BROOKLYN, N.Y - The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team opens the Northeast Conference season this weekend, hosting Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart in two matches over two days, Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25. Both matches start at 1 p.m., and will be streamed live on NECFrontRow.com. Admission is free for all fans.
NEC HONORS
Freshman Amanda Hubbard was named the Molten/Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week, it was announced by the league office Monday afternoon. She is the second Blackbird freshman to earn the honor this year, after classmate Filippa Hansson earned a nod in late August.
An offensive catalyst for the Blackbirds this past weekend, Hubbard landed a spot on the USF Classic All-Tournament team. She recorded two double-doubles and posted 9.27 assists per set and 3.00 digs per set over three matches. The freshman started the tournament with 37 assists and 15 digs against Wright State and concluded with 24 assists and five digs against USF, but her standout performance came against Stetson when the Hillsborough, CA native paced LIU's 3-1 victory with 15 digs and a career-high 41 assists.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Fairleigh Dickinson comes into the weekend looking for not just its first NEC win of the season, but its first win, period. The Knights are 0-15 on the season so far, including a 3-0 loss to Rider Wednesday night. The only common opponent FDU and LIU have shared is Boston College, who beat the Knights, 3-0, at the UMass Lowell Invite.
LIU is 26-13 all time against the Knights, including having won the last 23 straight. The Blackbirds swept FDU in 2015, 3-0 and 3-2.
FDU is led on offense by sophomore outside Rebecca Sabol, with 125 kills, for a 2.40 kills per set average. Junior Carly O'Sullivan leads the team on defense, with 228 digs, for a 4.30 digs per set average, while senior Caroline Laton is the team's top blocker, with 54 total blocks, including nine solo, for a 1.02 blocks per set average.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart enters the weekend as the only team in the NEC with a .500 or better record, coming in at 6-6 so far this year. The Pioneers are on a hot streak, having won three straight, over Idaho State, New Hampshire and Holy Cross last weekend at the UNH Invitational.
Last year, LIU won two regular season matches and the NEC semifinal match against SHU, 3-1, increasing the all-time series advantage to 28-4, including the last nine straight.
Senior right side Sarah Krufka, defending NEC Player of the Year, leads the team and the conference in kills, with a 3.72 kills per set average. She's hitting .293 so far this year with 160 kills, and also had 13 service aces, tied for second on the team. Second on the team and in the NEC in hitting, is sophomore Makayla Dole, who has a 3.21 kills per set average so far this season, with 138 total kills.
UP NEXT
The Blackbirds have a light weekend up next, as they play only one game. LIU will travel 0.8 miles down Fulton Street to take on local rival St. Francis Brooklyn, Saturday, October 1 at 1 p.m.