Thursday, September 19
New York, N.Y.
7:00 P.M.
Columbia University
vs
Fordham
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/David Collins
Lions Open Home Court With A Pair Of Matches, Head To LIU For A Busy Three Days
9/18/2019 11:23:00 AM | Volleyball
Live Stats (vs. FOR)Watch Live (vs. FOR)Live Stats (vs. SJS)Watch Live (vs. SJS)Live Stats (vs. LIU)Watch Live (vs. LIU)
Columbia Volleyball will finally open up Levien Gym on Sept. 19 with a visit by Fordham and San Jose State on Sept. 20, before heading to LIU for a Sept. 21 matchup.
NEW YORK – Six matches in and Columbia Volleyball (4-2) will finally open up Levien Gymnasium with a pair of matches on Morningside before hitting the road again for a third match as a part of the Big Apple Tournament and it all starts with the home opener against Fordham (6-3) on Thursday, Sept. 19 (7 p.m.), a second home matchup against San Jose State (4-5) on Friday, Sept. 20 (7 p.m.) and one final weekend match at LIU on Saturday, Sept. 21 (4 p.m.), with both of Columbia's home matches streaming on ESPN+ and Columbia's visit to LIU being streamed on NEC Front Row.
HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
vs. Fordham – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Twitter (@CUVB)
vs. San Jose State – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Twitter (@CUVB)
at LIU – Live Stats | Watch (NEC Front Row) | Twitter (@CUVB)
TICKET/PROMOTION INFO: All of Columbia's matches at home are free to attend for anyone, and the home opener against Fordham will be Fan Giveaway Night where fans in attendance will receive a lunch bag filled with goodies. Friday's match against San Jose State is Student Rewards night, where students who attend and swipe their Columbia I.D. card will receive points towards the Student Rewards Program.
REVIEWING THE PREVIOUS WEEKEND: The Lions went down to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to take part in the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing Cherry & White Tournament where Columbia went 2-1 taking down Lehigh (3-1) and Radford (3-1) while falling to hosting Temple in straight sets. Senior Chichi Ikwuazom and first-year Kiara Robichaud were both named to the All-Tournament team, based on their strong performances.
Ikwuazom racked up 70 kills over the three matches while hitting .522 during that same stretch. Meanwhile Robichaud was a force, hitting .325, recording 37 kills, including a career-high 18 against Radford, and the first-year added 17 digs on her way to the All-Tournament Team nomination. During the match against Lehigh, Ikwauzom recorded a career-high 29 kills which were also the fourth most in a single match in program history.
IVY LEAGUE TIPS THE CAP: Both Ikwuazom and Robichaud earned Ivy League Weekly Honors off their respective performances over the weekend in Philadelphia, with Ikwuazom earning her second straight Player of the Week award while Robichaud was named to the Weekly Honor Roll. For the Lions, Ikwuazom's back-to-back Player of the Week awards gives Columbia its first back-to-back Ivy League Player of the Week since 2017 when during the weeks of Oct. 23-30 then senior Anja Malesevic earned the honors.
NATIONAL CHICHI: After the Lions' six matches, Ikwuazom's performance has her near at or near the top in three national offensive categories. Ikwuazom is first in the nation in kills per set (5.95), second in points per set (6.55) and 11th in hitting percentage (.481) as her senior year has gotten off to a hot start.
WHAT THE RAMS BRING: This will be the fourth straight season that Columbia and Fordham have met on the court, and the fifth straight matchup that will be played at Levien. Columbia has won the past four meetings, outscoring the Rams 12-1 over that stretch and the Lions have not dropped a set to the Rams since 2013. Overall Columbia leads the series, 10-4, with the last loss coming on Sept. 23, 1997.
