Volleyball Heads to The Nation?s Capital for the Colonial Challenge
9/10/2014 3:48:00 PM | Volleyball
| vs. George Washington | vs. Illinois State | vs. Baylor | ||||
| Date | Friday, Sept. 12 | Friday, Sept. 12 | Saturday, Sept. 13 | |||
| Time | 10 a.m. | 5 p.m. | 12 p.m. | |||
| Venue | Smith Center | Smith Center | Smith Center | |||
| Stream | Raise High Live | - - | - - | |||
| Stats | Game Tracker | Game Tracker | Game Tracker | |||
| Notes | - - | Notes | Notes | |||
| Tournament Central | 2014 Colonials Challenge | |||||
NEW YORK – The Columbia volleyball team will return to the court this weekend when it takes its first road trip of the season as it travels to our nation's capital to compete in the Colonial Challenge. The Lions will first face the host George Washington Friday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m., before taking the court for a 5 p.m. battle with Illinois State. Columbia concludes the tournament with a 12 p.m. match against Baylor.
Ivy League Digital Network
Each of Columbia's 10 home matches and all the Lions Ivy League contests will be web streamed in HD quality featuring a live scoreboard and graphics through the Ivy League Digital Network. Fans who subscribe to the network can watch the Lions live or on-demand at Levien Gymnasium at their convenience. SideLion pass holders will also have access to live and on-demand content for all Columbia athletics events throughout the duration of their subscription. Fans can purchase their subscription at www.ivyleaguedigitalnetwork.com.
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| The Match-ups | ||
| Friday, Sept. 12 | ||
| 10 a.m. | George Washington vs. Columbia | |
| 12 p.m. | Baylor vs. Illinois State | |
| 5 p.m. | Illinois State vs. Columbia | |
| 7 p.m. | George Washington vs. Baylor | |
| Saturday, Sept. 13 | ||
| 12 p.m. | Baylor vs. Columbia | |
| 2 p.m. | George Washington vs. Illinois State | |
Lowdown on the Lions
Columbia takes its first road trip in the Katz era this weekend after opening the season with an undefeated (3-0) performance at its invitational Sept. 5-6.
Bailey Springer's 3.70 kps, which is ranks third in the Ivy League, leads the Lions' offense. Atlanta Moye-McLaren adds 3.00 kps while Katarina Jovicic is close behind with 2.90 and a .355 hitting percentage that sits sixth in the league. Jennifer Petrovich has handled all the setting duties for Columbia notching the second-best in the conference with 11.20 aps.
Defensively, Columbia receives a 3.62 dps effort from Cassie Wes and 3.44 dps from Charlee Dyroff. At the net, the Lions are led by Jovicic and Kesi Neblett who have notched 0.80 bps and 0.60 bps, respectively.
Check-Up on the Colonials
George Washington carries a 5-1 record into its second home tournament of the season including an unblemished 3-0 mark on its own court, The Charles E. Smith Center. Kelsey Newman leads the Colonials' attack with 4.30 kps as Chidima Osuchukwu and Loren Williams have added 3.75 kps and 3.15 kps, respectively. Jordan Timmer has dished out 12.21 aps with Maddy Doyle (5.05 dps) and Osuchukwu (1.60 bps) carrying the load defensively.
Radar on the Red Birds
Illinois State, who plays Baylor prior to clashing with the Lions, enters the match holding a 4-4 record. The Red Birds have been paced by Ashley Rosch's 3.41 kps while Jaley Keene and Stacey Niao have added 2.38 kps and 2.32 kps, respectively. Katilyn Early has notched 10.06 aps as the team's primary setter. On the defensive side, the Red Birds boast 2.35 bps led by a 1.12 bps effort by Keene and 1.10 bps from Emily Schneider. Emily Orrick's 5.24 dps add to Illinois State's defensive effort.
Break-Down on the Bears
At 5-2, Baylor will take on Illinois State and GW, before meeting Columbia in Saturday's matinee. Andie Malloy leads the Bears' attack with 4.48 kps as Adrien Richburg adds 2.73 kps. Amy Rosenbaum (10.12 aps) carries Baylor's setting responsibilities. The Bears defense is paced by Laura Jones' 1.50 bps average with Hope Ogden (3.68 dps) and Tola Itiola (1.08 bps) als contributing to the effort.
That's A First
Columbia will be on the other side of the net verses its three Colonial Challenge opponents - GW, Illinois State, Baylor – for the first time in program history this weekend.
Last Time Out
Behind 20 kills from junior Bailey Springer Columbia kept its unbeaten streak alive as it downed Fairfield, 3-1, to cap off the sixth annual Columbia Invitational Saturday, Sept. 6 at Levien Gymnasium. The Lions third straight win came by set scores of 25-17, 25-19, 21-25 and 25-18.
With 20 kills, Springer led the Lions' attack for the first time this season while classmate Katarina Jovicic poured in 12 kills and sophomore Kesi Neblett added 10 scores. Sophomore Jennifer Petrovich contributed 45 assists to the offense.
The Lions' defense was strong all the way around in limiting Fairfield to a .165 hitting percentage. Sophomore Cassie Wes turned in 16 digs to pace the back row while senior Charlee Dyroff and junior Alex Reale contributed 12 digs and 11 digs, respectively. Junior Atlanta Moye-McLaren also chipped in 10.
More Reading: Volleyball Downs Fairfield, 3-1, in Columbia Invitational Finale
Great Start
For the first time since 2009, Columbia is off to a 3-0 start after sweeping Bucknell and Stony Brook and taking down Fairfield, 3-1, at its invitational Sept. 5-6. With three victories at the Colonial Challenge the Lions can post the program's best start to the season.
Killin' It
In its first weekend of action, Columbia posted 14.80 kps, which leads the Ivy League and lands sixth in the national rankings.
Setting It Up
Jennifer Petrovich has served as the Lions' primary setter at the Columbia Invitational. Petrovich has dished out 11.20 aps, which lands tied for 23rd in the NCAA and second in the Ivy League, to lead Columbia to the Ancient Eight's third-best hitting percentage (.242).
Seeing Double
In the season opener against Bucknell Sept. 5, junior Bailey Springer contributed an 11-kill, 11-dig effort to record her first double-double of the season and the ninth of her career. Three active Lions have notched double-doubles in their careers with Atlanta Moye-McLaren leading the way with 10.
| Name | 2014 Double-Doubles | Career Double-Doubles |
| Atlanta Moye-McLaren | 10 | |
| Jennifer Petrovich | 9 | |
| Bailey Springer | 1 | 9 |
All-Tourney
Junior Atlanta Moye-McLaren was named Most Valuable Player at the Columbia Invitational and classmate Katarina Jovicic earned a spot on the all-tournament team after the duo helped the Lions down Bucknell (3-0), Stony Brook (3-0) and Fairfield (3-1). In the two-day tournament, Moye-McLaren recorded 3.00 kps and 2.40 dps opening weekend while Jovicic contributed 2.90 kps on a .355 hitting clip and 0.80 dps.
Hall of Famer
Columbia's women's volleyball will see its first former player inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame this October as Kathy Lavold '03BC has been bestowed the honor. The three-year letterwinning middle blocker etched her name throughout the Lions' record book and was a crucial member of Columbia's winningest season in 2000.
More Reading: Hall of Fame Series: Kathy Lavold '03BC
Looking Ahead
Columbia will close its non-conference slate next weekend when it visits Storrs, Connecticut, to take part in the UConn Classic. The Lions will first clash against the host Huskies Friday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and will play both Bryant and Hofstra Saturday, Sept. 20 at 12:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
