Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College volleyball heads to Fairfield, Connecticut for the Sacred Heart Invitational this Friday and Saturday.

The Dolphins take on the host Pioneers on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and then face Binghamton University on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Sacred Heart is off to a 1-2 start to the season, while the Bearcats are 0-3.

The Dolphins are facing Sacred Heart for the first time since their inaugural year in the NEC in 2023. The Pioneers won both matchups in the season series that year by scores of 3-0. The teams also met in 1994, with Sacred Heart coming away with another 3-0 win.

Junior middle hitter Alise Evans (Tampa, Florida/Oak Park/UNC Asheville) and freshman Avery Stromberg (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) each recorded 12 kills over Le Moyne's three matches at the Hampton Inn and Suites Seahawk Classic, while Evans also had a team high-tying five blocks. Freshman Katie Barbour (Durham, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons) and junior Skylar Jehlen (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) have split the setting duties with 29 (3.22/set) and 18 assists (2.25/set) respectively, while Barbour is tied with Evans with five blocks and also has five kills. Freshman Aubrey Kimball (Greensboro, N.C./Cornerstone Charter Academy) leads the team defensively with 20 digs (2.50/set).

Sacred Heart opened its season at Army West Point's Black Knight Invitational. The Pioneers fell to the host Black Knights in their first match, 3-1. On Saturday evening, they earned a 3-0 victory over UAlbany. Sacred Heart closed out the weekend with a 3-0 setback to the University of Iowa.

Lauren Hubert leads the Pioneers with 48 kills (4.80/set) on a .314 hitting percentage to go with 33 digs (3.30/set), the second-highest total on the team. Abbie Hagedorn has tallied 35 kills (3.50/set) and 21 digs (2.10/set). Sofia Hechavarria also has double-digit kills with 18 (1.80/set). Addy Franz directed the offense with 88 assists (8.80/set). Miliani Villarreal leads the squad defensively with 46 digs (4.60/set).

Le Moyne is taking on Binghamton for the seventh time overall and third time as Division I foes. The teams split a pair of matchups in 1998 before the Bearcats followed with wins in 1999 and 2000. The Dolphins visited Binghamton for their sixth-ever Division I match on September 5, 2023, posting a 3-0 setback, and then fell at home the following year, 3-1.

Binghamton suffered 3-0 losses to Bradley University, Oakland University and the University of Toledo over opening weekend at Toledo's Rocket Invitational.

Viktoria Dimitrova leads the Bearcats with 26 kills (2.89/set) to go along with 12 digs (1.33/set). Magi Milicevic has 17 kills (1.89/set) and 16 digs (1.78/set) and Maya Coblentz-Brown has 14 kills (1.56/set). Celeste Ocampo leads the team defensively with 45 digs (5.00/set). Regan Kadel (30 assists, 4.29/set) and Maia Marin (29 assists, 3.22/set) have split the setting duties.