Fordham enters the week sitting at 6-3 but will make a visit to the Manhattan Jaspers on Wednesday, Sept. 18, before heading downtown to face the Lions on Morningside. The Rams are coming off a weekend where they were in Hanover, New Hampshire to take part in the Dartmouth Invitational where they went 2-1, beating Hartford (3-0) and Dartmouth (3-1) while losing to Hofstra in four sets.
Offensively, Fordham is led by McKenna Lahr who has recorded a team-high 103 kills while hitting .233. Defensively Morgan Williams has been the driving force collecting 220 digs while averaging 6.47 digs per set. Williams' impressive digs per set numbers places her second in the country, while her total digs place her fifth in the country.
WHAT THE SPARTANS BRING: For San Jose State, this will be their first trip out of the state of California during the 2019 season, and the furthest east the Spartans will travel throughout the season. The Spartans, who enter the week at 4-5, will face LIU on Sept. 19, before making their first visit to Columbia in program history. This will be the first meeting all-time between the two programs.
San Jose State opened up its home slate of matches over the previous weekend of Sept. 13-14, taking on Northern Colorado (L, 0-3) and Marist (W, 3-0) as a part of the South Bay Battle that saw the Spartans visit Santa Clara on Sept. 12, a match they lost 3-1.
Offensively the Spartans are led by Haylee Nelson's 105 kills and she is averaging 3.28 kills per set while hitting .240 percent. The offense runs through Mamie Garard (177 assists) and Kaitlynn Zdroik (132 assists) and defensively the Spartans are powered by Sarah Smevog's 131 digs at 4.09 digs per set.
WHAT THE SHARKS BRING: Over the first nine matches, LIU has yet to claim its first win of the season, entering the weekend where they will host both San Jose State and Fordham, before the Lions make the trip, 0-9. In fact, the Sharks did not win its first set until match eight, a match they lost 3-1 to North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida on Sept. 13. The Sharks have been road warriors this season, having yet to play a home match, traveling to Boulder, Colorado for the Buffs Invitational, Provo, Utah for the BYU Invitational and Jacksonville for the Osprey Tournament.
All-time the Sharks lead the series 7-5, having taken the previous six matches, with the most recent being a 3-2 win for LIU on Sept. 17, 2017 and this will be the second straight meeting to take place on LIU's home court.
Kora Schaberl's 105 kills and 3.62 kills per set leads the Sharks on the offensive side of things, with Schaberl hitting .189 on 275 total attacks. Amanda Hubbard's 167 assists at 6.19 assists per set is the driving force behind the offense and Natalia Rivera's 126 digs (4.34 digs per set) has place Rivera at the tip of the Sharks defense.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Volleyball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CUVB), Instagram (@columbiawvb) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
vs. Fordham – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Twitter (@CUVB)
vs. San Jose State – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Twitter (@CUVB)
at LIU – Live Stats | Watch (NEC Front Row) | Twitter (@CUVB)
TICKET/PROMOTION INFO: All of Columbia's matches at home are free to attend for anyone, and the home opener against Fordham will be Fan Giveaway Night where fans in attendance will receive a lunch bag filled with goodies. Friday's match against San Jose State is Student Rewards night, where students who attend and swipe their Columbia I.D. card will receive points towards the Student Rewards Program.
REVIEWING THE PREVIOUS WEEKEND: The Lions went down to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to take part in the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing Cherry & White Tournament where Columbia went 2-1 taking down Lehigh (3-1) and Radford (3-1) while falling to hosting Temple in straight sets. Senior Chichi Ikwuazom and first-year Kiara Robichaud were both named to the All-Tournament team, based on their strong performances.
Ikwuazom racked up 70 kills over the three matches while hitting .522 during that same stretch. Meanwhile Robichaud was a force, hitting .325, recording 37 kills, including a career-high 18 against Radford, and the first-year added 17 digs on her way to the All-Tournament Team nomination. During the match against Lehigh, Ikwauzom recorded a career-high 29 kills which were also the fourth most in a single match in program history.
