HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team is set for a pair of matches on Saturday at the Lafayette Invitational against NJIT and the host Leopards in Easton, Pa.
 
The Knights (3-8) will take on the Highlanders of NJIT (3-7) at 11:00 a.m. followed by a match against Lafayette (1-9) at 3:00 p.m.
 
THE KNIGHTS
After a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Quinnipiac in their home opener, the Knights have dropped three straight including a pair of matches to New Jersey-rival Rider. In their last match, the Knights fell in straight sets to the Broncs (25-19, 25-20, 25-17), which completed the two-match series between the squads.  In the loss, senior Taylor Wyckoff nearly recorded a double-double with 10 kills and nine digs to go along with a match-high three block assists, while freshman Magdalena Maksimovic tallied double-digit kills for the third time in the last four outings with 14 kills on the night.
 
PASSING SPECIALIST
Senior libero Carly O'Sullivan continues her ascent up the Knights' leaderboard when it comes to digs. O'Sullivan, who also contributed as a right-side hitter last season, has racked up 1,200 career digs, which ranks ninth on the program's all-time list. This season, O'Sullivan is averaging 4.46 digs per set and has a total of 165.
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
The Knights are set to face the Highlanders on Saturday in the first of two scheduled matches between the teams. Last time out, the Highlanders snapped a three-match losing streak by defeating Manhattan 3-1 in Riverdale, N.Y. The three losses all came at the Hartford Invitational last weekend to Hartford (3-1), Central Connecticut State (3-0) and Niagara (3-1). This year's squad is led by junior outside hitter Iva Mandic, who has racked up 111 kills on the season, including a 23-kill performance in the team's five-set loss to UMass Lowell back on September 2. The Highlanders feature two setters with junior Emily Krachenfels dishing out a team-best 7.33 assists per set and senior Alyssa Armada averaging 3.26 assists per set. Peter Volkert heads the Highlanders in his fourth season at the helm of the team and his 23^rd season as a volleyball head coach. The Knights lead the all-time series 8-6 over the Highlanders.
 
SCOUTING THE LEOPARDS
Lafayette enters this weekend with just one win on the season, a 3-0 sweep of Saint Peter's in the season opener. Since that point, the team has one just two sets including one at last weekend's Towson University Tournament. At Towson, the Leopards suffered straight-set losses to Cal State Fullerton, Quinnipiac, George Mason and the host Tigers and a 3-1 loss to Eastern Michigan. The team's leader in kills is senior right-side hitter Tori Smith, who has 79 kills on the season (2.47 k/set). The team has featured two setters this season, freshman Jenna Bailey (5.33 a/set) and sophomore Julia Howard (5.15 a/set). The Leopards lead the all-time series with the Knights 15-9.
 
UP NEXT
The Knights head to Newark, N.J. to square off again with the Highlanders in their final meeting this season on Tuesday, September 19 at 7:00 p.m.