Friday, September 14
New York, N.Y.
2:00 P.M.
Columbia University
vs
St. Francis College
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
Volleyball Opens Home Season Friday Ahead of Busy Weekend
9/12/2018 4:01:00 PM | Volleyball
ESPN3 vs. St. FrancisESPN+ vs. FordhamWatch vs. HofstraLive Stats (Big Apple Battle)Live Stats (Hofstra Invitational)
Lions host St. Francis Brooklyn and Fordham for the Big Apple Battle Friday with games lined up on ESPN3 and ESPN+ before heading to the Hofstra Invitational on Saturday
NEW YORK — The Columbia volleyball team (3-3) will play four matches in the New York area this weekend. Columbia makes its home debut with a doubleheader on Friday against St. Francis Brooklyn (4-6) and Fordham (4-5). Saturday, the Lions head to Long Island for the Hofstra Invitational, where they will battle the host Pride (8-3) and Seton Hall (4-6).
Friday's home doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. against St. Francis and concludes with a 6 p.m. start against Fordham. The St. Francis match is available on ESPN3, while the Fordham match is available on ESPN+. Saturday's start time against Hofstra is 10:30 a.m., followed by a 3 p.m. showdown to close out the weekend against Seton Hall. The match against Hofstra is available for live streaming on Hofstra's website courtesy of Pride Productions.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday – September 14 – Big Apple Battle (Levien Gym)
Columbia vs. St. Francis – 2 p.m. | ESPN3 | Live Stats
Columbia vs. Fordham - 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Saturday – September 15 – Hofstra Invitational (Hempstead, N.Y.)
Columbia at Hofstra – 10:30 a.m. | Watch | Live Stats
Columbia vs. Seton Hall – 3 p.m. | Live Stats
LION LEADERS
Total Kills: Emily Teehan – 69, 3.14/set
Total Assists: Audrey Cheng – 186, 8.45/set
Total Digs: Kalie Wood – 115, 5.23/set
Total Blocks: Rose Compton – 16.0, 0.80/set
Total Aces: Emily Teehan – 12, 0.55/set
NATIONAL RANKINGS (entering Wednesday, Sept. 12)
Team – Top 50
Aces per set – No. 16 (1.86)
Digs per set – No. 37 (16.68)
Individual – Top 50
Aces per set – Emily Teehan – No. 28 (0.55)
Digs per set – Kalie Wood – No. 32 (5.23)
BLUE HEN INVITATIONAL CROWN
Columbia is coming off a 2-1 record at last weekend's Blue Hen Invitational to earn a share of the tournament title. The Lions started with a three-set loss to Grand Canyon, but bounced back with a sweep of Marist (25-23, 25-23, 25-22) and a five-set, comeback victory over tournament host Delaware (25-20, 15-25, 21-25, 25-14, 15-10). Junior Chichi Ikwuazom had 17 kills and four blocks against the Blue Hens and led the Lions through the weekend with 37 kills (3.36/set) to go with eight blocks (0.73/set). Sophomore setter Audrey Cheng came up with a double-double of 39 assists and 10 digs against Delaware, while first-year outside Emily Tehhan posted a double-double of 12 kills and 16 digs in the sweep over the Red Foxes. Junior libero Kalie Wood went for 30 digs against UD, marking her second career 30-dig match.
IKWUAZOM HITS MILESTONE
Chichi Ikwuazom recorded her 200th career block at last weekend's Blue Hen Invitational. Now with 207 blocks, the junior middle is 45 away from entering Columbia's top-five all-time. The program's career record is 337, set by Kathy Lavold (2000-02). Ikwuazom had 110 blocks last season to lead the Ivy League. She entered the season on pace to finish her career with nearly 400.
WILKINS HAS CAREER WEEKEND
Lauren Wilkins posted back-to-back career-highs in kills in last weekend's victories over Marist and Delaware. The senior outside went for a match-high 13 kills in the sweep over Marist and followed it up the next day with 15 kills to aid in the comeback over Delaware. Wilkins ranks second on the team with 55 kills and is averaging 2.50 per set. Her 55 kills and 41 digs have already surpassed her previous season bests from 2016.
