BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team will welcome two Northeast Conference teams to the Steinberg Wellness Center this weekend, hosting Bryant, Saturday, October 15, and Central Connecticut State, Sunday, October 16. Both games are slated to begin at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NECFrontRow.com.
LEADING LIU
The Blackbirds (6-12, 3-2 NEC) are coming off of a split against the PA contingent of the NEC, beating Saint Francis U, 3-2 Saturday, before falling to Robert Morris, 3-0 on Sunday. Two Alexs have been leading the way for LIU on offense, as junior Alexandra Lilliquist and senior Alex Larsen are ranked in the top-five in the NEC in kills. Lilliquist comes in fourth in the league, with a 2.98 kills per set average, while Larsen is right behind her, with a 2.94 kills per set average. And two freshman have stepped up big time for the Blackbirds: freshman setter Amanda Hubbard leads the NEC with an 8.57 assists per set average, while freshman Natalia Rivera is third in the conference with a 5.03 digs per set average.
NEC HONOREE
Rivera is hot off her best week of the season, as she was named the Molten/NEC Defensive Player of the Week Monday. She is the third LIU Brooklyn freshman to be recognized by the conference this year, along with classmates Filippa Hansson and Amanda Hubbard.
Rivera took home her first NEC Defensive Player of the Week honor after turning in a tremendous defensive weekend for the Blackbirds. She started the weekend by posting an astounding 48 digs against Saint Francis U in the five-set match win. The total set a new LIU program single-game record, and also broke a 12-year NEC single-match record formerly held by RMU's Darcy Thomas, who posted 45 digs against Akron on September 3, 2004. Rivera also matched the 2016 NCAA single-match season-high, with Fort Wayne's Olivia Hahn notching 48 digs over five sets against Omaha on September 23. Rivera added 20 more digs in a setback to Robert Morris on Sunday. She finished the weekend with 68 digs, an average of 8.5 per set. The freshman from Cayey, Puerto Rico leads the conference with 7.63 digs per set in NEC play.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Bryant enters the weekend with a 12-11 overall record, and tied for fourth in the NEC standings with the Blackbirds, both schools with a 3-2 conference record thus far. The Bulldogs also split last weekend, falling to Sacred Heart 3-0 on Saturday, before rallying to beat FDU Sunday, 3-0. Bryant's other NEC loss came at the hands of first-place CCSU, 3-0, while they've beaten Saint Francis U (3-1) and RMU (3-1) so far.
Sophomore Julia Flynn leads Bryant's offense, with a 2.66 kills per set average, but senior Sara DePouw (2.53 kills per set) and junior Kiley Robbins (2.41 kills per set) will also be threats.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
CCSU enters the weekend on a five-match winning streak, having yet to lose an NEC match. At 10-7 overall, they're currently atop the conference standings at 5-0. The Blue Devils had a tough first NEC weekend, beating both Robert Morris and SFU in five, before beating Bryant (3-0), FDU (3-2) and Sacred Heart (3-2) over the past two weeks.
The Blue Devils have a balanced attack, with four different players averaging at least two kills per set. They're also one of the top blocking teams in the conference, led by junior middle blocker Maddie Smith (1.27 blocks per set), and senior middle hitter Brooke Schwab (1.14 blocks per set).