This Week: The Notre Dame College volleyball team will welcome D'Youville College into Murphy Gymnasium on Sunday Sept. 18 at 11 a.m. for the Falcons lone contest of the week.
 
Records: NDC is currently 5-10, while the Saints are 4-10 and on a seven-match losing streak.
 
Coaches Corner: Anthony Mezacapa is the head coach of Notre Dame College in his second season. Mezacapa holds a 21-25 career record with the Falcons. Jamie Snyder is in her first season at the helm of the D'Youville volleyball program.
 
Rankings: Neither team is ranked according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.
 
Series History: Notre Dame College is 1-0 all-time when facing D'Youville, with their only meeting taking place last season. The Falcons took out the Saints in four sets (25-8, 22-25, 25-10, 25-20).
 
Noting the Falcons: Last week, Notre Dame College went 2-3 after seeing John Carroll University and competing at the MEC/PSAC Crossover. At the weekend crossover, NDC fell in back-to-back five set matches on Friday to Slippery Rock and Shippensburg, while losing to Clarion in four and ending with a straight set victory against Millersvile. The Falcons strung together a pair of wins after besting JCU in straight sets on Tuesday.  Several career-best efforts aided NDC on the week from freshman Ryleigh Ronald, sophomore Jayme Zoeckler, junior Brittany Miller and senior Carli Derda.
 
On the year, senior Kaye Dregalla paces the Notre Dame offense with 128 kills at 2.56 kills per set. Sophomore Samantha Comer and Derda join Dregalla with 94 and 90 kills, respectively.
 
Zoeckler and junior McKenzie Andrix have taken on the setting duties this season with Zoeckler leading the team at 326 assists at 7.24 assists per set. Andrix posts 126 assists at 7.00 assists per set.
 
Defensively, sophomore libero Kiley Kalina leads the team with 261 digs at 4.83 digs per set. Kalina ranks sixth in NCAA DII for total digs. The libero is joined by junior Ellie Schenk (133), sophomore Grace Smotek (116) and freshman Sierra Nausieda (110) on the defensive side.
 
At the net, Derda and Ronald are a solid one-two combo with 47 and 38 blocks, respectively to lead the team.
 
As a team, Notre Dame generates 10.7 kills per set on .150 hit percentage, to go along with 9.6 assists per set, 17.3 digs per set, 1.8 blocks per set and 1.3 service aces per set. The Falcons rank first across all of NCAA Division II in team digs with 953, while ranking 23^rd in digs per set.
 
Noting the Saints: Last week, D'Youville played and fell during all five contests. During the IUP Tournament over the weekend, the Saints lost to Roberts Wesleyan in five sets, getting swept in their next three contests to Frostburg State, Davis & Elkins and IUP. On Tuesday, D'Youville traveled to Edinboro and lost 3-0.
 
Jaycee Karelus is the clear leader on the offensive side for the Saints with 105 kills at 2.06 kills per set. Eve Musielak (73) and Brianna Damstetter (52) also add kills to the attack.
 
Emma Wlostowski facilitates the D'Youville attack with a team-high 344 assists (6.62 per set), while also leading the team in digs (111) and service aces (35).
 
Samantha Killane (106) and Musielak (98) also aid the Saint's defensive efforts, as Damstetter leads the team in blocks with 36 on the year.
 
As a unit, D'Youville produces 8.2 kills per set on .093 hitting percentage, to go with 7.6 assists per set, 12.3 digs per set, 1.4 blocks per set and 1.9 service aces per set.