JACKSONVILLE, Fla.— The LIU volleyball team heads south this weekend to take part in the River City Rumble, hosted by the University of North Florida. The Sharks open play with a pair of matches on Friday, September 13, taking on Florida International at 1:00 p.m. before a 7:00 p.m. match against the host Ospreys at UNF Arena. The weekend concludes with an 11:00 a.m. contest against Charleston Southern on Saturday, September 14.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
LIU vs. FIU
Friday, September 13
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Venue: UNF Arena
Live Stats:
Sidearm Stats
LIU at North Florida
Friday, September 13
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Venue: UNF Arena
Live Stats:
Sidearm Stats
Live Video:
ESPN+ ($)
LIU vs. Charleston Southern
Saturday, September 14
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Venue: UNF Arena
Live Stats:
Sidearm Stats
NOTES ON THE SHARKS
The Sharks concluded a two-week stretch out west at the BYU Doterra Classic this past weekend. LIU competed in three matches against quality opponents in No. 13 nationally-ranked BYU, Weber State and Sam Houston State.
Senior
Natalia Rivera represented the Sharks on the All-Tournament team after registering 5.22 digs per set average this past weekend. She recorded a match-high 17 digs in the first two matches of the weekend against No. 13 BYU and Weber State.
Junior
Jovana Stekovic led the Sharks offensively with 26 kills and a 2.89 kills per set average. She posted a career-high 16 kills against Weber State on Saturday. Senior
Kora Schaberl added 22 kills in three matches for LIU including 12 kills in the finale against Sam Houston State. Freshman
Barbora Hoskova recorded a team-high three service aces and freshman
Miranda Strongman posted a team-high six blocks at the net.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
FIU comes into the weekend with a 2-3 record, picking up a pair of wins last weekend against Stetson and Hofstra at home.
The Panthers led on the outside by sophomore Fiorella Murillo and senior Sidney Henderson. Murillo leads the team with 3.71 kills per set and Henderson has contributed 2.78 kills per set. sophomore Abbie Hughes has been the leading distributor for FIU with 8.94 assists per set.
On the defensive side, redshirt senior Lina Bernier leads the way with 4.17 digs per set. Sophomore Myrthe Maring will matchup against her former LIU teammates at the net; she currently leads the team with 18 total blocks.
SCOUTING THE OSPREYS
North Florida will enter its second home tournament of the season with a 2-5 mark. The Ospreys are coming off a four-set setback against South Florida on Tuesday.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Gabby O'Connell represents the Ospreys on the outside with an impressive 4.24 kills per set and .260 hitting percentage this season. Freshman setter Julianna Askew has dished out a team-high 9.12 assists per set to go along with 14 service aces.
Defensively, junior Emma Dixon leads the team with 21 blocks and freshman Rocio Moro holds the team lead with 5.28 digs per set.
SCOUTING THE BUCCANEERS
Charleston Southern sits at 2-5 on the young season and enters the weekend with back-to-back straight set victories over South Carolina State and North Carolina A&T.
Senior outside hitter Brooke Monssen leads the team with 74 kills (3.36 per set) and rookie Carsyn Starr has posted 72 kills (3.60 per set) in the Buccaneers rotation. Freshman setter Emilee Karelse has dished out 6.00 assists per set for Charleston Southern.
The Buccaneers are averaging 2.0 blocks per set at the net with three student-athletes in double-digit blocks through seven matches. Freshman Paige Reagor leads the way with 18 total blocks.
UP NEXT
The Sharks will return to the court on Thursday, September 6 for the home opener at the Steinberg Wellness Center. LIU will welcome San Jose State for a 6:00 p.m. match.
