Courtesy: Atlantic Sun Conference
ATLANTA – After an exciting first weekend of action last week, the ASUN Conference Volleyball non-conference slate heats up this weekend with all nine squads in action.
Liberty, Lipscomb and North Florida all get their shot at Power 5 opponents, a week after the league saw FGCU and Lipscomb take down Miami and Iowa respectively. Stetson (3-0) aims for their best start in program history on Friday when they take on Troy, while Kennesaw State and Lipscomb look to defend their perfect records.
The conference as a whole picked up 11 wins in the first weekend of the season and look to build upon that going into week two. This weekend 11 games will be broadcasted with several on ESPN3 and ESPN+. Check out our full schedule for live stat and video links.
FGCU Eagles (2-1)
Twitter: @FGCU_VB
Weekend Matches: vs. New Mexico (8/31; 12:30 PM); at New Mexico (8/31; 9:30 PM); vs. Eastern Kentucky (9/1; 1 PM)
Last Three Matches: at Miami (W, 3-0); vs. UCF (L, 3-1); vs FAU (W, 3-0)
– FGCU’s victory over Miami last week was their first-ever road win over a Power 5 opponent
– The Eagles travel west to New Mexico this weekend for the Lobo Classic
– Senior outside hitter Amanda Carroll, an Albuerque, N.M native, makes her homecoming this weekend
– Sophomore Cortney VanLiew was last week’s ASUN Player of the Week. She leads the league in kills (53), H% (.411) and kills/set (5.30)
Jacksonville Dolphins (0-3)
Twitter: JAX_Volleyball
Weekend Matches: vs. Presbyterian (8/31; 11 AM); vs. High Point (8/31; 5 PM)
Last Three Matches: vs. San Jose State (L, 3-0); at USF (L, 3-2); vs. Stony Brook (L, 3-2)
– The Dolphins travel to Kennesaw, Ga. for doubleheader against Presbyterian and High Point
– Jacksonville is 2-1 all time against Presbyterian, winning last year’s matchup 3-0
– This will be the first-ever matchup between the Dolphins and High Point
– Mallory Mattingly has posted three-straight double-digit kills matches to start the season
Kennesaw State Owls (3-0)
Twitter: @KSUOwlsVB
Weekend Match: vs. High Point (8/31; 7 PM); vs. Presbyterian (8/31; 7 PM)
Last Three Matches: at Samford (W, 3-2); vs. McNeese State (W, 3-0); vs. Loyola-Chicago (W, 3-0)
– KSU’s 3-0 start is their first since 2015, when they started 6-0
– The Owls look to even the series against both High Point (0-1) and Presbyterian (1-2)
– Senior middle blocker Liesl Engelbrecht broke the KSU all-time record for blocks last weekend. She currently has 256
– Lauren Chastang leads the squad in kills with 33. She posted a double-double (14 kills/12 digs) in KSU’s win over Samford
Liberty Flames (1-2)
Twitter: @LibertyWVB
Weekend Matches: vs. South Carolina (8/31, 11 AM); vs. Houston Baptist (8/31, 5 PM); at Rice (9/1, 12 PM)
Last Three Matches: at Purdue-Fort Wayne (L, 3-1); vs. Oakland (W, 3-2); vs. Indiana State (L, 3-1)
– Liberty travels to Houston for the Rice Adidas Invitational this weekend; their first trip to the state of Texas since 2004
– The Flames look to pick up their first wins against South Carlina and Rice, while they’re 1-0 against Houston Baptist
– Head Coach Trevor Johnson picked up his first win as a D-I head coach last weekend with a win over Oakland
– Middle blocker Anna Gragg leads the team with 30 kills. She’s also second in blocks with 11
Lipscomb Bisons (2-0)
Twitter: @LipscombVball
Weekend Matches: at Arizona (8/31, 12 PM CT); vs. Pacific (8/31, 6 PM CT); vs. San Diego State (9/1, 12 PM CT)
Last Three Matches: vs. Iowa (W, 3-2), vs. SMU (W, 3-0)
