'Cats Play Host to Binghamton (Nov. 2) and UMBC (Nov. 4)

UNH VOLLEYBALL

PACK THE ARENA
Friday, November 2 • 7 pm • Lundholm Gymnasium • Durham, N.H.
Binghamton (4-17, 2-6 AE) at UNH (10-13, 6-3 AE) • ESPN3 • Stats

SENIOR DAY
Sunday, November 4 • 1 pm • Lundholm Gym • Durham, N.H.
UMBC (6-16, 2-6 AE) at UNH (10-13, 6-3 AE) • Video • Stats

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.

SENIOR DAY

Five UNH seniors will be honored prior to the Sunday, Nov. 4 match against UMBC. The quintet is comprised of Mali Jereczek, Alexa Markman, Gabri Olhava, Sarah Shelton and Molly Wottton.

THREE 'CATS HONORED BY AMERICA EAST

Kennedi Smith, Emily Tanski, and Emma Patlovich were honored by America East as Player of the Week, Defensive Specialist of the Week, and Setter of the Week, respectively. The announcement was made this past Tuesday.
This is the fourth career Player of the Week award, including two this season, for Smith. Tanski was honored for the second consecutive week and has received this award a conference-high five times this season. This is the first time Patlovich has been named Setter of the Week.
Smith led America East with 5.00 kills per set last week on a .380 hitting percentage. In addition, she had averaged 3.86 digs per set with a double-double at Stony Brook that included a career-high 20 digs and 19 kills.
Tanski averaged a league-best 7.29 digs per set and tied her career high of 35 digs against Stony Brook. She anchored UNH's defensive effort that limited SBU to a .179 hitting percentage (the Seawolves entered the match at .239).
Patlovich averaged a conference-high 13.4 assists per set over two matches. She also averaged 2.71 digs per set and contributed three service aces (with no service errors), as well as three blocks. She recorded 51 assists at Stony Brook and then recorded her 10^th 40+ assist effort with 43 at Hartford.

UNH vs. BINGHAMTON

New Hampshire has a 21-16 lifetime record against the Bearcats.

The Wildcats beat Binghamton, 3-1, earlier this season on Oct. 17 at West Gymnasium. The set scores were 25-16, 19-25, 25-16, 25-20 • Recap • Box
- Kennedi Smith recorded a match-high 15 kills on 40 attacks, leading to a .300 hitting percentage. Emma Patlovich recorded 23 assists.
- After a back and forth beginning to the first set, the 'Cats went on a 7-1 run to lead 22-14, and ultimately finished the set by alternating points. After Binghamton took set two, the Wildcats roared back, taking a 16-9 lead, which they held to finish out the set. In the fourth and final set, the Wildcats took a 5-1 lead that they never surrendered, winning the match.
UNH entered the 2018 season looking for revenge, as the Bearcats eliminated the Wildcats from postseason in the semifinals to end New Hampshire's four-year title reign.
The most recent meeting in Durham was Oct. 27, 2017, when the Wildcats were defeated 3-1. The set scores were 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17 • Recap • Box
- Emily Tanski recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs, while Kennedi Smith had a team-high 12 kills and recorded three blocks.
- In Set 1, UNH led 16-15 but fell behind 21-18 and did not rally. After tying the second set 5-5, Binghamton took a lead that was never relinquished. In the third set, the Wildcats built a 17-11 lead and held the lead. In Set 4, the Bearcats took an early lead, extended it to a 14-8 margin and closed out the match.

UNH vs. UMBC

The 'Cats are 21-10 all-time against the Retrievers; the Wildcats have won eight of the last nine matchups.
Earlier this season, UNH defeated UMBC in straight sets at the UMBC Event Center on Oct. 5. The set scores were 25-23, 28-26, 25-23
- Gabri Olhava led the team in kills with 16 on 36 attacks.
- All three sets were decided by only two points. The largest deficit in the first set was only four points. In the second set, there were 13 ties and five lead changes, until the Wildcats took the lead 24-23, eventually securing a two point lead for the win in extras. In the final set, the Wildcats took a 13-5 lead, holding on after the Retrievers fought back to put it within two, winning the match.

