BROOKLYN, N.Y.— The LIU volleyball team begins the 2019 season on the road with a trip to the Rocky Mountains for the 2019 Buffs Invitational. The Sharks will open the year against UC Santa Barbara on Friday, August 30 before taking on tournament host, Colorado on Saturday, August 31. A trip to Wyoming on Monday, September 2 closes out the first of three  tournaments for LIU.
 
LIU vs. UC Santa Barbara
Date: Friday, August 30
Time: 5:00 p.m. (ET)
Location: Boulder, Colo.
Venue: CU Events Center
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
 
LIU at Colorado
Date: Saturday, August 31
Time: 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Location: Boulder, Colo.
Venue: CU Events Center
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Video: Colorado Livestream

LIU at Wyoming
Date: Monday, September 2
Time: 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Location: Laramie, Wyoming
Venue: UNIWYO Sports Complex
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Video: Mountain West Digital Network

NOTES ON THE SHARKS
 
LIU is led by fifth-year head coach Ken Ko and welcome back six returnees from last year's team that earned the 2018 NEC Regular Season Championship with a 12-2 conference record. Seniors Amanda Hubbard, Natalia Rivera and Kora Schaberl lead the Sharks veteran group. Juniors Jovana Stekovic and Masa Zirojevic and sophomore Anastasia Scott also return for LIU.
 
The Sharks welcome seven newcomers to the team in 2019. Junior college transfer Kristina Mamic along with first-year student athletes Darragh Dixon, Maria Harding, Barbora Hoskova, Karolina Nova, Miranda Strongman and Fleur Wiersma.
 
MIDDLE BLOCKER
 
Three of the Sharks' newcomers will look to make an impact up front in 2019. Kristina Mamic joins LIU after posting 181 total blocks and 345 kills in two seasons at Colby Community College. First-year student-athletes Miranda Strongman and Fleur Wiersma will also solidify LIU's net presence in 2019 after standout prep careers in Michigan and Austria respectively.  

OUTSIDE HITTER
Returnees Kora Schaberl and Masa Zirojevic are LIU's returning veterans on the outside. Schaberl ranked third on the team in 2018 with 2.06 kills per set. She added 12 service aces, 83 digs and 31 total blocks in 23 matches in her first season at LIU. Zirojevic added 27 kills and 12 total blocks in 21 sets last season. First-year student-athletes Maria Harding and Karolina Nova will also see playing time in the LIU's outside rotation.

Jovana Stekovic lines up on the opposite side for LIU for her junior season. In her sophomore campaign she posted 126 kills and 22 total blocks in 23 matches. Freshman Barbora Hoskova joins the LIU rotation on the opposite side for 2019.
 
SETTER
 
Amanda Hubbard returns for her senior season at the setter position. A season ago, she ranked seventh in the NEC in assists per set with a 6.27 average. Hubbard has tallied over 2,000 assists in 84 career matches for LIU.

First-year setter Darragh Dixon will seek playing time at the setter position for the Sharks. The lefty setter joins the team after a strong scholastic career in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
 
LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
 
LIU's back row is anchored by libero Natalia Rivera for the fourth straight season. The reigning NEC and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year has posted over 1,500 career digs at LIU. The Cayey, Puerto Rico native paced the league's circuit and ranked 20^th in the nation with a 5.43 digs per set average in 2018.  A three-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week last season, posted the NEC-high in single match dig totals in both three and four-set matches.
 
Anastasia Scott also returns for the Sharks back line. She posted a 1.67 dig per set average and .935-serve percentage in 21 sets her rookie season.
 
SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
 
The Gauchos were picked third in the Big West preseason coaches' poll after finishing the 2018 season 17-12 overall and placing fourth in the conference with a 9-7 mark. UC Santa Barbara welcomes back a veteran roster in 2019 with five starters and 12 letter winners returning to the fold.

Three-time AVCA All-American honorable mention and All-Big West First Team honoree, outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins leads the returning group for the Gauchos. Ruddins finished second in the country a season ago with 5.34 kills per set average and set a program rally scoring record with 587 kills. She also added 2.76 digs per set for Santa Barbara.
 
Two All-Big West Freshman Team honorees return for the Gauchos in setter Olivia Lovenberg and outside hitter Gigi Ruddins. Lovenburg paced the Big West in assists with an 11.19 per set average and 1,197 total assists in 2018. She also tallied nine double-double efforts, tied for second most on the team. Like her older sister, Ruddins was strong on the outside for Santa Barbara, posting a 2.33 kills per set average that ranked the top five among Big West freshmen.

SCOUTING COLORADO
 
The Buffaloes are coming off an 18-14 campaign in 2018. Colorado went 10-10 in the Pac-12 last year.  Colorado was tabbed 10^th in the league's preseason coaches poll earlier this month. The Pac-12 features six teams ranked in the AVCA preseason top-25 with the Buffaloes receiving mention with three votes in the poll.
 
Colorado returns six players from last season including four starters. The Buffaloes welcomed nine new student-athletes to the fold including seven first-year student athletes along with ETSU transfer, Leah Clayton who was the Southern Conference Player of the Year last season.
 
Pac-12 All-Freshmen selection Jenna Ewert steps into the primary setter role after a strong rookie season. She registered a team-high 6.91 assists per set last season to go along with 2.01 digs per set. Justine Spann returns on the outside for Colorado after averaging 2.93 kills and 2.62 digs per set last season.  Danielle Pierce is the Buffaloes top returnee in the middle after recording 126 total blocks in her first season on the court. Colorado's defense returns Rachel Whipple who recorded a 3.35 dig per set average a season ago.

SCOUTING WYOMING
 
Wyoming was picked to finish second in the Mountain West preseason coaches' poll. The Cowgirls finished the 2018 season with a 20-11 record including a 12-6 mark in league play.
 
The team returns three starters from a season ago in outside hitters Halie McArdie and Tara Traphagan and middle blocker Jackie McBride. Libero Madi Fields also returns for Wyoming.
 
McArdie and Traphagan are the team's top two returning point scorers from a season ago. McArdie tallied 2.36 kills per set to go along with 2.38 digs per set and a team-high 18 service aces. Traphagan recorded 2.12 kills per set and added 116 total blocks for Wyoming. McBride is a two-time All-Mountain West selection for the Cowgirls, she registered 1.97 kills per set and .306 hitting percentage along with 131 total blocks. Fields was the team leader in digs last season with a 4.40 digs per set average.

It is the second straight season that LIU will take on the Cowgirls. Wyoming earned a straight set victory last year at the University of Portland Invitational.
 
UP NEXT

The Sharks will stay in the Rocky Mountain region with a trip to Provo, Utah for the BYU Doterra Classic. Competition for LIU will begin on Thursday, September 5 against tournament host and ninth ranked, BYU.