– The Bisons opened up at No. 11 in VolleyballMag.com’s first Mid-Major Poll of the Year
– Lipscomb went 2-0 in season’s first weekend with wins over SMU and Iowa
– Carlyle Nusbaum posted back-to-back double-doubles to start the season en route to ASUN Player of the Week
– The Bisons hosted Arizona last year and defeated them 3-2; this will be their second meeting ever with both Pacific and San Diego State
NJIT Highlanders (0-3)
Twitter: @NjitVolleyball
Weekend Matches: at St. Francis Brooklyn (8/31, 3 PM); vs. Delaware State (9/1; 11:30 AM); vs. Bucknell (9/1, 4:30 PM)
Last Three Matches: vs. St. Peter’s (L, 3-2); vs. Youngstown State (L, 3-2); at Bucknell (L, 3-0)
– The Highlanders search for their first win this season as they travel across the river for the Terrier Clasic at St. Francis Brooklyn
– NJIT is on a five-game win streak with their last loss coming back in 2014
– Senior libero Adriana Nieto posted a game-high 43 digs last weekend against St. Peter’s
– Freshman outside hitter Udo Nwosu recorded her first-career double-double of 15 kills and 12 digs against St. Peter’s
North Alabama Lions (0-3)
Twitter: @RoarLions_UNA
Weekend Matches: vs. Tennessee State (8/31, 2 PM CT); vs. UNC-Asheville (9/1, 9 AM CT); at Chattanooga (9/1, 6 PM CT)
Last Three Matches: vs. Mercer (L, 3-2); at Jacksonville State (L, 3-0); vs. Little Rock (L, 3-0)
– The Lions search for their first win as a Division I member when they travel to Chattanooga for the Chattanooga Classic
– Sophia Brandstetter and Christina Ellwanger combined for 61 kills last weekend
– Jayden Davila-McClary leads the team with 55 assists and 5.55 assists/set
– Genesis Benitez ranks fifth in the ASUN in digs/set at 3.82
North Florida Ospreys (0-3)
Twitter: @OspreysVB
Weekend Matches: vs. Indiana State (8/31, 12 PM); at Tennessee (9/1, 12:30 PM); vs. Winthrop (9/1, 5 PM)
Last Three Matches: vs. Oral Roberts (L, 3-1); vs. No. 15 Colorado (L, 3-0); at Wyoming (L, 3-0)
– North Florida travels north to Knoxville, Tenn. this weekend for the Rocky Top Invitational
– UNF is 0-1 all-time against Tennessee, 1-1 against Winthrop and this will be its first-ever meeting with Indiana State
– Freshman Solimar Cestero is coming off a 15 kill and 8 dig performance against Oral Roberts. She also hit .306
– Taryn Griffey posted a career-high 17 kills last time out against Oral Roberts. She has 40 total on the year
Stetson Hatters (3-0)
Twitter: @StetsonVB
Weekend Matches: vs. Troy (8/31, 5 PM); vs. Austin Peay (9/1, 11 AM); at Middle Tennessee State (9/1, 8 PM)
Last Three Matches: at FIU (W, 3-2); vs. Florida A&M (W, 3-0); vs. Tennessee State (W, 3-1)
– Stetson’s 3-0 start is their best since 1996; the Hatters have never started 4-0
– The Hatters’ perfect weekend last week also helped them match their win total from 2017
– Eva Deisa had a monster week for the Hatters. She racked up 53 kills, including a 25-kill performance in a win over FIU
– Chelcie Spence was named Defensive Player of the Week after tallying 58 digs last weekend for the Hatters
The ASUN Conference is a NCAA Division I league with nine member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life by meeting the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. The ASUN includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Liberty University, Lipscomb University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of North Alabama, University of North Florida and Stetson University.
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