In the most recent matchup at Lundholm Gymnasium (Oct. 13, 2017), UNH lost in five sets 25-21, 19-25, 27-25, 23-25, 15-12. Recap • Box
- Olhava (14 kills, .379 hitting percentage) and Smith (11 kills) led a proficient attack that recorded a .205 hitting percentage.
- Trailing 11-7 in the decisive fifth set, UMBC reeled off six consecutive points to take a 13-11 lead.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

New Hampshire plays its last two home matches of the 2018 season this weekend against Binghamton and UMBC.
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.

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

UNH enters Friday's matchup with a 10-13 overall record that includes 6-3 in America East and 2-3 at home (2-2 in home conference matches).
The Wildcats went 2-1 on its three-match road swing.
New Hampshire is 3-2 the past five matches (all in conference play) and has alternated wins and losses in that span.
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.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED

New Hampshire split a pair of road games last weekend with a 3-1 loss at Stony Brook (Oct. 26) and 3-0 win at Hartford (Oct. 28).
The SBU set scores were 18-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-23. • Recap • Box
- In Set 3, Stony Brook overcame a 16-8 deficit. In Set 4 the home team rallied from an 18-14 deficit.
- Kennedi Smith recorded a match-high 19 kills (.356 hitting percentage) and personal-best 20 digs. Emily Tanski equaled her career high of 35 digs and Emma Patlovich tallied 51 assists (second highest of the year).
The Hartford set scores were 25-22, 26-24, 25-20. • Recap • Box
- Smith (16 kills; .412 hitting percentage), Gabri Olhava (14; .344) and Hannah Petke (10; .286) led the 'Cat attack.
- Patlovich recorded 43 assists to direct UNH's offense to a .282 hitting percentage – the Wildcats' second-best mark of the season.

OCTOBER RECAP

New Hampshire went 4-2 in October with a breakdown of 0-1 at home and 4-1 on the road. UNH recorded a .215 team hitting percentage in comparison to the opponent's .176.
Kennedi Smith killed it last month with 84 kills (3.82/set) on a .260 hitting percentage. She also averaged 3.82 digs per set.
Gabri Olhava followed with 71 kills (3.23/set) with a .267 hitting percentage.
Hannah Petke averaged 2.61 kills per set and hit at a .263 clip.
Emma Patlovich was the one setting them up to an average of 10.6 assists per set.
Emily Tanski amassed 134 digs for an average of 6.09 per set.

SET-BY-SET BREAKDOWN

UNH has a 5-2 record in three-set matches, 3-9 in four-set matches and 2-2 in five-set matches.
UNH has won Set 1 in 12 of 23 matches and has the edge in Set 3 (14-9). Opponents have won Set 2 in 14 of 23 matches and Set 4 in 10 of 16 matches. The fifth set is tied 2-2.

DOUBLING UP

Kennedi Smith recorded her team-leading 11^th double-double of the season with 19 kills and career-high 20 digs at Stony Brook (Oct. 26). Smith recorded three consecutive double-doubles against UMBC (11k, 15d), Binghamton (15k, 16d) and Albany (14k, 18d).
Smith has more double-doubles than the rest of her teammates combined.
Emma Patlovich recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 51 assists and 14 digs at Stony Brook (Oct. 26); her previous double-double was Sept. 14 vs. Princeton (37 assists, 10 digs).
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 89 sets this season – Gabri Olhava, Emily Tanski and Logan Welti.
Kennedi Smith played in 88 of 89 sets and Maddie Wiedenfeld has seen action in 87 of 89. Emma Patlovich has played in 84 of 89.
Those are the six players who have played all 23 matches.

'CATS ON THE ATTACK

Gabri Olhava, a second-year captain, leads UNH in kills (285), kills/set (3.20), hitting percentage (.288), points (327), points/set (3.68), blocks (59) and blocks/set (0.66).
Kennedi Smith has climbed to second in kills (229) with an average of 2.60 kills per set; she has a team-high 772 attacks. Smith is also second in digs (286) and digs/set (3.25).
Maddie Wiedenfeld ranks second in blocks (53) and blocks/set (0.61), as well as third in kills (229) and kills/set (2.59), and points (253) and points/set (2.91).