TEEING OFF
First-year Emily Teehan leads the Columbia attack with 69 total kills and ranks No. 3 in the Ivy League with 3.14 kills per set through her first two collegiate weekends. The Toronto native is also the Ivy League leader in aces with 12 at an average of 0.55 per set and ranks No. 28 in aces nationally. Teehan has shown great defensive ability as well, ranking 10th in the Ivy League in digs at an even 3.00 per set. She was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll after the first week of play (Sept. 3).
FIRST WIN FOR KEELEY
Head coach Alliston Keeley earned her first Columbia victory when the Lions took care of tournament host Holy Cross in three sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-19) at the season-opening Holy Cross Invitational. Keeley is in her 11th season as an NCAA Div. I head coach and 19th season collegiately overall. Her first win at Columbia was also the 225th of her career.
IVY LEAGUE WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
September 3 – Isa Lamus, Emily Teehan
September 10 – Chichi Ikwuazom, Kalie Wood
THIS WEEKEND'S MATCHUPS
St. Francis Brooklyn (4-6)
Series: Columbia leads 12-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2017 at Columbia
Result: Columbia 3 – St. Francis 1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14)
Team Leaders:
Kills: Ally Speweik – 91, 2.53/set
Assists: Nina Tiedt – 215, 7.96/set
Digs: Kizzy Rodriguez – 143, 4.09/set
Blocks: Wies Barkley – 17, 0.74/set
Aces: Nina Tiedt – 15, 0.56/set
St. Francis went 1-2 at last weekend's Henson Hawk Invitational, hosted by Maryland Eastern Shore. The Terriers were defeated by the host Hawks in three, gave up a two-set lead to fall to Hampton in five, but salvaged a 3-0 victory over South Carolina State. Columbia has never dropped a match to St. Francis since the first meeting in 1989.
Fordham (4-5)
Series: Columbia leads 9-4
Last Meeting: Sept. 15, 2017 at Columbia
Result: Columbia 3 – Fordham 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-19)
Team Leaders:
Kills: Kaitlin Morley – 118, 3.19/set
Assists: Makaela Tanaka – 230, 8.21/set
Digs: Morgan Williams – 146, 4.06/set
Blocks: Claire O'Neil – 34, 0.92/set
Aces: Claire O'Neil – 11, 0.30/set
Fordham plays Manhattan on Wednesday before heading to Columbia Friday for the Big Apple Battle. The Rams went 2-1 at last week's Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas, defeating Eastern Kentucky (3-2) and Cal State Fullerton (3-0) but falling to tournament host UNLV in four. Their other two wins came over Central Connecticut at the St. John's Jack Kaiser Classic and Bryant at the Rose Hill Classic, which the Rams hosted two weeks ago. Columbia has won the last three series meetings and has dropped just one set in those matches since 2013.
Hofstra (8-3)
Series: Hofstra leads 3-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 20, 2014 at UConn Classic
Result: Hofstra 3 – Columbia 0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-20)
Team Leaders:
Kills: Laura Masciullo – 142, 3.64/set
Assists: Luisa Sydlik – 455, 11.97/set
Digs: Maddie Appleton – 126, 3.50/set
Blocks: Michela Rucli – 50, 1.35/set
Aces: Ivania Ortiz – 17, 0.44/set
Hofstra might be the best team on paper the Lions will play this weekend. The Pride are off to a solid 8-3 start that included a six-match winning streak in which they dropped only two sets. Hofstra is coming off a trip to California last weekend, where they fell to San Francisco in five, swept Southern Utah and lost in four at St. Mary's. The Pride returned to New York to battle St. John's on Tuesday and cruised past the Red Storm in three. This will be Columbia's first visit to Hofstra since 2005.
Seton Hall (4-6)
Series: Seton Hall leads 5-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 21, 2013 at Virginia Tournament
Result: Seton Hall 3 – Columbia 2 (25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 11-15)
Team Leaders:
Kills: Abby Thelen – 128, 3.56/set
Assists: Sophia Coffey – 186, 5.17/set
Digs: Eden Dolezal – 107, 4.32/set
Blocks: Amanda Rachwal – 31, 0.86/set
Aces: Caitlin Koska – 8, 0.24/set
Seton Hall has lost three straight, albeit to a tough schedule consisting of Texas Tech, UC Santa Barbara and defending Ivy League champion Princeton. The Pirates hosted VCU, Pitt and Oklahoma two weeks ago in South Orange, defeating a 30-win VCU team from a year ago in five before falling to undefeated Pitt (9-0) and the Sooners. SHU and Columbia haven't met since 2013, when the Lions won the first two sets at the Virginia Tournament but were defeated in five. Seton Hall has not lost to Columbia in five all-time meetings since 1988.
