DePaul University

DePaul at USF
Friday, November 3 - 6 p.m. (CST)

The Corral - Tampa, Florida

DePaul at Georgetown

Sunday, November 5 - 1 p.m. (CST)

McDonough Gym - Washington D.C.

Weekly Notes  | USF Live Stats

CHICAGO –  The DePaul volleyball team travels to USF and Georgetown for a pair of BIG EAST matches this weekend.  The Blue Demons face the Bulls on Friday at 6 p.m. (CST) and the Hoyas on Sunday at 1 p.m.

DePaul (5-21, 0-10) looks for its first BIG EAST victory and its first road win since October 10, when they defeated Chicago State 3-0.  The Blue Demons have dropped their last five matches, while the Bulls and Hoyas are both looking to snap their own three match slide. USF (11-12, 6-4) has won four of its last six BIG EAST Conference matches on their home court while Georgetown’s (7-16, 1-9) one conference win came at McDonough Gym. 

Senior Morgan Ingersoll directs the Blue Demons offensively, averaging 4.06 kills per game.  The senior has led DePaul in kills in 21 of the team’s 26 matches this season and registered a career-high 27 kills against Central Arkansas and Syracuse.  27 kills in a match, is the fourth most by any BIG EAST player this season.  Pittsburgh’s Stephanie Ross holds the league record with 36 kills at Syracuse.  

Last season the three teams squared off in Chicago with the Blue Demons defeating the Bulls 3-2 (23-30, 30-24, 19-30, 30-23, 15-12), while the Hoyas won their game 3-0 (30-22, 30-28, 30-24).  Against the Bulls, DePaul hit a season-high .298, and four players - Stacy Pando, Morgan Ingersoll, Caitlin Callaghan and Cristina Correa - finished with attack percentages over .300.  Ingersoll combined for 28 kills to lead the Blue Demons against USF and Georgetown.  Ingersoll tallied 20 kills against the Hoyas and followed with 18 kills against the Bulls. 

USF (11-12, 6-4 BIG EAST)

Friday, November 3, 6:00 p.m. (CST)

Head Coach:  Claire Lessinger (3rd Season)

Series:  USF leads the series 9-5

Last Meeting: 10/23/05, DePaul won 3-2 (23-30, 30-24, 19-30, 30-23, 15-12)

USF sits in seventh place in the conference and is fighting for one of the eight slots in the BIG EAST Championship on November 17-19.  The Bulls are led by freshman outside hitter, Marcela Gurgel, who leads the conference averaging 4.64 kills per game.  The freshman has tallied 390 kills and pilots the team with 47 service aces this season.  The Blue Demons won the last meeting 3-2 (23-30, 30-24, 19-30, 30-23, 15-12) in Chicago.  The Bulls tallied 76 kills with Kristina Fabris and Johari Williams leading the Bulls current roster with 19 and 16 kills, respectively. 

Georgetown (7-16, 1-9 BIG EAST)

Sunday, November 5, 1:00 p.m. (CST)

Head Coach: Arlisa Hagan  (1st Season)

Series: Georgetown leads the series 3-2

Last Meeting: 10/22/05, Georgetown won 3-0 (30-22, 30-28, 30-24)

The Hoyas are under the direction of first year head coach Arlisa Hagan, who has guided a young roster to seven wins this season.  Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Buffum leads the Hoyas with 296 kills and is third on the team with 207 digs.  Against the Blue Demons in 2005, sophomore middle blocker Katherine Neisen registered a match-high .471 attack percentage and nine kills.

Looking at 1,000

Senior Morgan Ingersoll recorded her 1,000 career point against Notre Dame, October 13, 2006.  The senior netted 10.5 points against the Irish to push her past the 1,000 mark. In her 313 career games, Ingersoll averages 3.07 kills per game and 3.36 points per game.  Ingersoll holds the DePaul record for points, registering 28.0 points against Central Arkansas (9/15/06) and Syracuse (10/7/06).

Hayes Hangs onto 1,300 digs

Senior Ellen Hayes is known for her aggressive defensive play, leading the Blue Demons with 340 (3.82 DPG) digs this season.  During Hayes’ career, she averages 3.66 digs per game and enters the weekend with 1,383 career digs.  Hayes also holds the McGrath Arena record for digs in a match, registering 34 digs against Tulane on 10/18/03.

Sidelined

The Blue Demons have two players, freshman setter Emily McGinnis and freshman middle blocker Ashley Graham sitting out indefinitely with injuries. McGinnis, the Blue Demons No.1 setter who averaged 10.45 assists per game, suffered a concussion against Syracuse (10/7).  Graham, who appeared in four matches, dislocated her shoulder in practice a September 11. 

Road Warriors

The Blue Demons spent the nine weekends on the road and have just six home matches in 2006. After traveling to USF and Georgetown this week the Blue Demons will have traveled over 11,000 (11,004.38) miles.

Out of State

The Blue Demon have two players that do not call the state of Illinois “home.” Senior middle blocker Deane Gibson is from Wabash, Indiana (Southwood). Gibson is second on the team with a .190 attack percentage and second on the team with 56 total blocks. Sophomore outside hitter, Cristina Correa calls Houston, Texas (Lamar) home.

Morgan Mentioned

Senior Morgan Ingersoll was named to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll for the week of September 18.  The senior led the Blue Demons offensively during the Memphis Tournament, tallying 59 kills and a .226 attack percentage during DePaul’s four matches.  Against Central Arkansas, Ingersoll tallied a career-high 27 kills.

All-Tournament Nodes

Morgan Ingersoll and Caitlin Callaghan took home All-Tournament team accolades for the Blue Demons this season.  Callaghan was named to the Western Illinois All-Tournament team while, Ingersoll was named to the Memphis and Rice All-Tournament squads.

Preseason Pick

Notre Dame was selected by the league’s head coaches to win the 2006 BIG EAST Conference volleyball regular season crown.  The Irish return three starters from last year’s BIG EAST Championship squad, which posted a record of 30-4.

BIG EAST Championship

The University of Cincinnati will play host to the 2006 BIG EAST Championship at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. The top eight teams, according to league records, will participate in a single-elimination tournament to be held November 17-19.