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.
Patlovich has been the primary setter the past four matches. 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 811 assists for an average of 9.65 per set. She is also third on the squad in service aces with 22.
Patlovich has recorded 40+ assists 10 times, including both matches last weekend and 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 five times this year, including each of the first two weeks and the past two weeks.
She has amassed 463 digs –177 more than the closest teammate (Kennedi Smith, 286) – for an average of 5.20 digs per set.

SERVING IT UP

Logan Welti is UNH's leader with 26 service aces. Emily Tanski (22) and Emma Patlovich (22) 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 (16.80 per set); the Wildcats also rank second in kills (12.79/set) and assists (12.07/set).
Gabri Olhava is No. 4 in kills/set (3.20), hitting percentage (.288), and points/set (3.68/set).
Emily Tanski leads the conference in digs per set (5.20) and is eighth in aces per set (0.25).
Logan Welti is third in aces per set (0.29).
Emma Patlovich is No. 4 in assists per set (9.65) and is No. 5 in aces/set (0.26).
Kennedi Smith is No. 8 in digs/set (3.25) and 10^th in kills/set (2.60).
Maddie Wiedenfeld is No. 10 in kills/set (2.67).

CONFERENCE PLAY

In nine America East matches, Gabri Olhava is averaging 3.38 kills per set on a .298 hitting percentage, as well as 0.78 blocks/set.
Kennedi Smith (3.12 kills/set), Hannah Petke (2.71 kills/set) and Maddie Wiedenfeld (2.19 kills/set) have been the other top threats on attack.
Emma Patlovich is averaging 10.2 assists per set in 28 sets.
Emily Tanski is averaging a team-high 5.16 digs per set. She is followed by Smith (3.53).

HIRSCHINGER'S HISTORY

Jill Hirschinger began her UNH tenure in the 1996 season. She has amassed a 369-326 record with 10 seasons of 20+ wins.
Hirschinger has been named America East Coach of the Year six times.

SCOUTING BINGHAMTON • website

Binghamton University (Vestal, N.Y.) enters the match with a 4-17 overall record that includes 2-6 in America East.
The Bearcats are 2-7 on the road and are on a five-match losing streak following last Sunday's home loss to Albany in five sets. Their most recent win was 3-0 vs. UMass Lowell on Oct. 5.
Gaby Alicea leads the attack with 269 kills (3.54 per set). She is followed by Erin Shultz at 207 (2.72 per set).
The primary setter for Binghamton is Kiara Adams, who has 566 assists (7.86/set).
Tyra Wilson leads the Bearcats with 53 blocks. She is followed closely by Lexi LaGoy with 51.
The team leader in digs is Samantha Gioiosa, who has 277 (3.64 per set). Alicea is second with 229 (3.01 per set).

SCOUTING UMBC • website

UMBC (Baltimore, Md.) enters the weekend with a 6-16 overall record, including 2-6 in conference play and 2-5 on the road, and plays at UMass Lowell on Friday before traveling to Durham.
The Retrievers are coming off last Friday's 3-1 home loss to Albany, and they have alternated wins and losses the past five matches.
UMBC's leader in kills is Carmen Freeman with 288 (3.27 per set). Paige Krenik is second with 221 (2.60 per set), followed by Paola Rojas at 209 (2.46/set). Rojas also has a team-high 84 blocks (0.99 per set).
The primary setter for the Retrievers is Krytsia Negron with 718 (9.32/set).
The team leader in digs is Kristin Watson with 380 (4.32 per set). In second is Carmen Freeman with 249 (2.83 per set).

2018 AMERICA EAST AWARDS

Gabri Olhava: Player of the Week (Sept. 11 … Oct. 23)
Emma Patlovich – Setter of the Week (Oct. 30)
Kennedi Smith: Player of the Week (Oct. 9 … Oct. 30)
Emily Tanski: Def. Specialist of the Week (Aug. 28 … Sept. 5 … Oct. 9 … Oct. 23 … Oct. 30)
Maddie Wiedenfeld: Rookie of the Week (Sept. 5 … Sept. 11 … Sept. 25)

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