Friday's home doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. against St. Francis and concludes with a 6 p.m. start against Fordham. The St. Francis match is available on ESPN3, while the Fordham match is available on ESPN+. Saturday's start time against Hofstra is 10:30 a.m., followed by a 3 p.m. showdown to close out the weekend against Seton Hall. The match against Hofstra is available for live streaming on Hofstra's website courtesy of Pride Productions.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday – September 14 – Big Apple Battle (Levien Gym)
Columbia vs. St. Francis – 2 p.m. | ESPN3 | Live Stats
Columbia vs. Fordham - 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Saturday – September 15 – Hofstra Invitational (Hempstead, N.Y.)
Columbia at Hofstra – 10:30 a.m. | Watch | Live Stats
Columbia vs. Seton Hall – 3 p.m. | Live Stats
LION LEADERS
Total Kills: Emily Teehan – 69, 3.14/set
Total Assists: Audrey Cheng – 186, 8.45/set
Total Digs: Kalie Wood – 115, 5.23/set
Total Blocks: Rose Compton – 16.0, 0.80/set
Total Aces: Emily Teehan – 12, 0.55/set
NATIONAL RANKINGS (entering Wednesday, Sept. 12)
Team – Top 50
Aces per set – No. 16 (1.86)
Digs per set – No. 37 (16.68)
Individual – Top 50
Aces per set – Emily Teehan – No. 28 (0.55)
Digs per set – Kalie Wood – No. 32 (5.23)
BLUE HEN INVITATIONAL CROWN
Columbia is coming off a 2-1 record at last weekend's Blue Hen Invitational to earn a share of the tournament title. The Lions started with a three-set loss to Grand Canyon, but bounced back with a sweep of Marist (25-23, 25-23, 25-22) and a five-set, comeback victory over tournament host Delaware (25-20, 15-25, 21-25, 25-14, 15-10). Junior Chichi Ikwuazom had 17 kills and four blocks against the Blue Hens and led the Lions through the weekend with 37 kills (3.36/set) to go with eight blocks (0.73/set). Sophomore setter Audrey Cheng came up with a double-double of 39 assists and 10 digs against Delaware, while first-year outside Emily Tehhan posted a double-double of 12 kills and 16 digs in the sweep over the Red Foxes. Junior libero Kalie Wood went for 30 digs against UD, marking her second career 30-dig match.
IKWUAZOM HITS MILESTONE
Chichi Ikwuazom recorded her 200th career block at last weekend's Blue Hen Invitational. Now with 207 blocks, the junior middle is 45 away from entering Columbia's top-five all-time. The program's career record is 337, set by Kathy Lavold (2000-02). Ikwuazom had 110 blocks last season to lead the Ivy League. She entered the season on pace to finish her career with nearly 400.
WILKINS HAS CAREER WEEKEND
Lauren Wilkins posted back-to-back career-highs in kills in last weekend's victories over Marist and Delaware. The senior outside went for a match-high 13 kills in the sweep over Marist and followed it up the next day with 15 kills to aid in the comeback over Delaware. Wilkins ranks second on the team with 55 kills and is averaging 2.50 per set. Her 55 kills and 41 digs have already surpassed her previous season bests from 2016.
TEEING OFF
First-year Emily Teehan leads the Columbia attack with 69 total kills and ranks No. 3 in the Ivy League with 3.14 kills per set through her first two collegiate weekends. The Toronto native is also the Ivy League leader in aces with 12 at an average of 0.55 per set and ranks No. 28 in aces nationally. Teehan has shown great defensive ability as well, ranking 10th in the Ivy League in digs at an even 3.00 per set. She was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll after the first week of play (Sept. 3).
