Volleyball: WVU Wins Two on the Road
September 24, 2004 10:34 PM | General
September 24, 2004
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| Cusanelli |
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The West Virginia University volleyball team topped Columbia 3-0 (30-12, 30-24, 30-7) and tournament host Marist 3-1 (30-13, 31-33, 30-14, 30-23) on Friday, Sept. 24, at the Marist Invitational.
The Mountaineers (6-6) dominated both matches, winning each game by an average of 12 points per contest. WVU’s two consecutive victories on Friday propelled their record to the .500 mark for the first time this season.
In their first match of the day against Columbia, West Virginia was led by junior Stephanie Zolna who led the team with eleven kills and an attack percentage of .526. Zolna was also the Mountaineer leader in points with 15.5. Senior Brandice Studnicka was WVU’s outright leader in assists with 29. Defensively, WVU was paced by Studnicka who tallied nine digs.
Against Marist, WVU was led by sophomore Gina Cusanelli who recorded a match-high 17 kills. The Collinsville, Ill., native achieved an impressive attack percentage of .455 en route to her stellar offensive performance. Senior Alison Zemanski recorded 15 kills while junior Julie Hockenson finished with 13.
West Virginia’s assist leader was once against Studnicka who tallied a total of 46 through the course of the match. Sophomore Aurora Ebert-Santos, who currently ranks second in the BIG EAST in digs, recorded 19 digs on the evening while junior Kelly Mullins had 13.
With a win Saturday, WVU would eclipse the .500 mark for the first time since starting the 2003 season 1-0 after a victory over Sacramento State on Aug. 29, 2003.
West Virginia closes out their weekend at the Marist Invitational Saturday with a match against Hartford. The first serve is scheduled to go in the air at approximately 10 a.m.
