HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team returns to Northeast Conference play on Friday when they welcome Sacred Heart to the Rothman Center for a 5:00 p.m. match.
The Knights (5-17, 1-6 NEC) won their last match 3-0 over Manhattan this past Wednesday, while the Pioneers have been victorious in their last two matches.
THE SERIES
Friday marks the second meeting between these squads this season. The Pioneers came out on top back on September 22 with a 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-14) win in Fairfield, CT. In the loss, senior
Taylor Wyckoff recorded a double-double for the Knights with 11 kills and 10 digs, while the Pioneers featured four players in double figure kills, led by Lissel Nelis' 17 tallies. The Pioneers hold a slim 16-15 edge in the all-time series between the teams and have won the last 10 meetings between the teams.
THE KNIGHTS
FDU rolls into Friday's match fresh off of a straight-set, non-conference triumph over Manhattan on Wednesday night at the Rothman Center. Freshmen
Magdalena Maksimovic and
Nataliya Rybakova led the way with 10 kills apiece, while fellow first-year Knight, setter
McKenna Setterlund dished out 29 assists and added nine digs as the Knights topped the Jaspers for the second time this season.
Senior libero
Carly O'Sullivan currently ranks fourth in the NEC with 4.14 digs per set, while freshman setter
McKenna Setterlund is fourth iin the conference in assists per set with 8.0.
SCOUTING SACRED HEART
The Pioneers enter Friday's tilt tied for fifth in the Northeast Conference at 3-4. The team features the Northeast Conference's top setter in redshirt-senior Kiki Robinson who is dishing out 9.89 assists per set.
This week, the Pioneers garnered a pair of awards from the NEC as announced on Monday. Redshirt-junior Makayla Dole was named NEC Co-Player of the Week, while sophomore Gianna Scioletti earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after the Pioneers went 2-0 with wins over LIU Brooklyn 3-1 and St. Francis Brooklyn 3-0.
Dole is currently second on the team in kills (286, 3.49 k/s) and fourth in digs (167, 2.04) and block assists (29) while Scioletti leads the team with four solo blocks and is third on the squad with 42 blocks assists. The redshirt-sophomore Nelis leads the Pioneers in kills at 3.51 k/set.
NEXT UP
The Knights close out their eight-match homestand with a pair of matches next weekend at the Rothman Center. First up is a tilt next Friday, October 27 against Saint Francis U at 5:00 p.m.
