HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team will set out for its first win of the 2017 campaign when it travels to nearby Jersey City, New Jersey to take on Saint Peter's on Wednesday night.
 
The Knights (0-3), who topped the Peacocks (0-4) in straight sets last season (25-13, 25-18, 25-18) will look to get in the win column following three hard-fought matches against tough competition at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Tournament last weekend.
 
SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS
The Peacocks enter Wednesday's contest winless after dropping its first four matches of the season. Following a pair of straight-set losses to Lehigh and Lafayette at Lehigh's Crosstown Tournament, the Peacocks fell to NJIT 3-1 and were swept by Bucknell at the Bucknell Invitational last weekend. Junior middle hitter Alexus Sharp leads the offense with 2.15 kills per set. Like the Knights, the Peacocks also feature a freshman setter in Puerto Rico native Wildalys Soto, who posted a 5.31 assist/set average across the team's first four matches.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Peacocks lead the all-time series 19-14 but the Knights have won two of the last three meetings between the teams.
 
NEW LOOK KNIGHTS
This year's squad will be under new guidance for the first time in a quarter-century. Interim head coach Andrea Nolan begins her first season at the helm after three seasons as longtime head coach Stacey Recanati's assistant. Recanati, who spent the last 26 seasons leading the Knights, has transitioned to an associate athletic director role in the Fairleigh Dickinson Athletic Department. In addition to their new coach, the 2017 roster consists of 10 underclassmen, including six freshmen.
 
CALIFORNIA RECAP
The Knights began the 2017 campaign in Fullerton, California and battled a trio of difficult opponents. Despite the three losses, Nolan remained pleased with her young team's effort on the trip. "Playing three top-notch opponents in Cal State Fullerton, UC Riverside and Drake was a great experience for our team and will only help us grow as we move through non-conference play and into Northeast Conference action," said the Knights' first-year head coach.
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Playing her first three collegiate volleyball matches last weekend, Fairleigh Dickinson freshman setter McKenna Setterlund averaged 8.22 assists per set and was named to the Titan Tournament All-Tournament Team. Setterlund recorded 24 helpers in each of her first two matches before dishing out 26 assists in the Knights' tournament finale against Drake.
 
UP NEXT
The Knights return to tournament play when they compete in the Holy Cross Invitational this weekend in Worcester, Massachusetts. The trip begins with a match against Brown on Friday, September 1 at 2:30 p.m. Later in the day, the Knights take on the host Crusaders at 7:35 p.m. before closing out the three-match event on Saturday against Manhattan at 3:35 p.m.