BROOKLYN, N.Y.— The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team concludes its six-match west coast trip this weekend at the North Portland Marriott Invite at the University of Portland. The Blackbirds start things off with a pair of matches against Wyoming and Montana State on Friday, August 31 before ending the trip against tournament host, Portland on Saturday, September 1.
Last Time Out
LIU went 1-2 in the three-match weekend at the UNLV Invitational last weekend. The Blackbirds opened with a three-set sweep over Southern Utah before dropping two tough matches against Indiana (3-1) and host, UNLV (3-0).
Sophomore setter Piper Matsumoto represented LIU on the All-Tournament team after averaging 6.10 assists and 3.40 digs per set. She recorded her first double-double of the season with 28 assists and 19 digs against the Hoosiers. Junior Filippa Hansson led the team with 21 kills and a .269 hitting percentage on the weekend. Graduate student Alexandra Lilliquist ranks among the NEC leaders with six service aces. Defensively, junior Katharina Krepper led the Blackbirds with 10 blocks and junior libero Natalia Rivera paced the team with 35 digs.
Scouting the Cowgirls
Wyoming enters the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record after opening the year at the Rumble in the Rockies. The Cowgirls earned sweeps over North Florida and Oral Roberts before securing a 3-2 win over 15th ranked Colorado.
Reigning Mountain West Player of the Week Jackie McBride leads the team offensively with 35 points, 26 kills and .442 hitting percentage last weekend. As a team Wyoming ranks ninth in the country with a .330 hitting percentage. Friday afternoon marks the second meeting between both teams after Wyoming swept the matchup in 2016.
Scouting the Bobcats
Montana State comes off a 2-1 weekend at the Cleveland State Invitational last weekend. The Bobacts opened with a 3-2 win over Canisius before seeing both sides of the coin on the three-set sweep. Montana State was swept by Cleveland State on Friday night before ending the weekend with a sweep over Binghamton.
Outside hitter Natalie Passeck leads the team with 48 points, she tallied 46 kills during the opening weekend. Carina Lehto paces the team in assists with 114 through three matches. This is the first meeting between both teams.
Scouting the Pilots
Tournament host Portland comes into the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record after an impressive weekend at the Aztec Invitational. The Pilots earned back-to-back sweeps over CSU Bakersfield and Campbell before defeating San Diego State 3-1.
Middle blocker Shayla Hoeft is the reigning West Coast Confernce Player of the Week after MVP honors at the Aztec Invitational. She paced the Pilots with 38 kills, a .457 hitting percentage and 10 blocks. Nationally, Portland ranks sixth in the country in team hitting percentage at .348. Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between both teams.
Up Next
The Blackbirds return home next weekend for the Blackbird Invitational at the Steinberg Wellness Center. LIU hosts Holy Cross and South Florida on Friday, September 7 and George Washington on Saturday, September 8.