VERMONT WOMEN'S LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
The University of Vermont women's lacrosse team hosts Albany on Saturday in the America East opener for both teams. Saturday's game is a rematch of last season's America East Semifinal that the Great Danes won 14-13 in overtime at Stony Brook.
 
Saturday also marks the first night lacrosse game at Virtue Field and the first night home game in the history of the UVM women's lacrosse program. The game is set for 7 p.m. and it will be streamed online via AmericaEast.tv on UVMathletics.com.
 
RELATED LINKS
Game Coverage – Live Video (free)
Fox 44/ABC 22 Game Preivew
CatamounTV Highlights – Siena
CatamounTV Recap of UVM Women's Lacrosse in California
TD Bank Athlete of the Week – Vanessa VanderZalm
 

FRIENDS OF JACLYN NIGHT
Saturday is UVM's Friends of Jaclyn Night. Friends of Jaclyn is a foundation that aims to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers by pairing them with a college team. Last season, the UVM women's lacrosse team welcomed Alison Pyle and her family to the Catamount Family through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. The team has a fundraising page to help raising money for the foundation, click here to make a donation or learn more about the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. Click here to learn more about Alison and her special bond with the Catamounts.

OTHER PROMOTIONS
Saturday is also High School Lacrosse Night. Any high school lacrosse player can get free admission by showing their student ID at the Gutterson Fieldhouse Box Office. It is also Non-Profit Appreciation Night, anyone that RSVPs to whurd@uvm.edu by 5 p.m. Friday will be placed on the complimentary ticket list. And It is Student-Athlete Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day. Each student-athlete on the women's lacrosse team has invited one faculty/staff member to the game.

VANDERZALM NAMED CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Vanessa VanderZalm was named the America East Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. VanderZalm scored 10 goals and added three assists for 13 points to lead the Catamounts to the victories. She matched her career-high with eight points on six goals and two assists in the win over Siena. VanderZalm netted 10 goals on 14 shots on goal and added eight ground balls, six draws and three caused turnovers in the two games.
 
VanderZalm leads the team with 20 goals and ranks third in overall points with 25. Her eight points and six goals against Siena moved her past former standout Vanessa Cox '05 among UVM's all-time leaders in each category. VanderZalm stands fourth in points (174) and goals (134) and ranks seventh in career assists (40).
 
KURAS NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Goalkeeper Maddy Kuras was named the America East Rookie of the Week on Monday. Kuras picked up a pair of wins in net for the Catamounts. She made 16 saves for the week with a 6.74 goals against average and .552 save percentage. Kuras has started every game for the Catamounts this season and stands at 3-3 in the cage.
 
SCOUTING ALBANY
The Great Danes stand at 3-3 overall and are coming off a 13-7 loss at UMass on Wednesday. Heading into Wednesday's contest with the Minutewomen, Albany had won two straight with wins over Villanova (14-2) and Wagner (14-1) and allowed just three goals.
 
Albany was picked to finish second in the America East Preseason Poll after advancing to its fifth-straight America East title game in 2015. The Great Danes received the program's first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
 
Dakotah Savitcheff leads the team in goals (19) and is tied with Alie Jimerson in points (20). Jimerson has a team-high 12 assists to go along with eight goals. Rachel Bowles has tallied 11 goals and became Albany's all-time career points leader in the win over Wagner, scoring five goals. She is also on pace to become the program's all-time career leader in goals and ranks 12th among NCAA Division I active leader in career points and 10th in goals.
 
Courtney Henderson has started all six games and played all but 11 minutes in net for the Great Danes. She owns an 8.08 goals against average and a .440 save percentage.
 
THE SERIES
Vermont is 1-17 against Albany in the all-time series that dates back to 2000. UVM's lone victory in the series was an 11-10 win in Burlington in 2008. The Great Danes have rattled off nine straight victories. Albany has entered each of the last four games games with a national ranking.
 
WHO'S NEXT
Vermont remains home, hosting Manhattan in a non-conference game, on Wednesday (March 30) at 3 p.m. at Virtue Field. The game will be streamed online via AmericaEast.tv on UVMathletics.com. Tickets can be purchased online at UVMathletics.com/tickets or one hour before game time at the Gutterson Fieldhouse Box Office.