TEANECK, N.J. – After picking up their first win of the season on Wednesday night at Saint Peter's, the Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team will look to continue the momentum this weekend when they compete at the Holy Cross Invitational in Worcester, Massachusetts.
 
The Knights (1-3) face Brown (0-0) in the tournament opener at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, the host Crusaders (0-3) at 7:35 p.m. Friday and close out the weekend on Saturday against Manhattan (0-4) at 3:35 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Three Knights recorded double-digit kills as the Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team swept Saint Peter's 25-12, 25-10, 25-23 at the Yanitelli Center on Wednesday night.
 
POWER TRIO
Freshmen Magdalena Makismovic and Nataliya Rybakova each tallied 11 kills, while sophomore Abigail Strebig registered 10 kills in the victory. Strebig's 10 kills match a career-best for the second-year middle hitter, while Makismovic and Rybakova each reached double-digit kills for the first time in their young careers.
 
Fresh off of earning All-Tournament Team honors at last weekend's Titan Tournament, freshman setter McKenna Setterlund racked up 30 assists.
 
FIRST WIN
First-year interim head coach Andrea Nolan notched career win number one with the victory over the Peacocks on Wednesday. Nolan ascended to the head coach position after three seasons as an assistant on longtime head coach Stacey Recanati's staff.
 
NEW SETTER
Freshman setter McKenna Setterlund has burst onto the scene with the Knights, earning All-Tournament honors at the Titan Tournament last weekend before dishing out a new career-best 30 assists in Wednesday's win.
 
SCOUTING BROWN
Friday marks the 2017 season opener for the Bears, who posted a 5-19 mark a season ago including a 3-11 record in Ivy League play. The team's returning leaders include senior libero Melissa Cairo, who led Brown with 4.89 digs per set last season and sophomore outside hitter Makena Ehlert, who ranked second on the team in digs per set (2.38) and kills per set (2.09). Junior setter Elisa Merten is back for the Bears after averaging 3.38 assists per set last season. The Knights are 0-2 all-time against the Bears with the two matches occurring in 1997 and 1998.
 
SCOUTING HOLY CROSS
The host Crusaders are seeking their first win of the season after dropping all three of their matches at St. John's Jack Kaiser Classic last weekend. The Crusaders lost to the host Red Storm and New Hampshire in straight sets before suffering a 3-1 setback to Sacramento State in the finale. Holy Cross is coming off a 10-19 season including a 6-10 mark in the Patriot League. This year's squad was picked to finish eighth of nine teams in the Patriot League. The Knights are a perfect 4-0 all-time against the Crusaders with the last meeting in 2011.
 
SCOUTING MANHATTAN
The Jaspers enter this weekend at 0-4 after dropping all three matches at the Hampton Inn Leatherneck Invitational last week in Macomb, Illinois. The team lost to Chicago State, Western Illinois and Evansville over the course of the two days.
 
Last Wednesday, in their home opener, the Jaspers were swept 25-22, 25-16, 25-19 by Fordham. The Jaspers, who were picked to finish eighth this season in the MAAC, were 12-20 overall last season and 8-10 in the conference. The all-time series greatly favors the Jaspers, who are 20-5 all-time against the Knights including a 3-0 sweep last season in Riverdale, N.Y.
 
UP NEXT
The Knights' 2017 home opener is up next as they host Quinnipiac this Wednesday, September 6 at 7:00 p.m.