FIRST WIN FOR KEELEY
Head coach Alliston Keeley earned her first Columbia victory when the Lions took care of tournament host Holy Cross in three sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-19) at the season-opening Holy Cross Invitational. Keeley is in her 11th season as an NCAA Div. I head coach and 19th season collegiately overall. Her first win at Columbia was also the 225th of her career.
IVY LEAGUE WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
September 3 – Isa Lamus, Emily Teehan
September 10 – Chichi Ikwuazom, Kalie Wood
THIS WEEKEND'S MATCHUPS
St. Francis Brooklyn (4-6)
Series: Columbia leads 12-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2017 at Columbia
Result: Columbia 3 – St. Francis 1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14)
Team Leaders:
Kills: Ally Speweik – 91, 2.53/set
Assists: Nina Tiedt – 215, 7.96/set
Digs: Kizzy Rodriguez – 143, 4.09/set
Blocks: Wies Barkley – 17, 0.74/set
Aces: Nina Tiedt – 15, 0.56/set
St. Francis went 1-2 at last weekend's Henson Hawk Invitational, hosted by Maryland Eastern Shore. The Terriers were defeated by the host Hawks in three, gave up a two-set lead to fall to Hampton in five, but salvaged a 3-0 victory over South Carolina State. Columbia has never dropped a match to St. Francis since the first meeting in 1989.
Fordham (4-5)
Series: Columbia leads 9-4
Last Meeting: Sept. 15, 2017 at Columbia
Result: Columbia 3 – Fordham 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-19)
Team Leaders:
Kills: Kaitlin Morley – 118, 3.19/set
Assists: Makaela Tanaka – 230, 8.21/set
Digs: Morgan Williams – 146, 4.06/set
Blocks: Claire O'Neil – 34, 0.92/set
Aces: Claire O'Neil – 11, 0.30/set
Fordham plays Manhattan on Wednesday before heading to Columbia Friday for the Big Apple Battle. The Rams went 2-1 at last week's Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas, defeating Eastern Kentucky (3-2) and Cal State Fullerton (3-0) but falling to tournament host UNLV in four. Their other two wins came over Central Connecticut at the St. John's Jack Kaiser Classic and Bryant at the Rose Hill Classic, which the Rams hosted two weeks ago. Columbia has won the last three series meetings and has dropped just one set in those matches since 2013.
Hofstra (8-3)
Series: Hofstra leads 3-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 20, 2014 at UConn Classic
Result: Hofstra 3 – Columbia 0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-20)
Team Leaders:
Kills: Laura Masciullo – 142, 3.64/set
Assists: Luisa Sydlik – 455, 11.97/set
Digs: Maddie Appleton – 126, 3.50/set
Blocks: Michela Rucli – 50, 1.35/set
Aces: Ivania Ortiz – 17, 0.44/set
Hofstra might be the best team on paper the Lions will play this weekend. The Pride are off to a solid 8-3 start that included a six-match winning streak in which they dropped only two sets. Hofstra is coming off a trip to California last weekend, where they fell to San Francisco in five, swept Southern Utah and lost in four at St. Mary's. The Pride returned to New York to battle St. John's on Tuesday and cruised past the Red Storm in three. This will be Columbia's first visit to Hofstra since 2005.
Seton Hall (4-6)
Series: Seton Hall leads 5-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 21, 2013 at Virginia Tournament
Result: Seton Hall 3 – Columbia 2 (25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 11-15)
Team Leaders:
Kills: Abby Thelen – 128, 3.56/set
Assists: Sophia Coffey – 186, 5.17/set
Digs: Eden Dolezal – 107, 4.32/set
Blocks: Amanda Rachwal – 31, 0.86/set
Aces: Caitlin Koska – 8, 0.24/set
Seton Hall has lost three straight, albeit to a tough schedule consisting of Texas Tech, UC Santa Barbara and defending Ivy League champion Princeton. The Pirates hosted VCU, Pitt and Oklahoma two weeks ago in South Orange, defeating a 30-win VCU team from a year ago in five before falling to undefeated Pitt (9-0) and the Sooners. SHU and Columbia haven't met since 2013, when the Lions won the first two sets at the Virginia Tournament but were defeated in five. Seton Hall has not lost to Columbia in five all-time meetings since 1988.
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