IVY LEAGUE TIPS THE CAP: Both Ikwuazom and Robichaud earned Ivy League Weekly Honors off their respective performances over the weekend in Philadelphia, with Ikwuazom earning her second straight Player of the Week award while Robichaud was named to the Weekly Honor Roll. For the Lions, Ikwuazom's back-to-back Player of the Week awards gives Columbia its first back-to-back Ivy League Player of the Week since 2017 when during the weeks of Oct. 23-30 then senior Anja Malesevic earned the honors.
NATIONAL CHICHI: After the Lions' six matches, Ikwuazom's performance has her near at or near the top in three national offensive categories. Ikwuazom is first in the nation in kills per set (5.95), second in points per set (6.55) and 11th in hitting percentage (.481) as her senior year has gotten off to a hot start.
WHAT THE RAMS BRING: This will be the fourth straight season that Columbia and Fordham have met on the court, and the fifth straight matchup that will be played at Levien. Columbia has won the past four meetings, outscoring the Rams 12-1 over that stretch and the Lions have not dropped a set to the Rams since 2013. Overall Columbia leads the series, 10-4, with the last loss coming on Sept. 23, 1997.
Fordham enters the week sitting at 6-3 but will make a visit to the Manhattan Jaspers on Wednesday, Sept. 18, before heading downtown to face the Lions on Morningside. The Rams are coming off a weekend where they were in Hanover, New Hampshire to take part in the Dartmouth Invitational where they went 2-1, beating Hartford (3-0) and Dartmouth (3-1) while losing to Hofstra in four sets.
Offensively, Fordham is led by McKenna Lahr who has recorded a team-high 103 kills while hitting .233. Defensively Morgan Williams has been the driving force collecting 220 digs while averaging 6.47 digs per set. Williams' impressive digs per set numbers places her second in the country, while her total digs place her fifth in the country.
WHAT THE SPARTANS BRING: For San Jose State, this will be their first trip out of the state of California during the 2019 season, and the furthest east the Spartans will travel throughout the season. The Spartans, who enter the week at 4-5, will face LIU on Sept. 19, before making their first visit to Columbia in program history. This will be the first meeting all-time between the two programs.
San Jose State opened up its home slate of matches over the previous weekend of Sept. 13-14, taking on Northern Colorado (L, 0-3) and Marist (W, 3-0) as a part of the South Bay Battle that saw the Spartans visit Santa Clara on Sept. 12, a match they lost 3-1.
Offensively the Spartans are led by Haylee Nelson's 105 kills and she is averaging 3.28 kills per set while hitting .240 percent. The offense runs through Mamie Garard (177 assists) and Kaitlynn Zdroik (132 assists) and defensively the Spartans are powered by Sarah Smevog's 131 digs at 4.09 digs per set.
WHAT THE SHARKS BRING: Over the first nine matches, LIU has yet to claim its first win of the season, entering the weekend where they will host both San Jose State and Fordham, before the Lions make the trip, 0-9. In fact, the Sharks did not win its first set until match eight, a match they lost 3-1 to North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida on Sept. 13. The Sharks have been road warriors this season, having yet to play a home match, traveling to Boulder, Colorado for the Buffs Invitational, Provo, Utah for the BYU Invitational and Jacksonville for the Osprey Tournament.
All-time the Sharks lead the series 7-5, having taken the previous six matches, with the most recent being a 3-2 win for LIU on Sept. 17, 2017 and this will be the second straight meeting to take place on LIU's home court.
Kora Schaberl's 105 kills and 3.62 kills per set leads the Sharks on the offensive side of things, with Schaberl hitting .189 on 275 total attacks. Amanda Hubbard's 167 assists at 6.19 assists per set is the driving force behind the offense and Natalia Rivera's 126 digs (4.34 digs per set) has place Rivera at the tip of the Sharks defense.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Volleyball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CUVB), Instagram (@columbiawvb) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
Players Mentioned
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