Game #15 vs. FDU (NEC)
Info: Wednesday, Oct. 8
Hackensack, N.J. | Bogota Savings Bank Center | 6:00 P.M.
Watch: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: fduknights.com

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College volleyball team will travel to New Jersey to take on the FDU Knights in a mid-week NEC match at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Matchup History:
FDU holds a 4-0 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. 

The Knights took both matches in three sets in 2023 before the Dolphins earned a set victory in their first matchup of 2024 and FDU came away with another 3-0 win in their most recent meeting. 

During their two contests last season, current junior opposite hitter Branwyn Lupton (Napanee, O.N. / Napanee District Secondary School) led the offense with 17 kills while sophomore outside hitters Jordyn Hamlin (Manahawkin, N.J. / Southern Regional) and Nina Salas (Austin, T.X. / McNeil) each added 14 of their own. Senior setter/DS Haley Gerken (Buffalo, N.Y. / Frontier) led with 43 assists and seven service aces to round out the offense against FDU.

On defense, sophomore libero/DS Brooke Menke (St. Louis, M.O. / Visitation Academy) put up a team-high 16 digs through two matches while Lupton recorded one block solo and a pair of block assists as Salas and fellow sophomore outside hitter Denali Louden (Murrieta, C.A. / Murrieta Mesa) each added three block assists. 

Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne will reach New Jersey having played to a 1-13 record through 12 non-conference matches and a pair of games against LIU to begin the 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.

Most recently, Le Moyne dropped the opening series of their conference slate against LIU at home this past weekend. The Dolphins dropped both matches in three sets at the hands of the Sharks. 

Lupton sits atop Le Moyne's squad having played all 14 matches this season with 132.0 points and 116 kills while sitting second on the team with 31.0 blocks on the defensive end, as well. Through just eight matches played this season, Hamlin sits just behind with 101.5 points, 86 kills, and 12 service aces while adding six assists, 60 digs, and 5.0 blocks. Gerken has added a team-high 260 assists while registering eight kills, nine service aces, 80 digs, and 7.0 blocks. 

On defense, Menke leads the Dolphins with 122 digs and has recorded a .907 reception percentage through 11 matches. Freshman middle hitter Eiley Schneider (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey) leads the Dolphins with 34.0 blocks while senior middle hitter Nil Ezgi Tasdelen (Izmir, Turkey/Ugur Okullari) is just behind Lupton with 27.0 blocks, as well.

A Look at the Knights:
FDU will host Le Moyne after earning a 9-8 overall record through 17 matches to begin the season. The Knights are also 3-1 in conference play to begin the year, 2025 marks the first at LIU for Head Coach David Nguyen's fourth with the program. 

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. This past weekend, FDU took down New Haven, 3-0, in a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3-4. 

On offense, senior outside hitter/middle blocker Kylie Nott leads with 163.5 points while recording 132 kills and five service aces for FDU. Senior outside hitter Giorgia Vaschetti sits just behind with 162.0 points while leading the team with 141 kills on the year. Freshman setter Isabella Scarfone has added a team-high 305 assists along with 20 service aces this season.

Defensively, senior libero Kyndal Ganoe has registered a team-leading 232 digs while Nott has tallied 48.0 blocks, 15.0 more than second-most sophomore right side hitter Alessia Zampieri (33.0).

What's Next:
The Dolphins will host Chicago State University in a pair of NEC matches this weekend, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10-11.