COLLEGE PARK, MD. — After opening home with a pair of wins, Columbia Volleyball returns to the road where they will take part in the Maryland Challenge, taking on Stony Brook (Sept. 17; 4 p.m.) before wrapping up the weekend against Akron (10:30 a.m.) and hosting Maryland (Sept. 18; 7 p.m.), in the final non-conference weekend of the season.
 
HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
vs. Stony Brook (Sept. 17) – Live Stats | Watch (BIG10+ [$]) | Social Media (@culionsvb)
vs. Akron (Sept. 18) – Live Stats | Watch (BIG10+ [$]) | Social Media (@culionsvb)
at Maryland (Sept. 18) – Live Stats | Watch (BIG10+ [$]) | Social Media (@culionsvb)
 
BIG10+: All three matches will be streamed on the BIG10+ Network.  A paid subscription to the BIG10 Network is needed in order to access the matches.
 
BIG APPLE WEEKEND: Columbia opened Schiller Court at Levien Gym for the first time in over 670 days by hosting the Big Apple Tournament, over the weekend of Sept. 10-11.  During the weekend, the Lions collected a pair of wins, taking down St. Francis Brooklyn (3-1) in the home opener, before knocking off Iona (3-1) on the second day. 
 
For Columbia, the wins snapped their three-match streak to open the season where they dropped their first three matches.  They unfortunately ended the weekend by dropping a straight set match to Seton Hall, but it was a solid performance for the Lions as they put up a fight and fell to a squad who only dropped one set over their three matches.
 
ALL-BIG APPLE TOURNAMENT: Columbia's Vanessa Pan and Noelle Foster both had strong performances over the tournament, and they were awarded Big Apple All-Tournament honors.  Pan, who is the team's starting libero, finished with 45 total digs at 4.09 digs per set.  While on the outside, Foster hit at .416 percentage and finished with 44 kills.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Columbia Lions Volleyball (@culionsvb)

BARNARD SHOWS UP (AGAIN): Just as it went in the opening weekend in West Point, Columbia's Barnard College women came to play over the weekend, with Pan collecting All-Tournament honors and Cadence Gronski added a pair of double doubles in strong performances for the Lions.
 
Pan opened the weekend by collecting 25 digs against St. Francis Brooklyn, before racking up 17 more against Iona.  As for Gronski, she recorded 45 assists and 10 digs against St. Francis Brooklyn, and with 27 kills and 11 digs against Seton Hall, gave herself a pair of double doubles on the weekend.
 
STONY BROOK MATCHUP: For both Columbia and Stony Brook, Friday's match will be the opening match of the weekend, as it will get the tournament started.  Entering the weekend, Stony Brook brings a 4-7 record, having lost their last match, 3-1, to St. John's on Tuesday, Sept. 14.  Over their last four matches, Stony Brook has won two and lost two.
 
All-time, Columbia trails Stony Brook 2-5, with the Lions last getting a win over Stony Brook on Sept. 6, 2014 (3-0, H).  The last time Columbia and Stony Brook met, Stony Brook won 3-1 in Stony Brook, New York, and the last time these two faced each on a neutral court was in 2001, which was a 3-1 win for the Lions.
 
Leading the Wolves in kills are Leoni Kunz (121) and Amiyah De'Long (112), with Kunz leading the way in kills per set at 3.03.  Kunz is also hitting .212 while De'Long is smacking at .199 on the season.  At the service line, Stony Brook has a top 20 server in Torri Henry, who has 18 aces, which ranks her 18th in the country and her 371 assists is 14th in the nation.
 
AKRON MATCHUP: Akron enters the weekend with a 6-3 record and will play Maryland on Sept. 17 to open the weekend.  Winning three out of their last four, Columbia will not be the first Ivy League opponent for Akron as the Zips beat Penn, 3-1, on Sept. 10 at the DePaul Invite.
 
This will be the second time that Akron and Columbia have met, with Akron taking the previous meeting, 3-0, in a neutral site on Sept. 24, 2005.
 
MARYLAND MATCHUP: Having gone 9-0 over their first three weekends, hosting Maryland will face both Akron and Stony Brook before taking on the Lions in the final match of the weekend.  All-time, this will be the second meeting between Columbia and Maryland with Maryland having won the previous meeting, 3-0, in a match on Morningside. 
 
Nationally, Maryland as a team holds the second-best opponents hitting percentage, holding teams to .085 percentage.  A reason for that strong defensive hitting percentage is their presence at the net, as Maryland ranks fifth in the nation in blocks per set, averaging 3.15 over their first nine matches.
 
Averaging 1.85 blocks per set, Rainelle Jones sits third in the nation individually, helping Maryland's strong presence at net.  Jones also ranks ninth in the nation in total blocks, having collected 48 total blocks.  Setting the offense for Maryland is Sydney Dowler, who has 334 assists, the most in the BIG10 and is averaging 11.13 assists pet set, the 13th best average in the country.
 
VENUE POLICIES: Volleyball spectator attendance will be restricted to a limited pass list only due to University COVID protocols and in accordance with NYC Executive Order 225.

If you are Columbia fan, fully vaccinated and would like to attend a volleyball game this fall, please contact Assistant Volleyball Coach Julia Anderson at ja3445@columbia.edu to get on the Volleyball guest list. You must be on the guest list to be able to attend a volleyball game at Levien Gymnasium before the game you would like to attend. There is limited availability for each home contest.  
 
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Volleyball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsVB), Instagram (@culionsvb) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).