This Week: The Notre Dame College volleyball team opens Mountain East Conference play on Friday Sept. 22 when the Falcons travel to West Virginia Wesleyan College at 7 p.m.
 
Records: NDC begins the week at 1-7, while WVWC is 4-6.
 
Coaches Corner: Erica Kostelac takes over the Notre Dame College volleyball program in her first season as head coach. Nancy Wheeler is in her fifth season as the West Virginia Wesleyan volleyball head coach.
 
Rankings: Neither team is ranked according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.
 
Series History: The Falcons are 7-3 all-time when facing the Bobcats, dating back to their first meeting 2012, and including NDC's straight set victory over WVWC last season.
 
Noting the Falcons: Last week, Notre Dame faced steep competition while at the Atlantic Region Crossover, falling to Clarion in four, Slippery Rock in five, Pitt-Johnstown in three and Shippensburg in four.
 
Freshman Sydney Bray, an Atlantic Region Crossover All-Tournament team  selection, leads the Notre Dame College attack with 108 kills, a .228 attack percentage, at 3.72 kills per set. Bray is joined by fellow freshman Lilliana Mook (46), junior Samantha Comer (44) and senior Kelsie Palmer (39) on the attack.
 
Junior Jayme Zoeckler sets up the Falcon offense with 237 assists at 8.17 assists per set.
 
Defensively, junior libero Kiley Kalina anchors the squad with 120 digs at 4.29 digs per set. Kalina is accompanied by Bray (79) and Zoeckler (62) to lead the team in digs. At the net, Palmer (16), Bray (15) and Zoeckler (11) are the team's top blockers.
 
As a whole, Notre Dame averages 10.1 kills per set, 9.4 assists per set, 1.0 aces per set, 15.4 digs per set and 1.6 blocks per set.
 
Noting the Bobcats: Last week, West Virginia Wesleyan competed at the Bobcat Invitational, generating a 2-2 record. The Bobcats defeated Central State and Bowie State in straight sets, but fell to UIndy in three and Seton Hill in four.
 
Hope Arce-Reed is the top offensive threat on the team, posting team-highs in kills (87) and kills per set (2.64). Emily Denison (66), Bhrooke Axe (48), Makenzie Yates (47) and Olivia Albrecht (40) are the other Bobcats with 40 or more kills on the year. Sarah McCall handles the setting duties with 264 dimes at 8.52 assists per set.
 
Autumn Molenhouse generates a team-high 117 digs at 3.55 digs per set to hold down the WVWC defense. Molenhouse is joined by McCall (58), Denison (56), Yates (52) and Alexis Moeschler (52) as players with 50 or more digs on the season. At the net, Axe (20), Denison (16) and Arce-Reed (13) post double digit block totals.
 
As a unit, West Virginia Wesleyan averages 11.0 kills per set, 10.1 assists per set, 1.8 aces per set, 13.0 digs per set and 1.4 blocks per set.