NEW BRITAIN, Conn.— The Long Island University volleyball team opens Northeast Conference play this weekend with a split slate against CCSU and Sacred Heart. The Sharks will open league competition on the road against the Blue Devils on Friday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m. before coming back to Brooklyn on Saturday, September 28 for a 4:00 p.m. contest against the Pioneers.
Friday's NEC opener marks the third straight season that LIU will begin its league slate on the road. Both matchups will be broadcasted on NEC Front Row.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
LIU at CCSU
Friday, September 27
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: New Britain, Conn.
Live Stats |
NEC Front Row
LIU vs. Sacred Heart
Saturday, September 28
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Live Stats |
NEC Front Row
NOTES ON THE SHARKS
After three weeks on the road to start the 2019 season, LIU opened its home slate at the Steinberg Wellness Center against San Jose State, Fordham and Columbia this past weekend
The Sharks earned the first win of the season on Friday night against the Rams with a comeback five-set victory. LIU got double-double efforts from two student-athletes in the win as freshman
Karolina Nova tallied a match high 21 kills to go with 10 digs and senior
Kora Schaberl contributed 14 kills and 11 digs. It was a strong night defensively for LIU, posting 87 digs as a team. Along with Nova and Schaberl, junior
Masa Zirojevic, sophomore
Anastasia Scott and freshman
Barbora Hoskova all finished with double-digit digs.
Nova was honored as the Molten/NEC Player of the Week on Monday for her efforts last weekend. The Czech Republic native recorded two double-doubles, averaging 3.54 kills per set and 2.38 digs per set and hit .292 in the three matches.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
CCSU enters the first weekend of league play with a 4-8 record and went 2-1 at the Hartford Invitational this past weekend to end its non-conference slate on a high note. The Blue Devils were picked third, just behind the Sharks in the NEC preseason coaches' poll before the season.
As a team, the Blue Devils rank second in the NEC with 11.11 assists per sets and 15.02 digs per set. Junior outside hitter Emma Henderson the CCSU offense with 3.02 kills per set in 11 matches. The 2018 NEC Player of the Year opposite Madelyn Kapreylan, has followed up her strong junior campaign with 1.93 kills, 2.09 digs and 4.34 assists per set this year. She has registered two triple doubles this season against Boston College and Bucknell.
Junior libero Ashlyn Eisenga has averaged 4.62 digs per set and currently ranks second in the conference in digs per set. Senior outside hitter Gala Galabova has posted a team-high 1.03 blocks per set at the net.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart also posted a 4-8 mark in its non-conference slate. The Pioneers are in the midst of a four-game skid before Friday's NEC opener at St. Francis Brooklyn. SHU was tabbed first in the NEC preseason coaches' poll prior to the season. As a team, the Pioneers rank second in the conference with 11.92 kills per set.
Reigning NEC Setter and Rookie of the Year, sophomore Sarah Cizek paces the team with 8.59 assists per set. She currently ranks second in the conference with that mark and also ranks second in the conference with a team-high 16 service aces. Redshirt-senior outside hitter Liisel Nelis leads the team with 2.39 kills per set to go along with 2.84 digs per set. Defensively, sophomore Emma Smallcomb has recorded a team-high 3.76 digs per set in 49 sets and senior Gianna Scioletti has registered 31 total blocks at the net.
UP NEXT
The Sharks will start the month of October with three straight matches on the road. LIU begins the month with a trip to Teaneck, New Jersey for a 5:00 p.m. match against Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, October 5.
