Game #22 vs FDU (NEC)
Info: Wednesday, Oct. 29
Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Court | 6:00 P.M.
Watch: NEC Front Row 
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College volleyball team is set to host NEC foe FDU in the second of their two 2025 season matches at Ted Grant Court this Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 6:00 p.m.

Matchup History:
FDU currently holds a 5-0 all-time record against Le Moyne as the programs have met twice per year as members of the NEC since the Dolphins joined the conference when they transitioned to Division I prior to the 2023 season. 

Earlier this season on Wednesday, Oct. 8, the Knights downed the Dolphins in three sets (25-15, 25-18, 25-14) in Hackensack, N.J. Junior opposite hitter Branwyn Lupton (Napanee, O.N. / Napanee District Secondary School) led Le Moyne with nine kills while sophomore outside hitter Nina Salas(Austin, T.X. / McNeil) finished just behind with another seven in the loss. Senior setter/DS Haley Gerken (Buffalo, N.Y. / Frontier) tied the match-high in assists with 19 as Salas led the 'Phins with three service aces against the Knights. 

On the defensive end, Salas led with 12 digs while Gerken and sophomore libero/DS Brooke Menke (St. Louis, M.O. / Visitation Academy) each recorded another eight for the squad. Freshman middle hitter Eiley Schneider (Ramsey, N.J. / Ramsey) led with a pair of block assists while Salas, sophomore outside hitter Piper Hooey (Elmira, N.Y. / Elmira), and senior middle hitter Nil Ezgi Tasdelen (Izmir, Turkey / Ugur Okullari) each recorded one apiece, as well.

Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne will head into the match with FDU on Wednesday with a 4-17 record overall including a 3-6 mark in conference play this season.

Le Moyne opened the year in the Salt City Classic from Aug. 29-31 where they suffered losses at the hands of both Rider (1-3) and Syracuse (0-3) while downing Niagara (3-2) in their lone victory of the season this far. The team then traveled to Delaware to take part in a three-match set at the Blue Hen Invitational from Sept. 6-7. Le Moyne fell in their three matchups to Hampton (2-3), Virginia Tech (0-3), and host Delaware (0-3) before traveling to Maryland for the Navy invitational on Sept. 12-13. 

The Dolphins dropped their first match to Gardner-Webb (0-3) before rounding out the weekend with a loss at the hands of Navy in similar three-set fashion. The squad then returned home for a mid-week home match with Canisius on Sept. 17 where they fell in three sets before dropping both legs of the Syracuse Invitational against St. John's (0-3) and Siena (0-3) from Sept. 19-20. The Dolphins then dropped their non-conference finale on the road against Holy Cross, 3-0, on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Le Moyne dropped the opening series of their conference slate against LIU at home in three sets from Oct. 3-4 before dropping a midweek matchup on the road against FDU (3-0) on Oct. 8. The squad then swept their season series against Chicago State (3-1and 3-0) at home for their first NEC wins of 2025 on Oct. 10-11.

Over the past two weekends, the Dolphins dropped two five-set matches on the road against Stonehill from Oct. 17-18 before falling to CCSU in three sets at home on Oct. 24 and sweeping the Blue Devils in a similar three-set fashion the following day. 

Lupton leads Le Moyne with 203.5 points and 181 kills while sitting second on the defensive end with 43.0 blocks this year, as well. Salas sits just behind with 159.0 points and 141 kills for the Dolphins. Gerken has put together a team-best 409 assists and 5.60 assists per set as Menke leads the team with 25 service aces. 

Defensively, Menke also leads the Dolphins with 236 digs and 3.75 digs per set through 18 matches. Schneider sits atop the standings with 57.0 blocks while senior middle hitter Tasdelen has added another 42.0 blocks, as well.

A Look at the Knights:
FDU has played to a 15-9 overall record with a 9-2 record in NEC action this season, good enough for third place in the conference standings. 

The Knights opened the year 2-7 through invitational play from Aug. 29-Sept. 13, taking down Central Michigan (3-1) and Loyola Maryland (3-1) while falling to BYU, High Point, Robert Morris, Duquesne, Fordham, Temple, and Hofstra during this period. Since then, the squad has gone 7-1 including non-conference victories over Iona (3-2), Manhattan (3-0), Columbia (3-0), and NJIT (3-1).

FDU began their NEC schedule on Sept. 26 on the road against Mercyhurst with a 3-0 victory before falling to the Lakers, 1-3, the following day and taking down New Haven, 3-0, in a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3-4. Since their victory over Le Moyne on Oct. 8, the Knights took down Stonehill (3-0 and 3-1) in a pair of home matches from Oct. 10-11 before traveling to Chicago State and taking their two matches against the Cougars (3-1 and 3-0) from Oct. 17-18. 

This past weekend, the Knights dropped their first match in five sets to Saint Francis on Oct. 24 before upsetting the Red Flash, 3-0, the following day to hand SFU their first NEC loss of the campaign.

On offense, senior outside hitter/middle blocker Kylie Nott leads with 232.5 points and 187 kills with 12 service aces for FDU. Sophomore right side Alessia Zampieri sits just behind with 209.0 points and 176 kills on the year. Freshman setter Isabella Scarfone has added a team-high 427 assists and 30 service aces this season.

Defensively, senior libero Kyndal Ganoe has put up a team-leading 300 digs while Nott has tallied 60.0 blocks, two more than second-most Zampieri (58.0).

What's Next:
The Dolphins will travel to West Haven, Conn. for a pair of matches against NEC-newcomer New Haven this weekend, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1.