Friday, September 13
Greenville, NC
4 p.m.
George Washington University
vs
Norfolk State
Volleyball Hosts Albany Sunday as Part of Four-Match Weekend
9/12/2019 12:41:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Colonials also travel to Pirate Invitational for three matches on Friday and Saturday
WASHINGTON -Â GW volleyball will trek to Greenville, N.C., for three games this weekend prior to hosting a single match against Albany on Sunday at 4 p.m. As part of the Pirate Invitational, the Colonials will face Norfolk State (4 p.m.) and host East Carolina (7:30 p.m.) on Friday, along with USC Upstate (10 a.m.) on Saturday.
BAHAMAS RELIEF GAME:Â Sunday's match against the Great Danes is serving as the team's fundraiser and donation drive for Bahamas relief following the devastating effects of Hurricane Dorian. GW SAAC will be collecting donations and items beginning at 3:30 p.m. with an emphasis on non-perishable food, first aid items, flashlights, blankets, batteries and hygiene kits.
All items will be taken to the Embassy of the Bahamas and all monetary donations will go towards former GW women's basketball player and All-WNBA performer Jonquel Jones' fundraising drive. Monetary donations can be made through Jones' GoFundMe.
LAST TIME OUT:Â GW took part in the Hurricane Invitational last weekend, pushing host Miami to five sets as part of a challenging weekend that also included setbacks to FGCU and Auburn. Senior Jaimeson Lee stood out again for the Colonials, averaging 8.5 assists per set, 1.75 digs per set and 0.58 blocks per set.
Defensively, sophomore Bella Bowman and junior Sydney Welch accounted for over 40 percent of the Colonials' digs in the three matches, with 34 and 25, respectively.
ACROSS THE NET:Â Norfolk State enters play Friday in search of its first win of the campaign after falling to American on Wednesday, 3-0. The Spartans, who GW will also face in Norfolk on Oct. 21, are led offensively by Anna Rupertova, who is averaging a team-best 1.25 kills per set while topping the squad with a .196 attack percentage. Friday is the first all-time meeting between the schools.
ECU is 5-1 on the year, most recently earning a come-from-behind five-set win at NC State on Tuesday. The Pirates opened their season with a sweep at George Mason with their only loss coming against Wake Forest. Setter Shelby Martin was named to the preseason All-AAC team, and is averaging 6.71 assists per set. The Colonials are 1-3 all-time against East Carolina with Friday signifying the first meeting since 2007.
USC Upstate, out of the Big South, is also looking for its first win of the campaign following a five-set loss to Tusculum on Tuesday. Emily Russell is the team's top attacker with 51 kills in 20 sets, while hitting .294. She's also one of two Spartans to average at least 1.0 block per set, joining Gloria Ikenegbu's team-leading 1.22 blocks per set. GW and Upstate will be meeting for the first time.
Albany will take part in the Towson Invitational this weekend, playing in three matches before Sunday's match at the Smith Center. The Great Danes enter play at 1-5, but currently lead the America East in kills per set (12.79) and assists per set (12.16). Akuabata Okenwa was named the league's co-Player of the Week last week, and leads the team with 3.32 kills per set. The two squads are meeting for the first time since 2013 and for the third time overall.
NOT UP IN HERE:Â The Colonials' blocking continued its strong start to the year last weekend with 23 rejections in three matches (1.92 per set). GW currently ranks second in the A-10, and 35th nationally, with 2.57 blocks per set, a rapid improvement from last year's mark of 1.9 bps. The primary reason for the increase has been the play of graduate students Caroline Sklaver, who is fourth individually in the nation with 1.87 bps, and Paty Valle, who is 22nd in the NCAA at 1.6 bps.
BAHAMAS RELIEF GAME:Â Sunday's match against the Great Danes is serving as the team's fundraiser and donation drive for Bahamas relief following the devastating effects of Hurricane Dorian. GW SAAC will be collecting donations and items beginning at 3:30 p.m. with an emphasis on non-perishable food, first aid items, flashlights, blankets, batteries and hygiene kits.
All items will be taken to the Embassy of the Bahamas and all monetary donations will go towards former GW women's basketball player and All-WNBA performer Jonquel Jones' fundraising drive. Monetary donations can be made through Jones' GoFundMe.
LAST TIME OUT:Â GW took part in the Hurricane Invitational last weekend, pushing host Miami to five sets as part of a challenging weekend that also included setbacks to FGCU and Auburn. Senior Jaimeson Lee stood out again for the Colonials, averaging 8.5 assists per set, 1.75 digs per set and 0.58 blocks per set.
Defensively, sophomore Bella Bowman and junior Sydney Welch accounted for over 40 percent of the Colonials' digs in the three matches, with 34 and 25, respectively.
ACROSS THE NET:Â Norfolk State enters play Friday in search of its first win of the campaign after falling to American on Wednesday, 3-0. The Spartans, who GW will also face in Norfolk on Oct. 21, are led offensively by Anna Rupertova, who is averaging a team-best 1.25 kills per set while topping the squad with a .196 attack percentage. Friday is the first all-time meeting between the schools.
ECU is 5-1 on the year, most recently earning a come-from-behind five-set win at NC State on Tuesday. The Pirates opened their season with a sweep at George Mason with their only loss coming against Wake Forest. Setter Shelby Martin was named to the preseason All-AAC team, and is averaging 6.71 assists per set. The Colonials are 1-3 all-time against East Carolina with Friday signifying the first meeting since 2007.
USC Upstate, out of the Big South, is also looking for its first win of the campaign following a five-set loss to Tusculum on Tuesday. Emily Russell is the team's top attacker with 51 kills in 20 sets, while hitting .294. She's also one of two Spartans to average at least 1.0 block per set, joining Gloria Ikenegbu's team-leading 1.22 blocks per set. GW and Upstate will be meeting for the first time.
Albany will take part in the Towson Invitational this weekend, playing in three matches before Sunday's match at the Smith Center. The Great Danes enter play at 1-5, but currently lead the America East in kills per set (12.79) and assists per set (12.16). Akuabata Okenwa was named the league's co-Player of the Week last week, and leads the team with 3.32 kills per set. The two squads are meeting for the first time since 2013 and for the third time overall.
NOT UP IN HERE:Â The Colonials' blocking continued its strong start to the year last weekend with 23 rejections in three matches (1.92 per set). GW currently ranks second in the A-10, and 35th nationally, with 2.57 blocks per set, a rapid improvement from last year's mark of 1.9 bps. The primary reason for the increase has been the play of graduate students Caroline Sklaver, who is fourth individually in the nation with 1.87 bps, and Paty Valle, who is 22nd in the NCAA at 1.6 bps.
Players Mentioned
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