2016 LIU Brooklyn Volleyball Season Preview Video
BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team opens the 2016 season this weekend, traveling north to take part in the Boston College Invitational in Chestnut Hill, Mass. There, the Blackbirds will face off against the host Eagles twice, along with the Fresno State Bulldogs.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, August 26
1 p.m. | Live Stats
LIU Brooklyn vs. Boston College
7:30 p.m.
LIU Brooklyn vs. Fresno State
Saturday, August 27
1 p.m. | Live Stats
LIU Brooklyn vs. Boston College
LOOKING AT LIU
The Blackbirds, who went 14-14 in 2015, and 12-2 in the Northeast Conference, have a young squad starting the 2016, with six new faces on the roster. Three seniors will lead the team: opposite Alex Larsen, returning from an injury-hampered junior year, middle blocker Mengdi Zhao, and setter Nicole Hopton. The trio is joined by juniors Sonja Vukosavljevic and Alexandra Lilliquist, a transfer from Indian River State. Five freshman will make their debuts this weekend, hailing from four different countries, including Austria, Puerto Rico and Sweden.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
This weekend's tournament is the season opener for all three squads. The Eagles start the year looking to bounce back from a 2015 season that saw BC go 12-20, and 4-16 in the ACC. Boston College graduated senior All-ACC outside Katty Workman, and have a young team, with just five juniors and seniors; eight freshman Eagles join the team this year.
This is the second time the two programs have faced off: in 2014, Boston College came to Brooklyn to take part in the Blackbird Invitational. Host LIU won that match, 3-2, en route to claiming the tournament title.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Fresno State is another squad that will be looking to improve on last year's results. The Bulldogs went 14-18 in 2015, including a 6-12 record in the Mountain West. But the Bulldogs will be the most experienced team of the group, as they return nine letter winners, including five starters.
The Bulldogs and the Blackbirds have faced off three times in program history. Most recently, LIU earned its first win over the California squad, beating them in the Steinberg Wellness Center in 2014, 3-1.
UP NEXT
This weekend's action will be a tune-up for one of the toughest weekends of the year for the Blackbirds. LIU will spend the first half of Labor Day weekend at the 12th Annual Sports Import D.C. Koehl Classic, hosted by The Ohio State University. The Blackbirds will face two top-20 ranked teams, including the host Buckeyes, ranked No. 15 in the preseason poll, and No. 13 BYU. The University of Wyoming rounds out the tournament, taking place in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, September 2 and Saturday, September 3.