 178 (2.31 per set) and Sabrina Patriciello with 102 (1.92 per set).

SCOUTING HARTFORD • website

The University of Hartford (West Hartford, Conn.) enters the weekend with a 9-10 overall record, going 2-5 in America East play and 5-4 at home. They are currently on a one game losing streak.
Hartford plays host to UMass Lowell on Oct. 26 before battling UNH.
Most recently, the Hawks were defeated in straight sets at Stony Brook on Oct. 18. Hartford has lost three of the last four matches.
Jenna Bridges leads the Hawks in kills with 274 (4.15/set) and has an attack percentage of .360.
Brittany Braun is next with 156 kills (2.36/set) and has an attack percentage of .249.
Bridges also leads the team in solo blocks (10), assisted blocks (55) and total blocks (65). Braun ranks second with 57 blocks.
The main setter has been Megan Anderson, who has 696 assists (10.55/set) on the year.
Alex Lucero leads the Hawks in digs with 232 (3.52/set) and Daisy Eklund is second at 119 (1.86/set).

FRIDAY NIGHT WHITES // SUNDAY BLUES

Fans are encouraged to wear white every Friday home match in 2018: Nov. 2 vs. Binghamton.
Fans are encouraged to Bleed Blue (wear blue) for Sunday home matches in 2018: Nov. 4 vs. UMBC.

2018 AMERICA EAST AWARDS

Gabri Olhava: Player of the Week (Sept. 11 … Oct. 23)
Kennedy Smith: Player of the Week (Oct. 9)
Emily Tanski: Def. Specialist of the Week (Aug. 28 … Sept. 5 … Oct. 9 … Oct. 23)
Maddie Wiedenfeld: Rookie of the Week (Sept. 5 … Sept. 11 … Sept. 25)

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